Super Simple Marinara Sauce

This homemade marinara sauce offers rich and lively tomato flavor. You’ll need only five basic pantry ingredients to make this delicious marinara sauce: good canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, dried oregano and olive oil. That’s it!

Instant-Pot-Spaghetti-and-meatsauce-1
Instant-Pot-Spaghetti-and-meatsauce-1

This version is my favorite, no contest.

marinara-sauce-ingredients
marinara-sauce-ingredients

This marinara is exceptionally easy to make, too, so it’s perfect for busy weeknights. You don’t even have to chop the onion and garlic. Yes,that’s right—just crank open a can of tomatoes, halve an onion and peel some garlic. You’re ready to go!

This sauce offers lovely, authentic Italian flavor after a 45-minute simmer. I tried to take shortcuts to make it even faster, but no amount of tomato paste, spices, salt or sugar will make up for lost time.

Bottom line: It’s impossible to achieve enchanting, long-simmered marinara flavor in under 45 minutes. So throw those ingredients in a pot, pour yourself a glass of wine and boil water for pasta. Dinner is almost ready.

I love that tomato sauce, but it doesn’t pass for marinara since it’s missing herbs, garlic and olive oil. So, I added dried oregano and two whole cloves of garlic (which you’ll smash against the side of the pan at the end).

I traded a reasonable amount of olive oil for the butter (you really don’t need to use a ton of olive oil here for rich flavor). I also added a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little kick, but those are optional.

marinara sauce making
marinara sauce making

Why is this the best marinara sauce?

Six reasons to love this recipe:

  • This marinara sauce recipe requires 5 basic ingredients and yields rich, authentic marinara flavor.
  • It’s super easy to make—no chopping required.
  • Unlike most store-bought sauces, this marinara is free of added sugar.
  • You can load up your pasta with as much of this wholesome sauce as you’d like. Tomatoes are good for you!
  • The recipe yields two cups of sauce and freezes well, so you might as well double the recipe. Just cook it in a bigger pot.
  • This marinara also makes an incredible pizza sauce. I made pizza with it and my friend remarked that it tastes like real-deal Italian pizza.
making of marinara sauce 2
making of marinara sauce 2

Super Simple Marinara Sauce

Yield: 2 cups 1x

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Total Time

50 minutes

Category

Sauce

Method

Stove top

Cuisine

Italian

Author: Zeeshan

This marinara sauce recipe is the best! You’ll only need 5 basic ingredients, and it’s so easy to make. No chopping required! Recipe yields 2 cups sauce (enough for 8 ounces pasta); double if desired.SCALE 1X2X3X

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes*
  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved
  • 2 large cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional, omit if sensitive to spice)
  • Salt, to taste (if necessary)
  • Optional, for serving: Cooked pasta, grated Parmesan cheese,chopped fresh basil, additional olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the tomatoes (with their juices), halved onion, garlic cloves, olive oil, oregano and red pepper flakes (if using).
  2. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of oil float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, and use a sturdy wooden spoon to crush the tomatoes against the side of the pot after about 15 minutes has passed.
  3. Remove the pot from the heat and discard the onion. Smash the garlic cloves against the side of the pot with a fork, then stir the smashed garlic into the sauce. Do the same with any tiny onion pieces you might find. Use the wooden spoon to crush the tomatoes to your liking (you can blend this sauce smooth with an immersion blender or stand blender, if desired).
  4. Add salt, to taste (the tomatoes are already pretty salty, so you might just need a pinch). Serve warm. This sauce keeps well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days. Freeze it for up to 6 months.

NOTES

*TOMATO NOTE: Using high quality tomatoes is key here.

Summary
Super Simple Marinara Sauce
Article Name
Super Simple Marinara Sauce
Description
This homemade marinara sauce offers rich and lively tomato flavor. You’ll need only five basic pantry ingredients to make this delicious marinara sauce: good canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, dried oregano and olive oil. That’s it!
Author
Publisher Name
Cooking Plus Homedecor
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