This delicious sweet and creamy marinara sauce recipe comes straight from an Italian family. My sister had it in the home of one of her best friends once and freaked out because she loved it so much. She asked for the recipe and he told her it was their family’s recipe and that they never made it exactly the same way twice. Here is the best version of a written recipe that he could put together for her. I adore the sweetness of this recipe, even though I should note that my husband says he would prefer half as much sugar. He’s crazy. And doesn’t have my sweet tooth. 😉
- 6 Roma tomatoes
- large red bell pepper
- 16 oz ca of dice or crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup sugar
- pinch of garlic
- 2 Tablespoons fresh basil, minced
- about ½ cup cream or half-and-half
- penne pasta
- Scoop out the innards of about six Roma tomatoes. (Get rid of all of the seeds and wet stuff.)
- Do the same for a large red bell pepper.
- Put these fresh veggies in a food processor or blender and puree.
- Add a 16 oz. can of diced or crushed tomatoes.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and ¼ cup of sugar. Mix.
- Put this tomato mixture in a skillet on the stove at a medium-high heat. Add a pinch of garlic.
- Let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes until most of the liquid has cooked out, and the color is deep red.
- When the mixture looks almost done, add a couple of tablespoons of basil. Simmer another couple of minutes.
- Add cream or half-and-half to your liking. The sauce should be a creamy consistency and light red in color. (You decide what tastes good.)
- Serve over penne pasta.
If you think this recipe looks tasty then you will love these recipes as well:
Grandma’s Zesty Baked Spaghetti
Creamy Spinach Tomato Tortellini
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This looks absolutely amazing! I will definitely be making this 🙂 YUM!
This looks so good! I don’t dislike red sauce but I don’t love it either – I think the creaminess is just what I need.
I’m drooling right now! This looks so good. Pinned and tweeted. Thank you for bringing this to our party and we hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm. Lou Lou Girls
Wow, this looks soooo yummy! Italian grandmas always have the BEST recipes. 😉 Thanks for sharing and linking up with us at the #HomeMattersParty! Hope you’ll join us again!
This looks so delicious! I come from an Italian Family and don’t remember ever having anything like this. It’s definitely on my to do list very soon. Thanks for sharing your recipe with us at the Family Joy Blog Link Party this week! Please join us again next week.
Ooo…I’m going to have to try this. My youngest son lives on pasta, so he will probably go crazy for this. Thanks for sharing it on Merry Monday.
This simple sauce looks outstanding! I love that you use a combo of fresh and canned tomatoes. Thanks!
Pinned. I love anything Italian but have yet to master making sauce. Anything with cream has to be good! Visiting from Mini Linky Party.
I love the sound of sweet and creamy pasta! This looks really appetizing! Thanks for coming to Fiesta Friday party. 🙂
This is a fabulous Marinara Sauce, looks so good! Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday and come back soon!
Miz Helen
My Italian Nonna made a red sauce that used carrots in place of the sugar. To your health! ❤️