I absolutely love marinara sauce, and when I started the Autoimmune Protocol Diet (AIP), giving up tomatoes was hard. But trust me when I tell you, this nomato sauce is a dead ringer for classic marinara. It’s also packed with healthy ingredients, even if they do look a little unusual for a marinara sauce. But the ingredients all serve a purpose, and blend together to make a sauce that tastes incredible. If you’re missing marinara sauce, this sauce will hit the spot for you!
To make this sauce, add coconut oil to a pan heated to medium high, and sautéed onions until they’re soft and translucent.
Then add chopped celery, carrots, parsley, beets and sliced fennel. The fennel is optional, but it adds a special layer of flavor.
Add the oil from one can of anchovies. If you’re squeamish at the idea of having anything to do with anchovies, don’t be! This sauce is fantastic without anchovy oil, but it is absolutely perfect with it. Fun fact: many classic marinara sauces call for anchovy oil or filets. It really adds a special something to this sauce, and keeps it from being too sweet.
Season with salt and garlic powder. Lower the heat to medium and let your vegetables cook until soft. Once they’re almost done, add the fresh and dried herbs, as well as the garlic cloves. Doing this towards the end keeps the flavors fresh, and prevents the garlic and herbs from burning.
Finally, add the coconut aminos and a tiny splash of fish sauce. Lower the heat to below medium and let everything simmer for a few minutes, until fragrant. Around 2-4 minutes.
Cook it all until it’s easy to pierce with a fork. Allow it to cool for a few minutes and then place it all in a blender. Stop, and add lemon juice, then blend again. The lemon juice adds a tartness that replicates tomatoes so well!
Once it’s all smooth, add to jars, and refrigerate. You can also freeze this sauce in gallon zip lock baggies.
Kitchen Safety Tip: When blending hot things, keep the small plastic attachment to the lid of your blender off, and cover with a cloth as it blends. This prevents heat from building up, which could cause pressure, pushing the lid off of your blender.
Once it’s all blended, you will have a delicious sauce. Use this exactly the same way you’d use classic marinara.
[tasty-recipe id=”1643″]
