28 oz. can san marzano tomatoes
1 cup water

  • crush tomatoes
  • add water to can and reserve

1/4 cup olive oil
7 cloves garlic, sliced
pinch crushed red pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
sprig fresh basil, or 1/4 tsp. oregano

  • heat oil in a large skillet or dutch oven, and heat garlic until sizzling
  • add tomatoes, tomato water, red pepper flakes, and salt
  • if using basil, place on top of the sauce, let it wilt and submerge into the sauce (discard basil after cooking)
  • if using oregano, stir into sauce
  • simmer sauce for until thickened and oil on surface is deep orange, about 15 minutes

source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015987-classic-marinara-sauce

1/30/25: made this as directed (with dry oregano instead of fresh basil) and it was ok, but nothing special — definitely not living up to the breathless headline when i saw it featured in the nytimes.