Easy marinara sauce recipe! This is a family recipe from my Italian grandmother and so incredibly easy and tasty. There's nothing like this homemade sauce!
Be sure to try this homemade sauce on Zucchini Noodle Pasta, Healthy Zucchini Lasagna Rolls, and this Healthy Summer Spaghetti for a flavorful quick Italian dinner.
There is no other marinara sauce as good as this one! Growing up my grandmother always made homemade sauce for all of our Italian dinners. The secret to the best pasta sauce is Cento San Marzano canned tomatoes and few simple ingredients.
This easy marinara sauce recipe is our go-to and packed with authentic rich marinara flavor that is beautiful tossed over noodles in this Baked Spaghetti Squash Casserole, over Gluten-Free Pizza Crust, or as a marinara dip for Gluten-Free Breadsticks. I hope you take this recipe and cherish it with your family like we do!
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Why you'll love this sauce
- This marinara sauce recipe comes together in 20 minutes - but you can simmer longer for a richer flavor!
- This sauce is super easy to make with only 5 ingredients!
- It's full of natural red fruits (yes, tomato is a fruit!) and vegetables that are good for you and may help prevent cancers.
- Unlike most store-bought marinara sauces, this one has far less sugar and only a pinch add to cut the acid down.
- This recipe makes 2 cups or 16 ounces and you can use it like Gluten-Free BBQ Sauce for pizza, pasta, and as a dipping sauce, plus and it freezes well too. You may want to double if for extras because it is so good with everything!
Ingredients you'll need
- Cento San Marzano peeled tomatoes. These are authentic delicious tomatoes that are already peeled and make this recipe so easy and flavorful!
- tomato paste (or use one of the Tomato Paste Substitutes if needed)
- onion
- garlic cloves
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- pinch of sugar - to cut the acidic in tomatoes.
How to make marinara sauce with canned tomatoes
As always, please see recipe card below for quantities and details.
Step 1 (image 1): Add ingredients to a sauce pot and cook medium-high till the sauce simmers on the edges. Once it gets hot, turn it to a low, cover, and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
Step 2 (image 2): Using a potato masher, mash the sauce to break apart chunks. Mashing the sauce can be a fun part for the kids to do!
How to make marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes
If you prefer to make marinara with fresh tomatoes use about 8 pounds of ripe Roma tomatoes in place of canned tomatoes.
Once they simmer you'll have to carefully peel off the skin, then mash it with a potato masher to break them up or pulse the sauce in a blender.
How to make this even easier
My sauce calls for onion and garlic which requires chopping. To make this dish even easier, you can simply add ½ onion and two whole garlic cloves and take them out of the sauce after it cooks that way there is no chopping! This way the sauce still holds the flavors.
Recipe FAQs
You can use fresh tomatoes simmered with garlic, olive oil, and tomato paste as a substitute or use this easy marinara sauce recipe. You can also use pizza sauce, pasta sauce, tomato soup, and in some cases ketchup.
Pasta sauce typically has more flavors and ingredients while marinara sauce is simple, thinner consistency, and consists of tomatoes, olive oil, and garlic, and you can add onion and basil. Spaghetti sauce sometimes also contains meat while marinara sauce does not.
The longer the sauce simmers the thicker it becomes as the liquid evaporates. This marinara also has tomato paste, which acts as a thickener for the sauce.
Tomato resources and recipes
I hope you enjoy this Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to rate the recipe in the recipe area and leave a comment below!
Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 28 ounce canned peeled tomatoes suggest Cento San Marzano brand
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ small yellow onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped finely
- salt and pepper to taste
- pinch of sugar
Instructions
- In a sauce pot add the peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, garlic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper to taste, and a pinch of sugar. Cook on medium-high until the edges start to boil. Turn the heat down to a low-medium and simmer covered.
- After 20 minutes, mash the sauce with a meat masher or potato masher to break up the chunks.
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