Basic Marinara

I tried all five of these variations (Basic Marinara, Meat Sauce, Mushroom Sauce, Puttanesca, and Amatriciana). They are all soooo good!

Amatriciana: Once onion is soft, add 4 ounces diced bacon and 3/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes; cook until bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. Serve topped with 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano.

Puttanesca: Once onion is soft, add 3 anchovies, 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained, and 1/2 cup quartered pitted Kalamata olives, and 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes and cook 1 minute, crushing anchovies with a spoon.

Mushroom Sauce: Once onion is soft, add 1 pound quartered cremini mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and saute over medium-high until browned, 10 minutes. Add 1/3 cup dry white wine and cook until evaporated. Serve topped with fresh parsley.

Meat sauce: add 1/2 cup each diced celery and carrot with onion. When vegetables are soft, add 1 pound ground beef and cook until just cooked through, 8 minutes.

This is the recipe for the Basic Marinara sauce, but while the picture shows the different ways to tweak this sauce, the recipe doesn't include those instructions. I can't leave one comment long enough to include all the instructions. So, I will leave four more comments after this! In addition to the Basic Marinara, you can also make Meat Sauce, Mushroom Sauce, Puttanesca, and Amatriciana by adding in different ingredient combinations.