Italian food is the perfect food for winter. When the days are short and the air is cold, cooking can be a better option than braving the weather. The beauty of marinara sauce is there are only about 30 minutes of active prep time. After you put the pot on the stove to cook, all you have to do is stir occasionally.

Many people have a family recipe for marinara. But if you don’t, try this one. I love making marinara because a few simple ingredients combined together make a huge pot of food. Also, you can cook a whole pound of noodles ahead of time so you have quick meals. Unlike some leftovers, pasta with marinara tastes amazing even reheated.

However, if you do have leftovers, be sure to store them in separate containers and mix the pasta and sauce only before heating. Otherwise, you risk the pasta absorbing the sauce and getting mushy and slightly dried out.

When I make marinara, I like to use short pasta like penne, bow ties, rigatoni or rotini, because I have a difficult time avoiding spilling spaghetti on my shirt.

Also, short pastas with ridges or bumps retain sauce better than spaghetti.

Marinara is one of my favorites for winter because it is such a warm and hearty sauce. It is filling, yet not overly fatty and heavy like some meat dishes. However, if you can’t stand a meal without meat, I suggest buying a package of Italian sausage and cooking it to eat alongside the pasta. When we eat this meal at home, my very carnivorous dad and brother cannot eat this purely vegetarian sauce without a meat accompaniment.

If you’re not a fan of meat but still seek a source of protein, sprinkle cheese on top of the pasta and sauce. I really like to use a combo of parmesan or asiago and mozzarella. Parmesan (or asiago) adds a nice salty nutty flavor and mozzarella melts nicely, causing a stringy cheesy mess that is absolutely irresistible.

I also recommend serving a leafy green salad with this meal. You can add extra protein and fiber by tossing some nuts or sunflower seeds into the salad.

1tablespoon olive oil 4 cloves of garlic, minced 1 sweet onion, diced 12 sliced white mushrooms (optional) 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 2 bay leaves 14 oz. can petit diced tomatoes 28 oz. can tomato sauce 6 oz. can tomato paste A splash of red wine (optional, but highly recommended) Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. When oil is hot, put the garlic and onion into the pot, stirring until the onions are translucent. If you are using mushrooms, add them when the onions are translucent and cook until the mushrooms are soft and slightly brown.

Add the Italian seasoning and cook for about a minute before adding the bay leaf, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste. If you are adding wine to the recipe, bring the sauce up to a simmer, add the wine, cover and reduce the heat to low. If you are not adding wine, simply bring the sauce up to a simmer, cover and reduce to low heat.

This sauce is delicious if you let it simmer on the stove for the better part of an afternoon. If you don’t have that much time, you can just let it simmer for an hour before serving.

When you boil the noodles to go with the marinara, be sure to read the pack to see how long you need to cook the pasta. Do not overcook the noodles.