Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce
A good marinara sauce doesn’t need a long list of ingredients or an entire afternoon on the stove. With canned whole tomatoes, onion, garlic, dried herbs, and a few pantry staples, you can make a rich, flavorful sauce in under an hour.
I like knowing exactly what is in my sauce. Many jars of marinara contain gums, preservatives, “natural flavors,” or added oils that I would rather avoid. Making it myself lets me choose the tomatoes, use good olive oil, and adjust the flavor and texture to suit whatever I am cooking.
This is the kind of basic recipe that is worth keeping on hand. Leave it a little chunky for pasta, blend it smooth for pizza or dipping, or use it as the starting point for a meat sauce.
Why Whole Peeled Tomatoes Make a Better Sauce
Whole peeled tomatoes are my first choice for homemade marinara because they are generally processed less than diced or crushed tomatoes. They also give you complete control over the final texture of the sauce.
You can break them into rustic pieces with a potato masher or blend the finished sauce until it is completely smooth. When shopping, look for tomatoes with a short ingredient list—ideally tomatoes, tomato juice or purée, and salt.
Building Flavor from the Beginning
The flavor starts with gently cooking the onion in olive oil until it softens. The garlic, oregano, basil, and crushed red pepper are then added directly to the warm oil. This brief step wakes up the dried herbs and releases their flavor before the tomatoes go into the pan.
Keep an eye on the garlic during this step. It only needs about a minute and should smell fragrant without beginning to brown. Burned garlic can make the entire sauce taste bitter.
Why Add Balsamic Vinegar?
A tablespoon of balsamic vinegar adds depth and balances the natural acidity of the tomatoes. It should not make the finished sauce taste like balsamic vinegar. As the sauce simmers, it blends into the tomatoes and gives them a richer, more rounded flavor.
You do not need an expensive aged balsamic for this recipe, but I do recommend reading the label. Look for one without caramel color or unnecessary added ingredients.
A small amount of sugar also helps balance the tomatoes. It is not enough to make the marinara sweet—it simply softens any sharp acidity. Since every can of tomatoes is a little different, taste the sauce near the end and adjust it if needed.
Let the Sauce Simmer Uncovered
Simmering the marinara uncovered allows excess water to evaporate as the tomatoes cook down. After about 30 minutes, you will have a fresh, flavorful sauce. If you have the time, letting it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour creates a thicker sauce with deeper tomato flavor.
Stir it occasionally, especially as it begins to thicken, and keep the heat low enough that the sauce bubbles gently rather than splattering all over the stove.
Make the Texture Your Own
For a rustic marinara, use a potato masher to break up the whole tomatoes and leave the finished sauce chunky.
For a smoother sauce, blend it directly in the pan with an immersion blender. This texture works especially well for pizza, dipping, chicken Parmesan, or any dish where you want the sauce to spread evenly.
If you are using a regular blender, allow the sauce to cool slightly and blend it carefully in batches. Hot liquids expand in a blender and should never be sealed tightly in a completely full container.
Ways to Use Homemade Marinara
This is much more than just a spaghetti sauce. Use it to:
- Toss with pasta or homemade gnocchi.
- Spread over pizza dough.
- Spoon over chicken, eggplant, or zucchini Parmesan.
- Serve as a dipping sauce for breadsticks, mozzarella sticks, or calzones.
- Layer into lasagna or baked ziti.
- Add browned Italian sausage or ground beef for a quick meat sauce.
- Spoon over stuffed zucchini boats or roasted vegetables.
Once you have a batch in the refrigerator or freezer, it is an easy head start on all kinds of meals.
Storing and Freezing Marinara Sauce
Let the sauce cool before transferring it to a covered container. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to five days.
For longer storage, freeze it for up to three months. Leave a little room at the top of the container because the sauce will expand as it freezes. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it gently on the stove, adding a small splash of water if it has become thicker than you want.
Homemade Marinara
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Chopped onion
- 3 cloves Garlic chopped
- 1 28 oz Can whole peeled tomatoes
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 1 tsp Dried basil
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned.Add the garlic, crushed red pepper, oregano, and basil. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the garlic and herbs are fragrant. Do not allow the garlic to brown.Pour in the whole peeled tomatoes. Add the water to the empty can, swirl it around to collect the remaining tomato juices, and pour it into the saucepan.Use a potato masher or wooden spoon to break the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, sugar, and salt.Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat and cook uncovered for 30–45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened.Taste and add more salt if needed. Leave the sauce chunky for a rustic texture or blend it directly in the saucepan with an immersion blender until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Notes
- Personally, I avoid tomatoes—or any food—with added citric acid, so I choose canned tomatoes without it. Always read the ingredient list and look for tomatoes packed in tomato juice or purée, with possibly a little salt and nothing else.The balsamic vinegar adds depth and rounds out the tomato flavor without making the finished sauce taste like vinegar. Choose a balsamic vinegar without caramel color or unnecessary added ingredients.The sugar balances the natural acidity of the tomatoes; it does not make the marinara sweet. Because canned tomatoes vary, taste the sauce after it has simmered and adjust the sugar or salt if needed.For a rustic marinara, break up the tomatoes with a potato masher and leave the finished sauce chunky. For a smoother sauce suitable for pizza or dipping, blend it with an immersion blender.