This made from scratch Italian Marinara Sauce recipe has a beautiful balance of flavor with sweet tomatoes, earthy Italian herbs, and the perfect touch of heat from red pepper flakes. It’s a deliciously savory dipping sauce or can be used as a base for many of your favorite Italian dishes.
Authentic Italian Marinara Sauce
Why reach for a jar of marinara sauce from the grocery store when you can make it at home with a few basic pantry ingredients you already have on hand? Not only is it super easy to make, but it also tastes so much better! Juicy tomatoes are slowly simmered in a combination of aromatic herbs spices that results in a savory sauce filled with amazing, robust flavors.
This simple marinara sauce makes a delicious dipping sauce for Italian Breadsticks, but you can also use it in many classic Italian recipes, like chicken parmesan, Baked Ziti, Lasagna, or use it to make the best spaghetti and meatballs you’ve ever tasted.
If you love homemade Italian sauces, you should also try this Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce.
💓 Why We Love this Recipe
- Easy – Super easy recipe using just a handful of ingredients that you probably already keep on hand.
- Delicious – With no added preservatives, this homemade sauce is just as delicious as your favorite Italian restaurant and is so much better than store-bought sauce.
- Versatile – You can use this sauce as a base for seafood, beef, chicken, and even vegan dishes.
🛒 Ingredients
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Tomatoes – Canned, diced or whole tomatoes but you can also use fresh tomatoes when they’re in season if you prefer.
- Olive oil – Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Oregano – We used dried, but fresh herbs always work. You can also use an Italian seasoning blend.
- Basil – You really want to use fresh basil leaves to give it the classic fresh and fragrant Italian flavor.
- Salt and black pepper – Add to taste, be careful as canned tomatoes already have some amount of salt.
- Red pepper flakes – Use a pinch for a subtle heat, omit if sensitive to spice.
- Optional ingredients – Feel free to add other fresh herbs and spices like thyme, parsley, rosemary, or even bay leaves.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make the Best Marinara Sauce
Step One: Sauté the Garlic
- Heat oil in a large skillet or a pot over medium heat.
- Take a chopping board and mince 3 cloves of garlic. Then add the minced garlic to the pan and fry for about 1 minute, being careful not to let it brown.
Step Two: Add the Tomatoes
- Carefully add tomatoes, including the reserved tomato juices, to the pan.
Step Three: Add Seasonings
- Add the chili flakes, oregano, and a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste in the pan. (Leave the chili flakes out if you don’t want the heat.)
- Then add the basil leaves.
- Stir well to ensure that the spices and herbs are well combined with the tomatoes.
Step Four: Simmer
- Stir for about 20 minutes at medium-low heat.
- Slow simmer the sauce until thickened.
- Once you are satisfied with the consistency, remove your delicious marinara sauce from the heat and serve.
How Do I Store Easy Marinara Sauce?
- Fridge: Allow the cooked marinara sauce to cool to room temperature. Then transfer it to a jar with a lid or an airtight container. Store the sauce in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The sauce can be reheated on the stove or in the microwave before use.
- Freezer: You can also make it in advance and freeze it for up to 3 months. When you are ready to use it, thaw it in the fridge overnight or in the microwave, and then reheat it on the stove.
- Storing tip: Always make sure to let the sauce cool to room temperature before storing it in the fridge or freezer. This avoids bacterial growth, and it also preserves the quality and taste of the sauce.
Variations of Classic Marinara Sauce
- Meat sauce: You can add some meat like ground beef, pork or sausage to make it meat sauce that’s perfect for serving with pasta.
- Veggie marinara: Add other vegetables like mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, carrots, or zucchini to make it more nutritious.
- Creamy marinara sauce: To make a delicious Italina pink sauce, add in about 1/4 cup heavy cream.
- Cheesy marinara: A very popular pairing for marinara is parmesan cheese. Stir about 1/2 a cup to the sauce and allow it to simmer until melted. You can also use ricotta or mascarpone cheese.
Extra smooth marina: This recipe uses canned whole tomatoes that break down as they cook. But if you prefer your sauce with very small pieces of tomatoes visible, you can use an immersion blender to blend them. Alternately you can add the canned tomatoes in a food processor before adding them to the sauce or buy cans of crushed tomatoes.
Why Make Homemade Pasta Sauce?
Once you taste this homemade quick marinara, you’ll never want jarred sauce again. The flavors are so fresh and because you’re making it from scratch you can control all the seasonings based on your personal preference. Plus, canned tomatoes are more budget-friendly than most brands of pasta sauce.
Tips for Making this Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe
- If the sauce has too much of a bite, you can sweeten it up by adding a pinch of sugar or a drizzle of honey. It will help to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Because this recipe only uses a handful of simple ingredients, it’s important to use high quality ingredients, especially for the olive oil and tomatoes. If you can find San Marzano tomatoes, they’re always great in homemade pasta sauce.
- Anytime you’re sautéing garlic, you want to be very careful not to burn it. It goes from tender and sweet to charred in a matter of a minute or two. Burned garlic gives a bitter taste to the sauce.
- Taste as you go. This is key to getting the sauce just the way you like it. Don’t be afraid to add more herbs, spices, salt, pepper, sugar, or honey to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Simmer the sauce to give all the flavors time to develop. The longer it simmers the thicker it will become as well. Give it time until it reaches desired consistency, some people like a thicker consistency and some like it runnier.
More Italian Inspired Recipes
- Homemade Chicken Alfredo
- Roasted Tomato Pasta
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
- Skillet Lasagna
- Sausage Tortellini Soup
Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 28 ounce can peeled tomatoes diced, crushed or whole
- 4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced or minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 10-15 fresh basil leaves
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet or a pot over medium heat.
- Take a chopping board and mince 3 cloves of garlic. Then add the minced garlic to the pan and fry for about 1 minute, being careful not to let it brown.
- With the help of a can opener, carefully open the can of whole tomatoes. Once opened, transfer the tomatoes, including the reserved tomato juices, to the pan.
- Add the chilli flakes, oregano, and a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste the pan. These spices and herbs will infuse your marinara sauce with deep and complex flavours. Then add the basil leaves, they will give your marinara sauce a fresh and fragrant touch. Stir well to ensure that the spices and herbs are well combined with the tomatoes.
- Stir for about 20 minutes at medium-low heat.
- Simmer the sauce until thickened.
- Taste the sauce occasionally, and adjust the taste as needed.
- Once you are satisfied with the consistency, remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool off to room temperature.
- Transfer to a jar with a lid and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Gloria Stewart says
Can I triple recipe and freeze extra for other meals?
Alicia at BalancingMotherhood.com says
We haven’t tripled it yet, but it should work if you do!