Basic Homemade Marinara Sauce

Make this basic homemade marinara sauce in a jiffy. It’s rich in flavour, easy to make, and has no added sugar.

Homemade Marinara Sauce

I love a good marinara sauce. Marinara sauce is so versatile, you can put in soup, on pasta, as a dip, and more! However, I find that a lot of store bought ones have added sugar in it. When I make marinara sauce at home, I don’t add any sugar to it and very little salt and I think that it tastes just as good (if not more delicious) as the store bought version. It’s surprisingly easy and quick to make at home so whenever I’m in need for some simple marinara, this is how I make it at home!

What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Marinara Sauce

• olive oil
• onion
• garlic
• canned plum tomatoes
• tomato paste
• basil
• salt (optional)

How To Make Marinara Sauce At Home

• In a saucepan (at least 3 qt) on medium heat, add your olive oil and onions, stirring until the onions have soften. Once soften, add in your garlic and cook until fragrant.
• Next, stir in your tomatoes, tomato paste, and basil. Bring the pot to a boil before lowering the heat to simmer the sauce. Stir on occasion, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon on the side of the pot. Be sure to give the sauce a taste half way to see if it needs any additional salt.
• After around 20 minutes, your sauce should have thickened. If you want a smoother sauce, you can use an immersion blender on the sauce.

Tips and Notes on Making a Flavourful Homemade Marinara Sauce

• This recipe yields almost 4 cups of sauce. If you double the recipe, you’ll have to cook it for longer.
• I personally prefer canned whole plum tomatoes but if you only have diced tomatoes on hand, that works as well.
• Use an airtight container to store your homemade marinara sauce for 5-7 days in the fridge.
• Be sure spend time on sweating out your onions, you don’t want underdone onions (or burnt onions!) for the sauce.

Variations on this Marinara Sauce

• Make this spicy! Add 1 tbsp of chili flakes after adding the garlic, give it a quick stir before continuing the instructions as directed. You can also add Sriracha or Gochujang.
• Make this smoky! Add in 1 tsp of smoked paprika or diced chipotles in adobo sauce.
• Make it sweeter by caramelizing your onions.
• Stir in 1/2 cup of pesto at the end to make it a pesto marinara.
• Simmer your marinara with a piece of parmesan rind to make it a little more savoury.

Recipes To Use This Homemade Marinara Sauce In

• Tomato Soup Mac and Cheese
• Baked Eggs with Marinara
  • To make: 1 cup warmed marinara sauce divided up into 4 ramekins with an egg in each. Bake at 375F until the eggs have set.
• Skinny Chicken Parmesan (from Two Purple Figs)
• Lazy Skillet Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms (from Killing Thyme)
• Or the simplest recipe: toss it with some pasta :)

Homemade Marinara Sauce

Make this basic homemade marinara sauce in a jiffy. It’s rich in flavour, easy to make, and has no added sugar.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Servings: 4 cups

Ingredients

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6-7 cloves garlic, minced
• 28 oz canned plum tomatoes, 1 can
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1-2 tbsp basil, or more
• salt, optional

Instructions

• In a saucepan (at least 3 qt) on medium heat, add your olive oil and onions, stirring until the onions have soften. Once soften, add in your garlic and cook until fragrant.
• Next, stir in your tomatoes, tomato paste, and basil. Bring the pot to a boil before lowering the heat to simmer the sauce. Stir on occasion, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon on the side of the pot. Be sure to give the sauce a taste half way to see if it needs any additional salt.
• After around 20 minutes, your sauce should have thickened. If you want a smoother sauce, you can use an immersion blender on the sauce.

Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I'm always so happy to hear about it! I'd love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I'd really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

Nutrition

Serving: 4cups | Calories: 356kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1395mg | Potassium: 2049mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 1555IU | Vitamin C: 94.5mg | Calcium: 315mg | Iron: 9.2mg

Authour: Carmy

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Healthy

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• How To Cook Chicken Breasts Perfectly
• What Is An Instant Pot
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