This super easy homemade marinara recipe features 7 simple ingredients and is absolutely delicious whether you serve it over pasta, in lasagna, or as a dipping sauce.
Y’all are going to love this super simple homemade marinara sauce! It is a real show-stopper despite the fact that it’s made with seven simple pantry ingredients (and two of those are salt and pepper!).
It’s perfect served with fresh pasta, in a meat sauce for spaghetti, with meatballs, in baked dishes like ziti, with chicken parmesan, or even as a dipping sauce. You can add it to really any recipe that calls for a jarred spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce. I even like to put this in my lasagna!
One thing I really like to do is make a big batch and freeze it in smaller portions. It freezes so well. Then, I can use it with pretty much any pasta recipe featuring a red sauce, even homemade pizza. The possibilities are endless with this basic marinara recipe.
How to Make Homemade Marinara Sauce
Prep Your Ingredients: Start by finely dicing your onion and mincing your garlic.
Sauté the Onions: In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook them until they’re soft and translucent, which should take about 10 minutes. Avoid browning the onions as it might change the flavor profile of your sauce.
Add Garlic: Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute until it’s fragrant. Be careful not to let it burn, as burnt garlic can introduce a bitter taste to your sauce.
Tomatoes Go In: Pour in the tomatoes, including the juice from the can along with the salt and pepper.
Simmer: Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer gently (uncovered) for about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The longer it cooks, the more the flavors will meld together. If the sauce thickens too much for your liking, you can add a little water to adjust the consistency.
Check Seasoning: As the sauce nears the end of cooking, add additional salt and pepper to taste. A pinch of sugar can be added if the sauce tastes too acidic.
Blend (Optional): For a smoother sauce, you can use an immersion blender to puree the sauce directly in the pot. Alternatively, let the sauce cool slightly and carefully transfer it to a blender to puree until smooth.
I like a fresh, more astringent flavor in my sauce, so I cook it for the least amount of time. If you’re looking for a deep, robust flavor, cook it longer. It’s that simple!
How to store marinara sauce in the freezer:
You can store your homemade marinara sauce in the refrigerator or the freezer. If you store it in the fridge, I recommend placing it in airtight containers or jars. I only recommend this storage method though if you plan to use that marinara within 3-4 days.
My favorite way to store my marinara sauce is in the freezer. I prefer freezer bags that tightly seal. After I get my bags, I like to measure out about 24 ounces, or 3 cups, of the sauce per freezer bag. This is about the same amount of sauce you will find in a traditional jar of marinara sauce from the grocery store. By measuring and storing this amount per bag, you make it super easy to grab just the right amount of sauce you may need for any recipe that calls for a jar of tomato or pasta sauce.
I find these bags are most conveniently stored in the fridge when you freeze them lying flat. I like to place them flat on a baking sheet in the freezer overnight. Then the next day you have frozen, flat marinara sauce you can easily organize in your freezer’s space. Also by storing them this way, you ensure the sauce will thaw evenly.
How to cut the acidity of marinara sauce:
If you prefer a less acidic marinara sauce, you can cut that acidity by adding either sugar or baking soda. Both are great options. I recommend just adding a pinch at a time until you get it to your desired acidity by taste testing in between additional pinches.
Optional Recipe Additions:
I love the simplicity of this sauce, but you can certainly jazz it up! Herbs like basil, thyme, oregano, and rosemary make great additions. You can even add some red pepper for a little spice.
Recipes to try with this marinara sauce:
Creamy Italian Pasta Skillet – This marinara sauce recipe goes great with this quick and easy Creamy Italian Pasta Skillet. It is a hearty dish that’s perfect for those busy weeknights when you’re short on time.
3-Ingredient Tomato Boursin Pasta – Team up this marinara sauce with my 3-Ingredient Tomato Boursin Pasta recipe, and you’ve got yourself the best plate of pasta you’ve ever had! This pasta recipe is quick and easy, and it can be served as a side or add some grilled chicken for a complete meal!
Grilled Chicken Parm – Grilled Chicken Parm coated in my delicious marinara sauce and baked on the grill might be one of my most favorite Italian-inspired recipes. Plop the chicken parmesan on a bed of pasta and watch your dinner guests beg for seconds!
Easiest Lasagna – When I say this is the Easiest Lasagna, I truly mean it is the easiest homemade lasagna. It’s oh-so simple, yet oh-so flavorful.
Cheesy Baked Ziti – I can never make this Cheesy Baked Ziti without my basic, homemade marinara. It’s just not the same. This cheesy goodness is a family favorite!
Garlic Parmesan Knots – While this recipe doesn’t necessarily call for marinara sauce, I love to dip these jokers in a cup of marinara sauce like you do with mozzarella sticks. Give it a try!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in large dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they are translucent and soft – about 10 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant – about 1 minute.
- Add both cans of tomatoes (with juice) and salt and pepper. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes. (I like a fresh, more astringent flavor in my sauce, so I cook it for the least amount of time. If you're looking for a deep, robust flavor cook it longer.)
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
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I have a dear friend whose parents came from Italy, don’t even speak much English. She says Sunday sauce is the simplest you can do. Olive oil, garlic, onion, crushed tomatoes and let it simmer all day. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can add all kinds of herbs, or seasonings but that’s the basic and she knows!
Sounds perfect to me! Thanks, Lori!!
First time I haven’t given one of your recipes 5 stars. Know you were trying to keep it simple, but I think you went to far. A Southern Italy red sauce with out basil, is as Sacrilegious as Gumbo without the Holy Trinity.
I’m a huge basil fan, so I totally understand that. I mention the addition of herbs – namely basil- in the blog post.
Hi Stacey! As an Italian, your recipe is pretty darn good. I do add some chopped basil and orgregano to mine and a pinch o hot pepper flakes. Glad to see you don’t add tomato paste… it , it my opinion , makes a sauce bitter. Just a tip here… if you have a wedge of Parmesan , save the back rind and throw in sauce for additional flavor . Remove when you sauce is done. Mangia bene!
Thanks, Doris! I appreciate that! And great tip with the parm rind!
After working in an Italian restaurant, here’s a couple more tips:
– If the sauce is tasting too acidic, add just a little bit of sugar – no more than a teaspoon at a time. All canned tomatoes are not alike and sometimes they are too acidic.
– If you want to make it a Fra Diavolo sauce (as in Shrimp Fra Diavolo), add 1/4 teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes and a jalapeno pepper (which has been halved and de-veined and de-seeded) to the sauce. Leave the halves of the jalapeno pepper simmering in the sauce for only 15 minutes, otherwise, it will make the sauce too spicy.
Thanks for these great tips!
So good! Only used crushed tomatoes and half the garlic and was just what I was looking for, something simple, light and oh so tasty!
So glad you enjoyed it! This is one of those recipes that many folks overlook, but it’s sooo good!
My family does not care much for the acidic taste of marinara so I ad a tablespoon of dark brown sugar to this sauce. It seems to bring out the flavor of all the ingredients and it tastes richer.
I know quite a few folks that like to add a bit of sugar.
You’re correct. Sugar cuts the acidity in many sauces.
What kind of containers do you use for freezing your sauce?
I typically use quart freezer bags.
This is simmering right now and the smell in my house is fantastic! I love the fact that I had everything on hand and was able to put it together with ease. Serving with Italian sausages tonight, freezing the rest for another meal.
Wonderful! I hope it tasted as good as it smelled! Sounds delicious!
This is almost the same great recipe that I make in larger batches . I cook the onions and garlic in oil. Then add some red wine. Pour that into a large crockpot and then add the other ingredients.
In the last picture it looks as if there are little pieces of green in it. Do you add some sort of Italian seasoning or spice? Thanks so much!
I normally don’t add any italian seasoing or herbs. But, what happened this time is the only can of tomatoes I had had some basil in them, so that’s what you see in the sauce.
I always put dried basil and garlic powder in mine, but I use stewed tomatoes instead of the plain diced ones. I squish them up with my hands, removing the stem ends diced and stewed tomatoes always seem to have so many of. I started doing that after using plain diced tomatoes, for years, and wow! it made a BIG difference. (Also eliminated the need for adding your own onions) Even when I was a working gal, it only takes a few minutes to prepare, and is SO much better than bottled sauce. Thanks!
Another great tip! Thanks, Cynthia!
This sounds so good; I’ve been wanting to make some sauce “from scratch” and will do so now; happily you do not have a long “laundry list” of ingredients that I don’t normally stock – that’s the beauty of your recipes; simple yet delicious. Thanks!
Thanks, Karen! I share recipes that are things I like to cook and I love easy recipe that use common ingredients. I hope you’ll give this a try and come back and let me know what you think. 🙂
Do I have to use the crushed tomatoes? I know it sounds strange, but I don’t like crushed tomatoes, only diced. Thanks!
I like to used the crushed for texture, but there is no real reason that you can’t use all diced. Enjoy!
Perfect timing!! Hunts tomatoes are part of Krogers’ MegaSale in SC this week. Thanks for your website. Have added quite a few of your recipes to my collection.
Awesome! I wish I could take credit for that timing!! 🙂
may i ask approximately how much this recipe/batch makes? am definitely making..sounds great! thank you..chris
Sure! It makes around six cups depending on how much moisture is lost while cooking. Good luck!