Marinara Sauce You’ll Want to Eat with a Spoon (Not Even Kidding)

An oldie but a goodie, our classic marinara sauce recently got an irresistible upgrade

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Jairo, our line chef recently chimed in with his culinary skills and took our recipe and combined it with a bit more garlic and lots of creamy cashew to make this the most decadent and delicious pasta...we kid you not! Within just a few weeks, it’s become a cult favorite around here. It’s why we decided to share it here.

MARINARA SAUCE

 Ingredients:

• 1 can 24 oz. organic crushed tomatoes
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 small Spanish onion, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic (2-4 tsp put to the side to sauté when adding cashew cream)
• 1 Tbsp thyme
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• Olive oil to sauté
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp cane sugar

 Directions:

1. In a pot, sauté all vegetables till golden. Add salt, pepper and herbs.
2. Add crushed tomatoes.
3. Cook on stove top for an hour, low heat.

CASHEW CREAM

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cashews (soak in hot water for an hour or cold water overnight) 

Directions:

1. Add cashews into blender with a little bit of the water it had soaked in.
2. As you blend, continue to add water as needed if it is stuck blending, but be careful not to make it too thin.
3. Prepare pasta of your choice

Per serving: 

1. In a pan, sauté garlic in olive oil until light brown
2. Add a dash of salt, 1/2 cup of cashew cream
3. Stir until the cream is warmed up then add 1 ½ cups of marinara
4. Add pasta and serve

—Lea Haas, Owner, The Garden Cafe Woodstock