Marinara Sauce

Making mirepoix is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. The peeling, the chopping, the crying over onions-- if you crush a couple garlic cloves as well, it's better than therapy! I always end up with with extra celery, carrots and onions, and a great way to use up the extras is in a simple spaghetti sauce, like Giada de Laurentiis' marinara sauce, that you can make and keep in the freezer to use in other recipes later on. If you were bottling this sauce as a type of Prego, it would be "Chunky Garden Fresh." Sometimes I like to throw in some red wine to tone down the tanginess but really this recipe is all about complementing Eggplant Parm, Manicotti or Penne alla Vodka (and using up your mirepoix!)