This easy homemade marinara sauce recipe is the best! So easy to make with made with simple ingredients. This delicious marinara will quickly become a family favorite! Make with canned or fresh tomatoes!
This marinara sauce is one of those recipes I repeatedly turn to. I love making it with fresh tomatoes from the garden when they are in season or using canned tomatoes when I need to use pantry staple ingredients. It comes together quickly and then simmers for a rich, luxurious marinara sauce that my whole family loves.
It is delicious served with my easy homemade meatballs, layered in my lasagna, and spooned over chicken parmesan.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy. This homemade marinara sauce is so easy to make! It comes together quickly with the majority of the cooking time spent allowing the marinara sauce to simmer. Don’t skip the simmer, it makes the sauce!
- Delicious. This homemade marinara sauce tastes like restaurant-quality marinara! I love that!
- Simple ingredients. Made with eight ingredients that are pantry staples, you can make this easy marinara sauce for dinner tonight!
How to Make Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe
I prefer my marinara sauce to still have bits of tomato in it, but if you prefer a smoother marinara sauce, you can blend it with your immersion blender until it reaches the consistency you prefer. It usually only takes a minute or two. If you don’t have an immersion blender, a standard blender or a food processor will do the trick!
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
- Olive oil – use a delicious high-quality olive oil here. It makes a difference.
- Garlic – minced fresh garlic is delicious, but you can also use my quick substitute if you prefer. See the Even Easier recipe tip below.
- Onion – adds flavor and texture to the marinara sauce. If you don’t care for onions, you can omit them.
- Crushed tomatoes – use great quality tomatoes or even use whole tomatoes if you prefer. Choose a brand that has less acidity if possible.
- Seasonings: salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme
- Optional ingredients: red pepper flakes (if you like your marinara sauce a bit spicier), sugar (if you find your canned tomatoes are too acidic.)
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference.
- Simmer until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.
Even Easier
Substitute 1 teaspoon Stone House Seasoning for the fresh garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper in the recipe!
Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes Recipe
I love to use fresh tomatoes in this recipe when they are in season!
Substitute 4 pounds of fresh tomatoes for the canned tomatoes in the recipe. Pulse the tomatoes (with the peelings on them) in a food process or cut them into chunks and press them with a potato masher. You will have bits of tomato peelings and the seeds remaining in the marinara sauce, but it will be delicious!
Storage Tips
To store. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator to keep for about 1 week.
To make ahead. Prepare and cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator. Reheat and serve.
To freeze. Prepare and cool completely. Store in an airtight, freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are three ways that I reduce acidity in tomatoes for recipes. 1) Precooking: taste the tomatoes, and if they are overly acidic, add a pinch of baking soda to them to balance the acidity. 2) While cooking: add diced carrots to the marinara to help balance the sweetness 3) Cooked: taste the marinara at the end of cooking and add a pinch of splash of balsamic vinegar or a pinch of sugar at a time until the tomatoes are balanced.
Yes! I’ve included how to use fresh tomatoes in the recipe post and recipe card.
Absolutely! It freezes wonderfully. See my Storage Tips in the recipe post and recipe card for instructions.
Here’s how I make my marinara sauce recipe.
Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- Immersion Blender Optional
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (32-ounce can) crushed tomatoes, or 4 pounds fresh tomatoes (chopped and mashed with a potato masher)
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
Optional Ingredients:
- pinch red pepper flakes, if you like spicy marinara sauce
- 1-2 whole carrots, diced (to balance the acidity of the tomatoes)
- splash balsamic vinegar, to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and the sweetness of the marinara sauce.
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. If adding carrots to your sauce to balance sweetness, add them along with the onions. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference.
- Simmer until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender or food processor to reach the desired consistency of your marinara sauce (optional).
Notes
- If you prefer a smooth marinara sauce, simply blend until it reaches the consistency you prefer. You can use an immersion blender, a standard blender, or even a food processor.
- Substitute 1 teaspoon Stone House Seasoning for the fresh garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper in the recipe!
Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes Recipe
Substitute 4 pounds of fresh tomatoes for the canned tomatoes in the recipe. Pulse the tomatoes (with the peelings on them) in a food process or cut them into chunks and press them with a potato masher. You will have bits of tomato peelings and the seeds remaining in the marinara sauce, but it will be delicious!Storage Tips
To store. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator to keep for about 1 week. To make ahead. Prepare and cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator. Reheat and serve. To freeze. Prepare and cool completely. Store in an airtight, freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat and serve.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2012.
I keep a jar/bowl of this in my refrigerator at all times. Sometimes I use canned crushed tomatoes as called for other times I use canned whole plum tomatoes broken up with a spoon. I generally add a healthly pinch of red pepper flakes and a some garlic powder and onion powder and sometimes a squeeze of tomato paste. From this basic marinara sauce I can be “on the ready” for almost anything red-saucy that my 13 yr old son is in the mood for with the addition of a few ingredients – quick french bread/regular pizzas, pasta with meat sauce, sloppy joes, tortellini with tomato cream sauce, homemade hamburger helper and so much more. I have also found that keeping basic browned ground beef with onions & garlic in the refrigerator and basic breaded chicken cutlets such as in the chicken parm in the freezer help also. Love your recipes Robyn. Thank you!
PS: I also keep a jar of your Buffalo Sauce and Enchilada Sauce in the refrigerator!
What a great idea! I love that you have found so many ways to use my basic recipes. Thank you.