There are some high-quality, great-tasting low-fat tomato sauces available on the store shelves these days, so if you don't want to make sauce from scratch (don't tell Mama!), you'd do well with any of the leading brands. But my name is Rocco, after all, and I figured I was under obligation to include at least one from-scratch marinara sauce. There's just a hint of olive oil in it; everything else was bulked up to create great flavor.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 6 1/2 cups (13 servings)

　　1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

　　6 garlic cloves, minced

　　1 large yellow onion, cut into small dice

　　Salt

　　Crushed red pepper

　　Two 28-ounce cans tomato puree

　　1/2 cup water

　　1 small piece of Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese rind

　　1 large sprig fresh basil

　　

Step 1

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the olive oil. Add the garlic and onion, and season them with salt and crushed red pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion and garlic are translucent, about 4 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Add the tomato puree, water, and Parmigiano-Reggiano rind to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Then cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 25 minutes.

　　

Step 3

With the back of a knife, bruise the basil and stir the sprig into the sauce. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Season with salt and crushed red pepper to taste, if desired. Serve, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

　　

Nutrition Per Serving

Per serving: 20.0 calories

　　10.0 calories from fat

　　1.5g total fat

　　0.0g saturated fat

　　0.0mg cholesterol

　　70.0mg sodium

　　2.0g total carbs

　　0.0g dietary fiber

　　0.9g sugars

　　0.0g protein

　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by [TasteBook

　　using the USDA Nutrition Database]( )

　　Now Eat This: 150 of America's Favorite Comfort Foods, All Under 350 Calories by Rocco DiSpirito. Copyright © 2010 by Rocco DiSpirito. Published by the Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Hailed as the "Leading Chef of his Generation" by Gourmet magazine, Rocco DiSpirito received the James Beard Award for his first cookbook, Flavor. He went on to author Rocco's Italian-American (2004), Rocco's Five Minute Flavor (2005), Rocco's Real-Life Recipes (2007), and Rocco Gets Real (2009). DiSpirito also starred in the Food Network series Melting Pot, the NBC hit reality series The Restaurant, and the A&E series Rocco Gets Real.