I just made a big batch of marinara to portion out and freeze. The recipe I followed said to start with an Italian soffritto: 2 parts onion, 1 part carrot, 1 part celery all minced and slow cooked on medium-to-low heat in olive oil. Once soft I added the herbs and seasoning and eventually the canned whole peeled tomatoes.

In this case, what flavors does the celery bring to the party? Other than mirroring the French mirepoix, why would Italians add celery to their marinara?