Homemade Marinara For a Cause

Now that my friend is home from the hospital, I’ve been on a cooking spree for her and her (hungry!) family. Nothing like a little homemade love to get those stitches healing, right? Off we go to the kitchen for a bird’s-eye view of what’s been on the agenda.

First up, 12-Minute Homemade Marinara to go with the Baked Chicken Parmesan Bites from Jen at The Scrumptious Pumpkin. With homemade marinara this easy, why buy bottled or jarred at the grocery store? My friend LOVES to use this as a dipping sauce for pretty much anything that can be dipped in it – if that makes her feel better, then let’s cook!

Let me show you how to whip this 12 Minute Marinara together, OK? Set the timer for 12 minutes and the race is on……

First up – assemble the ingredients. (That doesn’t count for the time, ok?)

Next, a simple wash – peel – chop and voila! In the pan with olive oil the veggies go, with a little salt and cracked black pepper.

Once sautéed, add the tomatoes, herbs, garlic powder, and stir.

Simmer for 5 minutes and you’ll have a thick, reduced pan of love, just waiting for the immersion blender to puree it all to a smooth consistency.

Only thing left to do? Deliver to my friend so she can dig in!

Oh, one more thing. For the Chicken Bites, I use chicken breast tenders, and leave them like “chicken fingers” for this dish. My friend’s girls like them better than Mc-D-You-Know-Who’s recipe…that’s success, right!