Sun-Dried Tomato Marinara

This isn’t a shy marinara. Sun-dried tomatoes bring their concentrated, intense sweetness to a sauce that’s already loaded with fresh diced tomatoes, tomato juice, and tri-color bell peppers sauteed in clarified butter.

The horseradish and hot sauce are what make this version stand apart. They add a sharp, peppery kick that sits behind the tomato flavor and keeps each spoonful interesting. The Worcestershire sauce deepens everything with its umami backbone.

Cooking the bell peppers separately in clarified butter before adding them to the sauce preserves their color and gives them a slightly caramelized sweetness. Dumping them straight into the simmering sauce would turn them dull and mushy.

Chef Tips

• Use clarified butter (ghee) for sauteing the peppers. Regular butter burns at the temperatures needed for proper caramelization.
• Simmer the tomato base for the full 30 minutes. Reducing it concentrates the flavors and thickens the sauce naturally.
• The lemon juice brightens everything. Don’t skip it; tomato sauces can taste flat without acid.
• This sauce freezes beautifully. Make a double batch and freeze portions for quick weeknight pasta dinners.

Variations

• Toss with penne or rigatoni where the tubes trap the chunky sauce.
• Add crumbled Italian sausage to the simmering sauce for a heartier meat version.
• Reduce the hot sauce and horseradish for a milder family-friendly version, adding them at the table instead.