Homemade Marinara Sauce
Seasoned to perfection, this Homemade Marinara Sauce is a great recipe to use in all your favorite pasta dishes!
A DELICIOUS VERSATILE HOMEMADE SAUCE
Let me preface this by saying this is not your Italian Nonna’s marinara sauce. I am very aware that this recipe is in no way authentic and I am not claiming it is at all. This is just my quick and easy version of marinara sauce (you don’t even need to go out of our way to get fresh herbs!) So now that that is out of the way, let’s get to this sauce. Maybe you want sauce for pasta or maybe you just want a great dipping sauce for those yummy mozzarella sticks! There really is no stopping how you can serve this marinara sauce. If you want to try a little something special for dinner tonight then put the jarred sauce on the shelf for later and try my very simple Homemade Marinara Sauce recipe!
I loved how simple this was and I had everything on hand. Normally I have to go to the store for fresh herbs but I found your recipe where I could use dried herbs and it was great – thank you so much. I will make this often!
– Caren
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Yes! Brown the meat with the onions and then proceed with the recipe as written. The recipe will support about 1-1 ½ pounds of ground meat. Or try my Meatball Parmesan Skillet using this marinara sauce recipe for a fun, meaty recipe!
Fresh herbs are great to add to a Marinara Sauce. Dried herbs are more potent so you’ll use about 2-3 times the amount of fresh herbs. You may also need to simmer longer for the flavors to permeate the sauce.
Simmer the sauce for at least 30 minutes. But it can be simmered for up to an hour or two. Keep the heat low and stir occasionally to make sure the sauce isn’t sticking/burning on the bottom of the pan. Add ½ cup of red wine just after sautéing the garlic/herbs. Red wine provides depth and richness to the sauce.
Absolutely! If you want to double this to serve more people or to save for later, you can absolutely do that.
I did learn a tip about acidity that I wanted to share with you. We’re generally taught to add sugar to tomato sauces (like I do here) or sometimes folks add carrots because of their natural sweetness, but if you don’t want to add sugar but still want to cut some of the acid in the sauce, try adding a bit of baking soda. It can really help neutralize the acidity and make it a little less tart without needing to add sugar. So you could add about a teaspoon here instead of sugar if you want an alternative.
Cool the marinara sauce to room temperature. Store in an airtight container or a ziptop bag. Sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or freeze in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Defrost in refrigerator before reheating on stovetop.
Obviously this Marinara Sauce is great with pasta but it would also be great to make some Homemade Meatballs and then add them to the sauce for spaghetti and meatballs or meatball sandwiches!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- olive oil – you could also use avocado oil as well.
- onion– if you don’t care for onions in your marinara sauce, you can omit them.
- garlic – use fresh garlic here if at all possible. You just don’t get the same flavor with the jarred stuff. If that is all you have on hand then go for it, but if you can use fresh, then that is best here.
- dried basil – you can definitely use fresh herbs for this – see my Frequently Asked Question section above on how to substitute.
- dried oregano
- crushed red pepper flakes – you can leave these out if you prefer. I don’t think it makes it spicy at all but I know it is a taste preference.
- tomato paste
- tomato sauce
- crushed tomatoes – if you want, you can get the crushed tomatoes that has basil added. You do not need to change any of the other ingredients.
- granulated sugar– if you don’t want to use sugar to cut the acidity, you can use something else. I made a suggestion in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) area above.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE MARINARA SAUCE:
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until soft and translucent (4-5 minutes). Add minced garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes; saute 1 minute longer.
Add tomato paste, tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes (juice included). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the sauce and add granulated sugar as needed to balance the acidity in the sauce.
Stir to combine. Serve over pasta, as a dipping sauce for garlic bread, etc.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Homemade Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 12 ounce can tomato paste
- 29 ounce can tomato sauce
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (optional, helps with the acidity of the tomatoes)
Instructions
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, add 2 Tablespoons olive oil and saute 1 small yellow onion, diced until soft and translucent (4-5 minutes).
- Add 3-4 cloves garlic, minced, 2 teaspoons dried basil, 2 teaspoons dried oregano and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes until garlic is fragrant (about 30 seconds to one minute.)
- Add 12 ounce can tomato paste, 29 ounce can tomato sauce and 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (juice included.)
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste the sauce and add 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (or to taste) as needed to balance the acidity in the sauce.
- Stir to combine.
- Serve over pasta, as a dipping sauce for garlic bread, etc.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This was so good and couldn’t have been easier! Thank you so much! My first time making it instead of a jar sauce and your detailed photos and great written instructions were so helpful in teaching me. Thank you!
Keeping this one handy. I make a tomato-basil sauce similar to yours. It really compliments my homemade lasagna perfectly, but I like a sauce with a little more substance and herbs with other pasta dishes and this one looks like a winner.
Thanks Brandie /
Thanks so very much Donna! Hope you enjoy this one as much as your own recipe 🙂
I just made this marinara sauce tonight and it was delicious. This will now be my go to recipe.
I loved how simple this was and I had everything on hand. Normally I have to go to the store for the fresh herbs but I found your recipe where I could use dried herbs and it was great – thank you so much. I will make this often!