Hands down, this it THE BEST Marinara Sauce recipe for all of your Italian dishes. It has tons of flavor from the tomatoes, veggies and spices. Plus, it’s so easy, requiring about 30 minutes.

 

Making Homemade Marina Sauce is so incredibly easy. It’s almost as simple as buying the jared stuff (with all the hidden preservatives). Chop a few veggies, open a couple of cans, and grabbing a few spices is all it takes. It’s the most flavorful and versatile pasta sauce that is great for dipping mozzarella sticks, or served with just about any pasta like spaghetti, rotini, lasagna, manicotti or stuffed shells.
This from scratch marinara has become my go-to recipe in my home along with our Homemade Pizza Sauce. I hope you give these sauce recipes a try!

Italian meals are on the weekly rotation in my home, especially during the fall and winter months. They are great for busy weeknight meals especially when I make this Marinara sauce ahead of time, On a few occasions we have enjoyed a Christmas Italian Dinner. Pasta along with a delicious sauce and Cheesy Garlic Bread is so amazingly comforting.

I saute carrots and onions for my homemade marina. I am sure you are curious as to why I add the carrots? The carrots help add a bit of sweetness that balances out the acid from the tomatoes. Many authentic Italian cooks use carrots and celery. Go ahead and add some finely dice celery if you would like.

Fresh herbs like oregano and basil are always AMAZING especially when added to marinara sauce. I typically do not have fresh herbs on the weekly. So, I use dried oregano or Homemade Italian Seasoning. I DO try to add fresh basil when I serve most of my Italian Dishes. Maybe it is a preference thing but, basil really adds a magnificent depth of flavor and aroma.

Quick and Easy Marinara Sauce Ingredients

You don’t need too many ingredients to make a great Homemade Marinara Sauce. Thanks to a few canned tomato products, it’s actually pretty easy to make a tasty marinara sauce up quick! Here’s the ingredients you’ll need:

• Olive Oil – You don’t need to use any fancy olive oil here but, a high quality version will add more flavor. If you do not have any olive oil on hand, you can sub in butter or a neutral oil like grapeseed and vegetable oil.
• Onion – Go with white or yellow onion here.
• Carrots – Save a bit of time by buying shredded carrots or matchstick carrots. You can also add a bit of celery with your onion and carrots to make soffritto– a classic ingredient in Italian cooking. Carrots add a bit of sweetness which balances the flavors from the tart tomatoes.
• Garlic – Minced garlic from the jar is perfectly fine here- especially for an Easy Marinara Sauce. Feel free to use fresh garlic if you have it on hand.
• Canned Whole Tomatoes – Try to get some proper San Marzano tomatoes– this is the brand that most authentic Italians reach for (their gold standard). Plenty of brands like Delallo and Cento sell canned San Marzano tomatoes at most grocery stores. If using fresh tomatoes for your Marinara sauce, be sure to peel them first.
• Canned Crushed Tomatoes – Again, these San Marzano plum tomatoes will make the best marinara sauce.
• Tomato Paste – A quick tomato sauce hack. Adding tomato paste to your sauce is gonna help copy that deep, rich tomato flavor you get from long cook times.
• Sugar – Just a pinch to balance the tomato acidity.
• Oregano – Dried oregano is quickest and easiest. You can use fresh oregano if you’d like (triple the amount needed when using fresh).
• Basil – We prefer fresh basil over dried basil but either one will work. You could also use dried or fresh parsley if that is what you have available.
• Salt and Pepper

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make Marinara Sauce from Scratch

It’d normally take hours of slow simmering to make a rich, delicious spaghetti or great pasta sauce. Thankfully, our Easy Marinara Sauce comes together and cooks much quicker- you’ll have it ready in about 35 minutes. Here’s the step-by-step cooking instructions for a bit of extra help:

• Start by dicing your carrots and onions. You’ll want to get a decently fine dice on your ingredients for this recipe.

• Get a large pot– heavy dutch oven pots work best- and set it on the stovetop over medium heat. Add your olive oil and let heat up before adding onions, carrots, and garlic. Make sure to keep the veggies moving while they cook until they’re translucent, which should take about 5 minutes.

• Once the vegetables are translucent and pick up some color, crack open the can of whole tomatoes and add to the pot– juices and all. Use your spoon or spatula to break the tomatoes up before adding the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and seasonings– minus the basil.

• Top up with the water and give a good stir to mix everything together. Knock heat down to a simmer and let cook uncovered for about 25 minutes or until thickened to preference. Add sliced or torn basil and season to taste with salt and pepper before using marinara sauce in recipes.

Storage / Freezing

Storage: Pasta sauces like our Easy Marinara Sauce are pretty hardy- expect it to last 3-5 days in the fridge or up to a week if you keep it well. For best results, make sure you let cool completely, fill your jar/container as much as possible, and top with some extra oil to keep air out. Take these steps, and you’ll get some decent mileage from your Homemade Marinara.

Freezing: For longer-term storage, you’ll want to try freezing marinara sauce. To freeze your homemade marinara sauce, follow the same steps for refrigeration- just make sure to use a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Squeeze as much excess air out as possible before keeping frozen for up to 6 months. Let frozen marinara sauce thaw in the fridge before warming back up on the stovetop.

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