As you’ve all heard before we are a family of dippers. I love to dip and it seems I have passed this on to my kids. My family used to laugh at me when I was a kid because at dinner time, whether at home or at a restaurant, I was always surrounded by 7 or 8 little ramekins filled with various sauces, dressings, and all sorts of yummy dippables to dunk. My boys have taken that up as well and so we’ve devised a healthy marinara sauce for them to dunk into. It’s perfect for topping your pasta, dunking bread or bread sticks, fresh veggies, or even some fried mozzarella or zucchini. Be sure to make a lot of this one, freeze it to keep on hand! You won’t believe how good this tastes with so many veggies inside
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic
¼ c chopped onion
¼ c chopped red pepper
¼ c chopped carrots
¼ c chopped mushrooms
1 28 oz can san marzano chopped tomato
1 ½ T dried Italian seasoning
S&P
1 box linguine, spaghetti, whatever floats your boat
In a large pot or dutch oven heat the oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot add onion, carrots, and mushrooms. Sautee until veggies are soft and onions are translucent, about 7-9 minutes. When your veggies are soft add the garlic to your pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring often. Sprinkle in S&P and your Italian seasoning. Stir. Pour in tomatoes and stir to combine. Bring your sauce up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes then puree your sauce so it’s smooth. You can use a hand blender, a food processor, or a stand up blender.
Be sure to make this one in large quantities. You can double or triple this recipe and keep it in the fridge for up to a week or freeze it in ziploc bags so you always have a healthy marinara sauce on hand for pasta, or veggie dipping!
If you’re here from the Tuesday Follows, welcome welcome! Be sure to leave us a note to let us know you were here so we can return the favor. Now, what can I get ya to nosh on? 
Related posts:
another great recipe to try! is this better than buying the ready-made-and-flavored-just-dunk0-it-in-your-pot pasta sauce?
oh, check out what happened when i attempted to try your pasta salad recipe…
http://go2thekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/07/doing-twirly-whirly-my-way.html
I’m totally craving Italian now.
I love to dip as well, marinara being my favorite of course.
I, too, am a dipper, but I knew I was in BIG trouble when my mom taught The Girl Child to dip her pizza crust in coffee – Thanks mom. Now The Boy, he won’t even dip carrots in ranch…or use salad dressing for that matter – Whose kid is he anyway??? Looks like another yummy recipe!
Oh, yum! Just made some marinara sauce last night, too.
Love your website!!
Newest follower from TTA!
Great to meet you!
Sherry
I’m also a big dipper as well! My favorite is Ranch dressing! You sauce sounds a bit more healthy than that!
Hi there, what a cool blog. I am hungry already, lol. I am following you back from FMBT
. Will be stopping by to see whats for dinner 
YUM
Oh and you will have your day as you know every mom has her day
.
At our house, everything tastes better dipped in ketchup but perhaps this sauce will be a new hit.
LisaDay
Sounds yummy! Thanks for the follow, I’m following ya back!
We are dippers too!!! Your sauce makes me wish I had a big old bread stick right about now!!! YUM…looks and sounds fantastic!
I’m following you from Follow Me Tuesday! Will you follow me?
http://songberries.blogspot.com/2010/07/follow-me-back-tuesday.html
We are a house equally divided between dippers and non-dippers. Seriously now, I am so tired of seeing Ranch dressing as the dip of choice that maybe it’s time to give in and make your sauce
Looks pretty yummy. We’ll have to try that one!
My son can’t eat anything without dipping
That sauce looks great and an awesome way to get my kids to eat some extra veggies!!
That is making me hungry lol.
Following you from FMBT..
I’m a HUGE dipper, too! When I go to restaurants, I always annoy the crap out of the servers because I ask for ranch, honey mustard, BBQ…basically the whole dressing line…so I can dip to my heart’s content. This looks great! I could totally see this aside some fried mozzarella. MMM.
We all love dip!! New follower from FMBT
This will be a perfect way to use fresh tomatoes when they come in! It’s time for lunch, and now I want some of this instead of my salad and blueberry muffins!
Mmmmm! This looks like such a yummy blog! I’m your newest follower from FMBT! I’d love it if you stopped by my blog!
Andrea
http://365daysoflifebehindthelens.blogspot.com/
This looks delicious Alex! And of course the best part about marinara is how it just gets better and better. Freezing can only make it yummier. Thanks for the great recipe!
So if I follow your blog, does that mean that you come over and cook for me? I sure hope so, because your recipes look FANTASTIC!
I’m your newest follower from TTA!
Hi, I am a new follower from Tag Along Tuesday. I look forward to reading your posts and trying your recipes.
Please visit my blog,
http://shining2save.blogspot.com
Thanks, Shining2Save
Looks totally yummy. Thanks for following, I’m following you back.
Lydia
I kind of a dip too!
Err, I mean, a dipper. Love it!
The sauce sounds delicious! I’m glad to have found your blog and will be looking forward to more of your posts!
Yum~!
I’m a dipper too!!!!
I found you on Follow Me Back Tuesday and I am now following you. Hope you can visit me too!
THE BUSY WOMAN’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING MOTHERHOOD
I love that you use ingredients we can find! That sounds so good that I will be trying that next time rather than buying sauce!
Guess what? You were my winner for the Sand Gone! You will love it. I am addicted the scent. Can you send me your address so I can get it to Tiffany for mailing it out to you?
Congrats girl! I couldn’t locate your email so had to tell you this way…sorry!
Mmmmm sounds yummy! Thanks for following! I’m following you now too!
I’d love this for dinner right now.
I’m out of ingredients though so have to throw something else together for dinner.
Aloha!
Oh – my – YUM! Spaghetti (okay- pasta)is my weakness. I could eat it every day. This looks like the best. I absolutely love mushrooms and I profess to be a dipper too.
Following you from TTA would love to have you return the favor, if you haven’t already, and visit us @
http://lucasjourneyspd.blogspot.com
Also please stop back on Friday’s and Sunday’s to join in our Blog hops we would love to have you link up : )
Great looking sauce! YUM!!!
Delicious! I am your newest follower! I look forward to reading more of your blog. Have a great day!
http://mommyofoneandcounting.blogspot.com/
Oh yes that looks super yummy and one I could do
.
I’ll be waiting for you
You got it…a ya to the nosh – because I’m all for dipping vegetarian style and I love the sauce! Great share. I’m definitely a new follower of yours from the Tuesday blog hop and would like if we were blogging buddies – so I hope you’ll come visit my blog and follow me too okay? I’m trying so hard to be a vegetarian and looking for help anywhere I can.
Haupi
http://hauplight.blogspot.com/
Following you back from Adventures In Creating!
Alex,
What time for dinner? Looks wonderful!
Hello! Stopping by from FMBT! Thanks for stopping by This Little Family! I’m your newest follower
I learned very recently that carrots in a marinara sauce give it that sweet flavor. Love it!!! This recipe looks yummy!