This easy homemade Marinara Sauce is made with canned (or fresh) tomatoes and 6 simple ingredients. It’s healthy, and tastier than anything you’ll find in a jar!
There is just so much to love about easy Italian recipes. This marinara recipe is a perfect example of how cooking from scratch is just as easy and SOOO much better than running to the store for a jar of Prego. Try this pasta sauce with homemade Chicken Parmesan or use it as a dip for Garlic Knots!
Marinara sauce
Whenever I take the time to make sauces from scratch they always add that little extra “wow” factor to the dish I’m preparing. The store-bought equivalents could never measure up, and when the sauce is as easy to make as this Marinara sauce, it’s really a no brainer to put in the extra few minutes.
You can enjoy this marinara sauce as a dip for cheesy breadsticks, or as the sauce for your favorite Italian dishes, chicken parmesan or homemade manicotti.
Why make homemade marinara?
- 6 ingredients. Yep, just canned tomatoes, olive oil, fresh garlic, dried oregano and basil, sugar, and salt.
- Healthy. This homemade pasta is lower in sugar and sodium than what you’ll find at the store. Plus, we all know tomatoes are good for you :).
- Freezer-friendly. Store it for up to 4 months in the freezer.
What’s the difference between MARINARA SAUCE and spaghetti sauce?
Spaghetti sauce and marinara sauce are often used like synonyms but they aren’t exactly the same (as any picky eater might tell you). Though they are both tomato based sauces, marinara sauce is a meatless sauce that is slow-simmered and made with tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. Traditional spaghetti sauce is basically a more complex version of marina sauce that has additional spices and is often made with meat and cut up vegetables.
How to Make Marinara Sauce:
- Crush the tomatoes. Use your hands and crush them into a large bowl.
- Prep your skillet. Heat oil in a large skillet, once hot, add the garlic and stir.
- Add all ingredients. Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, sugar, and salt to the hot skillet.
- Simmer. Turn sauce down to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the oil on the surface turns a deep orange.
In a rush? Make it ahead of time:
This marinara sauce is perfect for making ahead of time. In fact you could double the recipe and freeze the extras.
Allow the marinara sauce to cool and store it in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze, put the homemade pasta sauce in an airtight container or freezer ziplock bag and store it for up to 4 months.
Also, if you’d like to use fresh tomatoes for this recipe, substitute about 6-7 fresh tomatoes for the 28oz. can of whole tomatoes. Blanch them and remove the skins before step 1 of the recipe.
What to serve with marinara sauce:
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Recipe
Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 28 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes*
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Crush the tomatoes with your hands into a large bowl. Set aside.
- Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic. Stir and then add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, sugar, and salt.
- Turn sauce down to a simmer and cook for at least 15-20 minutes, until the oil on the surface turns a deep orange.
Notes
Nutrition
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I am allergic to garlic. Most of your recipes use garlic what happens such as the marina sauce if I do t use garlic
Absolutely, you can skip the garlic in your marinara sauce. For added flavor, consider using herbs like basil or oregano!
This marinara was fantastic! I added about 1/2 tspm more sugar, a shake of crushed red pepper flakes and a shake of Italian seasoning. Cooked it on simmer for 20 minutes, then just above warm for another 20. I used a can of Hunt’s San Marzano Style Tomatoes I found for less than $3 and they were great for this sauce.
This is a really good marinara sauce that is made with simple ingredients that I usually have on hand. Unfortunately, I only had crushed tomatoes but I’ll definitely keep whole San Marzano tomatoes in my pantry at all times, they make a more rustic sauce plus taste better in my opinion.
Thank you!
Hi, could I add meat to this? I’d like to use it for a lasagna. Maybe during the 15-20 minute simmer?
Easy to make and the flavor was good
Just a little to oily for me, next time less olive oil
All recipes for marinara omit the single most important thing. Regardless of the ingredients (onions, sugar, fresh/dry spices, oregano/basil/etc, tom. paste/none, etc) and techniques (blend, leave chunky, all together, fry first), what really matters is only one thing, which took me years to figure out. You start with a really fresh, raw, acidic taste of the tomatoes. Between 15-20 minutes of cooking that taste starts to mellow and get sweet. After about 25 minutes, it no longer tastes fresh and gets deep and boring and canned-like. You _have_ to keep stirring and tasting the sauce every few minutes to catch the right balance of fresh and mellow – and turn the heat off at just the right time. The bit about orange oil floating to the top is not nearly as good as your taste buds. I don’t know why nobody talks about this…
Thank you for the yummy recipe! I doubled the recipe and had enough for 2 meals this week and 3 bags to freeze. Used homemade meatballs I already had in the freezer. Quick and easy meal.
Good recipe but I like using 2 teaspoons brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.
This was really good but I made a few changes: using a can of diced tomatoes because that’s what I had, using about half as much oil, brown sugar instead of white for more flavour, and fresh herbs instead of dried (add these when the sauce is almost done).
went to make your lasagna soup recipe and when doubling, i realize i misread the instructions and only had 1 jar of marinara sauce on hand. crossed my fingers and clicked the link you posted for the homemade sauce… i didnt have whole tomatoes but i did have a can of crushed tomatoes and figured it was my best shot, it’s getting late, everyone is hungry, and i dont want to run back to the store. i did a taste test and the ratios seem perfect, really hoping this soup turns out well! but for now i thought i would leave a review for this because the taste and consistency for the sauce was amazing and i will likely be making this again in the near future!