Homemade Hearty Marinara Sauce

Make this basic homemade marinara sauce in a jiffy. It’s rich in flavor, hearty, easy to make, and has no added sugar. This hearty marinara sauce makes for an amazing pasta sauce or dipping sauce.

I love a good hearty marinara sauce. Marinara sauce is so versatile as you can put it in soup, on pasta, as a dip, and more! While I do have a sweet tooth, I find that a lot of store-bought sauces have added sugar in them (for good reason, I get it!). When making it at home, I tend to skip the sugar and think it’s just as delicious.

 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It comes together with simple ingredients that you might already have on hand!
• This hearty marinara is full of rich flavor. The ingredients really shine in this recipe, and you’ll love how delicious it is.
• It’s perfect for when you’re in a pinch as it doesn’t require a lot of work. Simmer for 20 minutes and you’re good to go!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• oil — I use olive oil, but you can use a neutral oil of your choice.
• onion — this recipe uses a small yellow onion but if you’re an onion lover, feel free to use a large onion. Yellow onion has a great balance of onion flavor without being overpowering and has a lovely hint of sweetness to it.
• garlic — I love garlic and I feel like the more the merrier.
• canned plum tomatoes — this hearty marinara sauce uses canned plum tomatoes. I use canned as fresh, flavorful plum tomatoes aren’t always in season and canned is a great alternative to use year-round. Plus, canned tomatoes are always in my pantry, so I can make this whenever I’m craving it. Make sure you use whole tomatoes and not crushed or diced tomatoes.
• tomato paste — due to the concentration of flavor in tomato paste, it adds a rich tomato flavor that really adds a layer of flavor to the marinara sauce.
• basil — I use fresh basil but in a pinch, you can use dried basil as well!
• salt — salt is optional but I use a couple pinches. You can always leave out the salt and then add it as needed if you plan on using the marinara sauce in another recipe.

How to Make Marinara Sauce

• Add olive oil to a saucepan (at least 3 qt) over medium heat.
• Add the diced onions and saute until softened, for around 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt.
• Once softened, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, around 1 minute.
• Add the canned plum tomatoes, tomato paste, and basil, and bring the pot to a boil before lowering the heat to simmer the sauce.
• Stir occasionally, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon by pressing them into the side of the pot. Be sure to give the sauce a taste halfway 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.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Traditional marinara sauce is much more smooth. I don’t blend this one all the way through for a chunkier, hearty texture but feel free to blend it until it’s smooth and silky.
• This recipe yields almost 4 cups of sauce. If you double the recipe, you’ll have to cook it for longer.
• If you don’t want bits of basil in your sauce, you can add a sprig or two of fresh basil and allow it to simmer in the sauce and discard it after simmering.

Make Ahead Tips

• Meal prep: once cooled, transfer the hearty marinara sauce to an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
• Freezer: allow the hearty marinara to cool before transferring to an airtight container before storing in the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Marinara Sauce Variations

• Make this spicy! Add 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes after adding the garlic, give it a quick stir before continuing the instructions as directed. You can also stir in Sriracha or Gochujang near the end.
• Make this smoky! Add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika or diced chipotle 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 savory.

Uses for Marinara Sauce

Here are some easy and delicious recipes you might want to use this hearty marinara sauce in:

• Tomato Soup Mac and Cheese
• Cottage Cheese Pasta Bake
• Lasagna Stuffed Shells
• Low Carb Chicken Lasagna
• Lasagna Soup
• 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)
• Serve it with Air Fryer Gnocchi, Baked Chicken Meatballs, Air Fryer Tortellini, Air Fryer Ravioli, or Cauliflower Gnocchi.
• Or the simplest recipe: toss it over cooked pasta :)

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