Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe

By Becky Hardin

Published Feb 13, 2020

This Homemade Marinara Sauce is rich, delicious and easy to make! It’s so versatile, use it on pasta, pizzas, fish and so much more!

Marinara Sauce Recipe

A handful of ingredients from your pantry , a 45 mins simmer, and this homemade marinara sauce is all yours.

Just throw all your ingredients into the pot, pour yourself a glass of wine and let the magic happen! Great for all kinds of dishes from pasta to sandwiches.

How To Make Marinara Sauce – Step By Step

You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!

Place olive oil, 1-tablespoon butter and onions then garlic in a large saucepan set over medium-low heat.
Crush the tomatoes with a potato masher. Pour all the tomatoes and their juices into the pan with the onion/garlic mixture.
Add bay leaf, basil, 5 tablespoons butter, kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir well.
Bring sauce to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook until sauce has thickened, about 45 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and basil stem. If desired, puree the sauce with a stick blender or in a stand blender.

What Is Marinara Sauce?

Marinara Sauce is a simple tomato sauce with very few ingredients. Generally tomatoes, aromatics (onion/garlic) and some seasonings.

It is amazing on pasta, served as a dipping sauce, or perfect replacement for jarred sauces in your recipes (you can use it in place of spaghetti sauce)!

You may be wondering, what is the difference between spaghetti sauce and marinara ?

The difference between the two is that marinara is simply tomatoes and seasonings while spaghetti sauce contains more ingredients such as meat or other vegetables.

Can I Freeze Homemade Marinara Sauce?

Yes indeed. Cool sauce to room temperature, and ladle into plastic containers or zip-top freezer bags.

We recommend freezing in 3-cup portions, which is equivalent to 6 servings of sauce, or in 1-cup portions for a smaller household. Store in freezer up to 4 months.

How to Use Marinara Sauce

As I’ve mentioned, this a super versatile sauce! Use it as a dipping sauce , use it on pasta, use it on sandwiches, or as a sauce for meatballs. It’s perfect as a pizza sauce, and adds flavor to all kinds of dishes.

If you want to make a meat sauce, you can use this recipe as a base and then mix in ground beef, Italian sausage or ground turkey (just make sure you brown the first).

What Should I Serve It With?

Arancini
Cheese tortellini
Spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles
Chicken Parmesan
Use as Pizza sauce
Use it as a dip (for garlic bread , breadsticks, garlic knots , etc.).
Meatball sliders
Toasted Ravioli

Tips!

For the best flavor, use fresh garlic instead of jarred garlic.
Use San Marzano tomatoes for the best flavor. If you can’t find them, canned Cento tomatoes work too.
Fresh basil is highly recommended here. Dried basil has quite a different flavor and it won’t be as good.
For more flavor, simmer it with a parmesan rind.
Add red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.

More Sauce Recipes

Mustard Cream Sauce
Apple Cider Sauce
Caramel Sauce
Fry Sauce
Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce
Burger Sauce
Homemade Ranch
Homemade Honey Mustard
BBQ Sauce

Ingredients1x2x3x

▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter divided (¾ stick)
▢ 1 medium yellow onion diced
▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
▢ 56 ounces Certified San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes (2 (28-ounce) cans)
▢ 1 bay leaf
▢ 2 sprigs fresh basil leaves
▢ ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
▢ 2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Place the olive oil, 1 tablespoon of butter, and onions in a large saucepan set over medium-low heat. Cook the onions, stirring often, until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook ofr an additional 30 seconds. 1 tablespoon olive oil, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 medium yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic
While the onions cook, pull or cut off the tough stem end of each tomato and crush the tomatoes with a potato masher. Pour all the tomatoes and their juices into the pan with the onion/garlic mixture. 56 ounces Certified San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
Add the bay leaf, basil, remaining 5 tablespoons of butter, kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir well. 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs fresh basil leaves, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes
Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook until sauce has thickened, about 45 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and basil stems. If desired, puree the sauce with a stick blender or in a stand blender.

Becky’s Tips

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Best Homemade Tomato Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter divided (¾ stick)
1 medium yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
56 ounces Certified San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes (2 (28-ounce) cans)
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh basil leaves
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Place the olive oil, 1 tablespoon of butter, and onions in a large saucepan set over medium-low heat. Cook the onions, stirring often, until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook ofr an additional 30 seconds. 1 tablespoon olive oil, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 medium yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic
While the onions cook, pull or cut off the tough stem end of each tomato and crush the tomatoes with a potato masher. Pour all the tomatoes and their juices into the pan with the onion/garlic mixture. 56 ounces Certified San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
Add the bay leaf, basil, remaining 5 tablespoons of butter, kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir well. 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs fresh basil leaves, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes
Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook until sauce has thickened, about 45 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and basil stems. If desired, puree the sauce with a stick blender or in a stand blender.

Notes

Nutrition

By Becky Hardin

Published Jul 12, 2017

This Essential Grocery List is an absolute life saver for my family on the busy weeks. When I started this journey to learn how to cook, I quickly realized that the first step in cooking is having staple ingredients on hand. I want to avoid having to run out to the grocery store every single time I prepare a new recipe. Having a well-stocked pantry has made my life in the kitchen so much simpler, because when it’s time to cook, I have what I need.

Essential Grocery List

It’s so helpful to have a basic grocery list to help me remember which foods to buy at the store. This food shopping list is my go-to!

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However, I do have to go to the supermarket sometimes, and there’s a way to make that trip easy and hassle-free: I keep a grocery list! If I go in blindly, I’ll leave with things I don’t need, and nothing that actually helps me prepare a good meal.

In the list below, I’ve compiled everything I always have on my stock-up grocery list.

I’ve got you covered! I created an easy grocery list filled with all of the essentials. Plus there’s a free printable version that you can take with you to the grocery store. It has everything you need to stock your pantry, your freezer, and your refrigerator.

Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List

What to Buy at the Grocery Store

This is the perfect grocery list filled with all the basics and essentials. It should help get you going if you’re new to cooking, or if you’re just left staring helplessly at an empty pantry and don’t know how to fill it.

When I first started cooking, things could seem overwhelming. I quickly realized that they more prepared I could be, the more confident I felt. If you already have the basics in your kitchen, then you can shop stress-free.

So print out our easy grocery list, stock up your pantry and fridge, and you’ll be cooking in no time!