Welcome to Italian Cuisine 101, where we’re going back to basics with my marinara sauce recipe! We live in a golden age of make-ahead-friendly ingredients, and I know what you’re thinking: “Kathleen, store-bought marinara tastes fine! Why would I bother making my own?” One word: freshness.
Actually, a few more words, too: versatility. And taste. And ease. And….Okay, there are a lot of reasons to give pasta sauce recipes a try. I promise homemade marinara sauce recipe isn’t as daunting as you think. This will be your favorite sauce to partner to your pasta recipes!
If you want to try more authentic Italian sauces, check out our Italian Sunday gravy, pomodoro sauce, spaghetti sauce, and crockpot spaghetti sauce.
Let’s make this!
What I Love About This Recipe
I’ll admit; I love store-bought sauce. It’s just so convenient, right? A delicious Italian dinner with one twist of a lid. If you’re pressed for time, store-bought might still be the way to go — but if you have a little over an hour, I can give you homemade marinara sauce recipe heaven!
- Preps in a snap!
- Adaptable for all tastes
- Easy to make
- Simple but impactful flavor
Marinara Sauce Ingredients
- Oil: Olive oil, of course.
- Onion: Yellow onion.
- Does that say carrot? Indeed, this recipe includes carrots! You’ll see carrots as a staple in many marinara sauces. They add a sweet twist alongside the tomato’s tartness, as well as pumping up the nutrient quota.
- Some people say that the carrot helps tone down the acid in the tomato, but actually, most tomatoes nowadays have been naturally selected to have low acidity. If you still want to drop that acid content, the only surefire way to do so is with baking soda.
- Salt & Pepper: Table salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
- Garlic: Use only fresh garlic, not the stuff that comes pre-minced in a jar.
- Crushed Tomatoes: I love San Marzano best.
- Tomato Paste: I generally use Cento tomato paste.
- Italian Seasoning: Fresh out of Italian seasoning? Whipping together your own is easy — and it cuts the yucky preservatives that can hide in store-bought packets. Pull together equal parts of basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, and rosemary to get your tastebuds dancing!
- Bay Leaves: Be sure to fish it out before serving.
Note
I’m sure many of you see a marinara sauce recipe and think “Oh, it must be perfect for canning, just like Grandma used to do!” Well, I am heartbroken to say that this is actually not a canning-friendly recipe.
Remember when I mentioned how most tomatoes nowadays are low acidity? That means that if you can them, the acid levels won’t be high enough to nullify the risk of botulism. If you’re looking for a canning-friendly marinara sauce recipe, you’ll want to make sure to find a recipe that specifically states it was designed to be canned and has an added boost of acid, whether from lemon juice or vinegar.
But! This doesn’t mean that my marinara sauce recipe is entirely storage-unfriendly. Far from it!
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Once made, the marinara sauce will last you about 3-4 days in the fridge. The tomatoes, though low in acidity to be canned, will sustain safety in the fridge’s cooler temperatures.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes, indeed! Be careful what type of container you use, though — if you want to freeze your marinara sauce in glass jars, be sure to leave about an inch of space near the top to allow for expansion.
- But if you’re the kind of person who only wants to use small servings of marinara sauce at a time (for dips or individual-sized portions), one fun trick is to portion out your sauce into muffin tins or ice cube trays.
- Freeze, then pop them out and store the cubes in Ziploc bags. You’ll have smaller portions of marinara sauce ready and waiting!
- Marinara Sauce Recipe Easy Make Ahead Tips: The actual prep for this recipe happens in a flash — but if you want to really get ahead of the game, pre-chop your veggies and garlic, and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
- You can also make a big batch of homemade Italian seasoning (see above) and store it in an airtight container on your spice rack!
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
Serving Recommendations
This sauce is great served over good quality pasta, preferably imported from Italy. It’s also great over zoodles.
If you’re having a delicious pasta night, it would be fabulous served with our fully loaded Mediterranean salad or 1905 salad, Olive Garden breadsticks, amazing garlic bread, practically no-knead bread, beer bread, or garlic and herb Parker House rolls.
If you’re more in the mood for a cooked vegetable to serve on pasta night, you can’t miss with my simple roasted pepper, roasted green beans (with shallots and pancetta!), or simple sautéd asparagus with lotsa garlic!
Step By Step How To Make Marinara Sauce
- Saute the onions until soft.
- Add and saute the grated carrot, salt, and pepper. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer uncovered for about 1 hour.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Adjust the seasoning and serve.
***See the full instructions below.
Recipe Variations
My favorite part — customization! Get those inspirational wheels turning, and let’s dive in to make this marinara sauce recipe your own.
- Can I Make Marinara Sauce Recipe Fresh Tomatoes Instead? Yes! Got a tomato plant growing in your garden? Chop up some of that fresh fruit and add it in lieu of the canned, crushed tomatoes.
- For conversion, one 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes equals about 10-12 whole tomatoes.
- Keep an eye out on your cooking time — since there’s extra water in fresh tomatoes, you may need to increase the simmering time, depending on how thick/thin you like your sauce.
- Veggies: Want more than carrots in your marinara sauce? I love pumping up the veggies whenever I can. Grate some fresh zucchini (but be sure to drain the excess liquid) and add it in with the carrots, or chop some mushrooms and add them in as well. Yum!
More Spaghetti + Pasta Sauce Recipes
- Spaghetti and Meatball Recipe
- TikTok Spaghetti
- Italian Spaghetti
- Baked Spaghetti With Cream Cheese
- Crock Pot Spaghetti
- Spaghetti Recipe with Ground Beef
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Baked Spaghetti
- Spaghetti Pie
- Chicken Spaghetti Bake
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Marinara Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup carrot, finely grated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, with juices
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 3 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil (1/4 cup) in a large pot. Add the onion (1 cup) and saute, over medium-high heat, until soft, about 5-6 minutes. Add the grated carrot (1/4 cup), salt (1 1/2 teaspoons), and pepper (1 teaspoon) and saute until soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic (4 cloves). Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer on low, uncovered, until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Thin the sauce if needed, by adding water.
- Remove bay leaf. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
Yes to homemade marinara sauce!! 🙂
Kathleen, I am an old 82 Italian and have been making Red Sauce since I was 3 with my Nonno, and real Italian Red Sauce cooks all day my family is from the Naples, Italy area and we only know one way and that is how the old folks made it. I am glad you like your quick recipe but I’ll stick to our way.
Jay