Marinara Made Healthy by Penniann Cardona

Penniann Cardona is a fulltime student with two wonderful children, whom she cooks just about 7 days a week.  Penniann loves cooking and baking for her children and always tries to incorporate healthy food in their lifestyle. She came up with an idea to make a marinara sauce that incorporated vegetables. It is not always easy to get that serving of vegetables for her children, so why not incorporate it in a dish she is made all the time? Penniann decided to research the internet for marinara sauce made with zucchini (it just happened to be one of the only logical vegetables in her refrigerator). There were many recipes that she found, but in the end she decided to make a zucchini marinara sauce of her own and it became an instant household favorite. Penniann also researched the history of tomatoes and why it is healthy for people. Penniann found that tomatoes were used to fight vitamin C deficiencies, which she had as a child. Penniann then decided to write about her recipe in order to reach out to other mother’s on healthy cooking idea’s at home.

There are many ways to make Marinara sauce, which has been around since pirates have wondered the seas, it has many health benefits and my rendition has an added kick by adding zucchini. This may sound odd to some people, but believe me this recipe will change the way anyone eats marinara sauce, because it is a healthy twist to the traditional way.  My zucchini marinara sauce all started when my fiancé asked me to make a marinara sauce for dinner, I thought to myself “I am not in the mood to eat a plain old marinara sauce, what can I do to spice it up?’ I looked in the refrigerator and saw cucumbers, beans and zucchini, cucumbers do not go well with tomato sauce; and indigestion from the beans was not favorable, so zucchini was my last choice. I did not know if people made marinara with zucchini, so I searched the internet and saw different variations, and decided to bite the bullet and make my own rendition of vegetable marinara sauce.  This sauce has become a staple in my house hold whenever we want a meatless, yet healthy sauce; it also helps because my children have no idea the zucchini marinara sauce is so healthy.

The first recipe that appeared when I searched the internet looked good, but didn’t interest me on the barilla pasta website. The website had the chef cut the zucchini cut into rings and sautéed, adding jar marinara sauce into the zucchini. The recipe also called for parmesan cheese and mint; this was a combo I would never put together with marinara. The next dish was on a blog and with the zucchini; ham was now added, the eccentric cook describes how to cook the ham and onion. “My mom and I are very sensitive to onions so we need to cook it this way. Cook it for about 8 minutes and then adds the cubed ham to the onion.”  I presumed this could be something I would enjoy, the only problem; there was no ham in the fridge. The other difference from the Barilla recipe was the zucchini was shredded instead of cut; that was not an option because I wanted to take a meaty bite of a zucchini when eating my marinara sauce. I decided to take matters into my own hands and use the ingredients used in my normal marinara sauce, while adding the zucchini at the same time.

The recipe that was created by me called for 3 different canned tomatoes when making a sauce; peeled plum tomatoes, crushed and tomato sauce, this makes for a nice consistency. It does not matter what brand of tomato’s you use, but tuttorusso is my preference, which you can stockpile during the can can sale in January or July. Some home chefs do not like onion in their marinara sauce; this recipe incorporates a whole one as well as a whole clove of garlic chopped in the food processor. The plethora of garlic and onion do not overpower the sauce, it just adds more flavor and compliments the tomatoes. My finance taught me how to make a wonderful marinara sauce, because in his Italian culture your wife must be able to make a marinara sauce or it is an embarrassment.

To begin my vegetable marinara start by washing the zucchini and then cutting it into fourths, the chunks should be bite sized. When making this sauce locate nice sized pot, this ensures there is no splashing onto the stove. Pour vegetable oil into the pot and start cutting the zucchini; the trick is not to turn on the heat until the zucchini is in the pot which also ensures no accidental burn to the skin from oils splashes, which has happened to me countless times. Put one onion and one whole clove of garlic into the food processor until it is minced finely and the zucchini cook for about 5 to 6 minutes before adding the garlic and onion. To ensure the flavors meld nicely, and cook the garlic and onion for another 5 minutes making sure that you continuously stir the contents in the pan; if not the garlic and onion could stick and your sauce is virtually ruined.

The next part of the sauce is simple; just add the three cans of sauce crushed, whole peeled and tomato sauce and a little water, usually about a can. Add some seasoning to taste; oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper, but what really makes this sauce is a chicken bouillon cube, it brings all the flavors together. Cook the sauce for about an hour this allows all the ingredients to come together, this makes for a sweet yet zesty sauce, and is best served with angel hair pasta. Families who love a good marinara and want something a little different yet healthy will really enjoy this recipe.

How was Marinara sauce invented? Well, marinara sauce was said to be in south Italy and it is said that it was originated in 1839, but there were other renditions before the classic marinara sauce was invented.  Tomatoes have been around for a long time and so has garlic, in my house if there is no garlic or tomatoes in a dish, it is usually not consumed  happily.  Wise Geek says, “Marinara sauce originated with sailors in Naples in the 16th century, after the Spaniards introduced the tomato to their neighboring countries. The word marinara is derived from marinaro, which is Italian for "seafaring”.

This was very interesting to find out because everyone believes that Italians invented the marinara sauce, but it was the Spaniards that actually showed the Italians the tomato and its use. Marinara sauce was easy to make and it also did not spoil, which was something that benefited the sailors with their health. The reason it benefited people’s health was because the marinara sauce helped to fight scurvy a vitamin C deficiency, along with limes. This was because sailors were without food or water for long periods of time while sailing the seas and needed vitamin C.  The reason I am so knowledge on vitamin C deficiencies is because I was hospitalized with a vitamin C deficiency when I was in 18 years old; now I eat a lot of tomatoes and use lime in many dishes to keep myself healthy.

The use of marinara sauce is not only delicious; it is also used to benefit people whom might not be getting enough nutrients in their diet. This is a sauce that can vary based on taste buds. If a home chef does not love onions it does not have to be added and the garlic can be cut in half, it all depends on the chef’s wants and needs in a dish. Some may want to shred the zucchini or even add chicken to change the flavor, either way marinara sauce is delicious and my advice is for home chefs to make it the way they enjoy it, not the way the recipe states. There are so many health benefits to this dish and hopefully this will now become a dish that is an essential part of a home chef’s household, just as it is in mine.