Homemade Marinara Sauce
With a few simple, fresh ingredients, this homemade marinara sauce is one of the easiest things to make and ideal to keep on hand for those nights when you want it for something quick and easy, like pasta!
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Why use store-bought marinara sauce when you can make your own? Not only is homemade marinara sauce easy to make, but it also tastes much better than the ones lining the supermarket shelves. Same goes for this homemade pizza sauce.
Many of those bottles of marinara are too sweet, and the superior ones cost more than anyone should spend on what is essentially pureed tomatoes enhanced with spices. That brings me to my next reason for making your own sauce: affordability.
And a fourth reason? You can double the amount and freeze portions of it to have on hand when you want to make something quick and easy for dinner.
I’ve made different variations of marinara sauce over the years, adapted from how my mother—and her mother—made it. Nowadays, I usually prepare it by crushing some garlic cloves and pressing them into the olive oil to infuse it before removing them. I think it flavors the tomatoes better than if I mince and add them directly to the sauce.
I also include some yellow onion to sweeten the tomatoes, which always seem to contain some level of bitterness no matter what brand I use—and I’ve used quite a few. If the onion—and ribbons of fresh basil—don’t sweeten it enough, I’ll add a pinch of sugar for good measure.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Marinara Sauce
- Simple, clean ingredients: Made with staples like olive oil, onions, crushed tomatoes, garlic, and basil, this sauce is made with fresh ingredients and no preservatives.
- Slow-simmered flavor: This marinara develops deep, robust flavor from simmering tomatoes over low heat—bringing out their natural sweetness and complexity.
- Versatile: This sauce isn’t just for pasta—it’s perfect for eggplant Parmesan, meatballs, or as a dipping sauce.
Key Ingredients
- Canned Whole Tomatoes: Whole tomatoes retain their flavor better than crushed tomatoes.
- Yellow Onion: A bit on of onion helps sweeten the tomatoes.
- Granulated Sugar: This is a must if your tomato sauce needs more to sweeten it.
See the recipe card below for more information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make This Homemade Marinara Sauce
- Purée tomatoes: Blend the canned whole tomatoes using an immersion blender, food processor, or traditional blender until smooth.
- Sauté aromatics: Heat olive oil in a medium pot. Add minced onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Crush garlic cloves into the oil, stirring until they turn golden, then remove.
- Add tomatoes & season: Carefully pour in the puréed tomatoes. Stir in salt, pepper, and torn basil.
- Simmer: Simmer the sauce on low for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Taste & adjust: Taste for salt. If the tomatoes are bitter, add a pinch of sugar.
Pro Tips
- Use an immersion blender: This is the best tool to break down the whole tomatoes and requires the least amount of cleanup, but you can also pulse the tomatoes in a blender or food processor.
Variations & Substitutions
-Garnish the sauce with some fresh minced parsley along with the fresh basil.
-Sprinkle some red pepper flakes into the sauce for heat.
-Add a splash of wine (Add it early, so the alcohol can cook off.)
Recipe FAQs
Simmering gives the flavors time to develop and mellow. Even a simple sauce benefits from the slow cook—it lessens the acidity of the tomatoes and deepens the overall flavor.
Partly cover the pot with a lid. This allows the sauce to reduce and thicken, concentrating the flavors as it simmers.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezer: You can freeze this sauce for up to 2 months.
Reheat: Reheat on the stove on low heat or in the microwave. If removing the sauce from the freezer, defrost it in the refrigerator first.
More Sauce Recipes
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Homemade Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes (Note 1)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup yellow onion peeled and minced
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
- Black pepper freshly ground
- ½ tablespoon fresh basil torn
Instructions
- Puree the canned whole tomatoes using an immersion blender, food processor, or traditional blender.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium pot on medium-low heat. Add the minced onion and crushed garlic, stirring the onion periodically and cooking until it becomes soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, press the garlic cloves into the olive oil to release their flavor (It's OK if they break.) Remove them once they turn golden in color.
- Pour the pureed tomatoes into the pot. You may want to lower the heat or temporarily remove the pot from the heat so the tomatoes don't splatter. Add the salt, ground black pepper, and basil.
- Reduce the heat to low and partly cover the pot with a lid. Simmer the sauce gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once it's been simmering for a bit and is hot, taste for salt and add more if needed. If the tomatoes taste bitter, add a pinch of granulated sugar. Serve on top of your favorite pasta. Enjoy!