Marinara with Homegrown Tomatoes

I used to think of spaghetti as a cold-weather meal.  I had no idea how easy it was to make sauce for pasta from fresh tomatoes. This recipe is light enough for a summer meal. For heartier fare, we sometimes serve with meatballs or sausage.

My favorite marinara sauce came from the Vitamix web site, but it seems to have disappeared. Fortunately, I wrote down the few slight changes I made to the original, so here's what I do:

Marinara with Homegrown Tomatoes

Put the following into the blender container in the order listed:

• 1 medium carrot
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic or one clove elephant garlic
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into eighths 
•  2 pounds fresh tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano (or 1 tsp fresh)
• 6 large fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Blend on medium speed for 15-30 seconds.  Pour into a pot. Add a bay leaf and simmer for 30 minutes.