Making homemade marinara sauce is so easy to make with canned tomatoes and simple ingredients for a fresh authentic Italian sauce that perfectly seasoned.
This recipe is great to freeze so that you always have it available to use with many recipes like topping these baked chicken tenders for chicken parmesan, meatballs, this classic lasagna recipe, 3 cheese baked ziti,…..you name it!
My husband taught me how to make this most incredible homemade marinara sauce years ago. This recipe actually comes from his mother’s husband, Papa Mike, whose Italian mother taught him how to make.
Let me give you all the confidence you need. It is a really easy sauce to make!
It is truly an all-time favorite!
How to Make this Marinara recipe
Step 1: Pour olive oil in a large pot.
Step 2: Add minced garlic and chopped onion in the pot and saute until translucent and soft. Do not brown! This is very important.
Step 3: Place tomatoes in a blender or food processor and blend about 5-10 seconds until smooth and pureed.
Step 4:Add in dry ingredients
Step 5: Bring sauce to a slow boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for a minimum of 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes so not to burn the bottom. I prefer to simmer for about 3 hours but it is still yummy if you cook it at the minimum.
Try these pasta recipes too:
Chicken and Spinach in Feta Cream Sauce
Cod Recipe in Tomato Basil Sauce
Homemade Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 84 ounces 28 oz+ cans of Whole Plum tomatoes
- 4-6 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 TBSP of olive oil enough to cover the bottom of the pot.
- 2-3 TBSP of dried basil
- 1 tsp of oregano
- 1 tsp of sugar
- pepper to paste
Instructions
- Pour olive oil in a large pot.
- Add minced garlic and chopped onion in pot and saute until translucent and soft. Do not brown!! This is very important.
- Place tomatoes in a blender or food processor and blend about 5-10 seconds until smooth and pureed.
- Add in dry ingredients
- Bring sauce to a slow boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for a minimum of an 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes so not to burn the bottom. I prefer to simmer for about 3 hours but it is still yummy if you cook it at the minimum.
Stephanie
Excellent recipe. I add carrots instead of sugar like my Italian Grandma used to do. It’s delicious. My family loves it.
Nancy Derhammer
Can this be made in a slow cooker or crock pot
Sherri
Oh absolutely! I would but everything in and cook in on low for 6-7 hours. I would check it half way through and make sure it’s not losing moisture, If it’s looks too thick you can add 1/2 up of water.
Sue
It seems daunting to make homemade sauce when you aren’t Italian. I am and live on the stuff! 🙂
My Mom made the best meat sauce around but 2 of my kids became vegetarian so I started making marinara and it’s my favorite.
One morning a week growing up I’d wake up to the wonderful aroma of Mom making sauce. Ahhhhh!!!
I like to simmer it for awhile but as you said you don’t really have to.
I make sauce every week!