My advice to the OP if he/she has the time is to make sauce at home. It's very simple. Here's a recipe for two very basic sauces from two friends of mine, which can act alone or as a great base. The latter likes using garlic.

Just make a lot, put it in a jar/bottle and chuck it in the fridge... FYI, unless I have confidence in the tomatoes (I didn't in Beijing, have yet to cook here in HK) I do my best to get San Marzano, once you open the can you can smell Italy. Although other imported tomatoes from Italy do just fine.

1. I like fresh tomatoes but there are many good varieties in a tin can. I would find San Marzano canned whole tomatoes. There are various brands that export San Marzano tomatoes. Just look for imported italian..Pomodori Pelati....San Marzano is just the region where they are grown in Campania. Tomatoes from Puglia are also excellent. Anyway, get yourself a few cans. Optional: Then, get yourself some prosciutto, either Parma or San Daniele. Make sure you have good olive for the sauce, not extra virgin though, not for sauce. Get some white onions.

In a blender, grind about 2 cans of the tomatoes. Chop a small white onion finely. Chop about 10 ounces of the proscuitto. Then, in a large skillet or medium pot, put in about 2 or three tablespoons of the olive oil. Warm the oil for about a minute. Throw in the onions. Let them bleed...about 1 minute max...but for goodness sake don't burn them or you will have to begin again. Then throw in your proscuitto. I like to use about 8-10 ounces. Cook the onion and the prosciutto about 2 minutes or until the proscuitto loses its red color. Pour in the tomatoes, cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat but reduce it to a simmer after 10 minutes. Note: If you go without prosciutto (I never use it, add salt to taste, don't put in too much if you're adding pecorino or parmesean cheese)...


2. Gently fry up an onion in a pan - following the stern injunction not to burn them - in a little bit of olive oil. Once they've softened (perhaps I cook on a lower heat, but I'd think this might take 3 minutes or so) add some finely chopped garlic - I love garlic so I tend to add a bit here, maybe 3 or 4 cloves. Let that cook for another minute - no more because burnt garlic is the worst of all - and then add a good load of chopped tomatoes. The key, of course, is that you use good tomatoes, not those big, pithy ones which are sometimes pale as well. Use the best tomatoes you can get because they are, after all, the heart of the sauce. Let the tomatoes fry for another minute or two so they take up the flavour of the onion and garlic, then add a little bit of water - perhaps half a cup, though it doesn't actually matter because you can cook it off if you've added too much or add a little more as you need. Then cover the pan and let them cook away on a pretty low heat for twenty minutes or maybe a little more (I guess you'll want to stir it and keep an eye on it once or twice) and then season (although I don't usually use a lot of salt I find it makes quite a difference here, though that's up to you and will depend on how salty you like your seas). This is so easy to make and can, then, be the base for much else. I quite like this sauce a little chunky but you can put it in a blender or, better still, press it through a sieve. This takes a little bit of time, but leaves you with a very rich, smooth sauce.

Hope this helps. I never buy sauce anymore...

I'm confused. Doesn't marinara sauce have a load of seafood in it (hence the name)?

Nope.

Why on earth is it called that, then? I've only ever seen it as being served with seafood.

From http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-marinara-sauce.htm:

The word marinara is derived from marinaro, which is Italian for “of the sea.” Because of this, many people mistakenly believe marinara sauce includes some type of fish or seafood. However, marinara sauce loosely translates as “the sauce of the sailors,” because it was a meatless sauce extensively used on sailing ships before modern refrigeration techniques were invented.

Interesting. I've never heard a tomato sauce referred to that way before.

I suppose European and American usage must have diverged along the way - typical searches on google.it certainly reveal some rather fishy dishes...

I would generally expect a plain tomato sauce to be referred to as 'alla napoletana'.

Well Pizza Marinara is essentially a Pizza Margherita, without the cheese and the sauce has a number of spices added to it.

Besides that, most pasta dishes specify the sauce/special things in/on it. Like "al sugo" usually means plain or "marinara" as we call it in the US, "sugo" meaning sauce, "marinara" often in Italy does mean seafood stuff but you'll also often see "al mare."

Essentially "marinara" means plain sauce in the US. I've never seen it used otherwise unless in a stuffier or more authentic Italian restaurant, if that.

Anyhow, I hope people try my friends' recipes. I know I use them religiously. :)

My first thought when I read the OP is that the marinara he's gotten has parmesan cheese in it, but not authentic parm, giving it an oddly sharp bite.

I second this - if it does not have the flavor of fresh tomatoes, it is not a marinara, IMO.

Jamoldo, while your advice and recipe are very good (^), what you describe above, when prosciutto is added, is basically amatriciana sauce. :)

Oh I'm well aware of that. The recipes were in response to my wanting a basic sauce and the OP and others debating about marinara sauce (which I figured the sauce, senza prosciutto was) I never use the prosciutto, since I don't like it in my pasta sauces, although my friend (the source of the recipe) who's family is Calabrese and grew up in Rome does so.

I keep my sauces basic since I'm not the greatest of cooks. I'm also not the best sauce-making tomato picker in the world, so if I'm pressed for time, I just get cans of San Marzano.