My Classic Marinara Sauce recipe is made with wholesome basic pantry ingredients and is an easy recipe for your next pasta night. This has been my go-to marinara recipe for as long as I can remember.
When I first learned to cook this simple marinara sauce, I was told it was first created by cooks on fishing ships. They had to feed the sailors on board the ships, so the dishes they made had to use simple fresh ingredients that could be cooked quickly.
The sauce was commonly referred to as mariner sauce (marinaio in Italian), which later became known as Marinara Sauce.
Serve this easy marinara sauce with your favorite pasta. Garnish with fresh chopped basil and grated Romano or parmesan cheese.
Over the years, I’ve made a lot of tomato sauces, and this is the best homemade marinara sauce recipe I’ve created, and it has a much fresher taste than any store-bought marinara sauce.
Ingredients to make marinara sauce
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Marinara Sauce. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Simple Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- fresh garlic
- fresh onions
- Italian plum tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)
- fresh basil
- fresh Italian parsley
- sea salt
- black pepper
- red pepper flakes (optional)
This sauce is not typically made using tomato paste or tomato puree, but in a pinch, it can be made with just about any tomato product, including fresh tomatoes.
*I will admit that I do a little sugar to all my tomato sauces, this is a personal choice and one I find enhances the flavor of the marinara.
How to make Marinara Sauce
- Add the olive oil and chopped onions to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. (yellow onions, white onions, or sweet onions can be used)
- Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes, then add the chopped garlic cloves. Cook for another minute to sear the garlic.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, sea salt, and black pepper to the pan. Bring to a light boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue cooking for 15 minutes.
- Add the chopped basil and Italian parsley to the pan and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.
I used an immersion blender to puree the whole tomatoes. They can be crushed by hand if you prefer a chunkier marinara sauce. When buying tomatoes, I suggest using San Marzano tomatoes for all your pasta sauce recipes. They are the Gold Standard of canned tomatoes.
Real San Marzano tomatoes will only be available whole in juice or puree. By law, they cannot be crushed. If they are sold crushed, they will be classified as “San Marzano Style.”
At this time, the Marinara sauce is done. It won’t have the depth of flavor that a tomato sauce simmered for hours will have. But it will have a vibrant red color and fresh taste.
I’ve seen many versions of this sauce that contain oregano. When I was taught to make this sauce by my adopted Italian Nonna, I was told to only use fresh basil and parsley. Nonna told me oregano was used only in pizza sauce.
Recipe FAQ’s
The main difference between the two simply comes down to the cooking time. Marinara is cooked for a shorter time which keeps the sauce a bright vibrant red with a fresh taste. While spaghetti sauce that is simmered for hours will have a deeper dark red color and a depth of flavor you won’t get in a marinara sauce. Also, a marinara sauce will not contain meat, while most long-simmered tomato sauces include meat, which adds greatly to the overall flavor.
The best tomatoes in the world come from the San Marizano Region of Italy. San Marzano tomatoes are plum tomatoes which are thinner and longer than most plum tomato varieties. The san marzano tomatoes also benefit from the rich volcanic soil of the area which is near Mr. Vesuvius.
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Classic Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 28 oz whole tomatoes in juice Crushed by hand or with an immersion blender (San Marzano are preffered).
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic finely minced
- ¼ cup white onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon basil finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Italian parsley finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and chopped onions to a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes, then add the chopped garlic cloves. Cook for another minute to sear the garlic.
- Add the tomatoes, sea salt, and black pepper to the pan. Bring to a light boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue cooking for 15 minutes.
- Add the chopped basil and Italian parsley to the pan and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite pasta and garnish with grated romano cheese and chopped fresh basil.
Maureen Staub
Made this today. It was great!
Chef Dennis Littley
That’s what I like to hear! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the marinara.
Linda
Your recipes are very good
I have not found any that I don’t like
There all so good , I’m very happy I found your site
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you! I’m very happy to hear you’ve been enjoying my recipes.
GMJ
Excellent exactly as written! I usually do not measure my garlic in table spoons, unless I am out of fresh garlic. Which is rare . I tend to use appx 1 to 2 fat cloves, depending on who I am cooking for. You may see other recipes that call for a pinch or 2 of sugar. If you are sticking to true San Marzano tomatoes, you will not need any sugar, b/c they have far less seeds, (which are bitter) They also have a meatier, pulp, and no skins. Beware of San Marzano ” style” tomatoes and and San “Merican ” tomatoes…not the same results.
This is a 5 star recipe worth memorizing.
Jon Clayton
Thanks, Chef Dennis. I made this, and it is the best Marinara I have ever had. I liked it so much I decided to grow my own San Marzanos to make it with. (Although I realize that they are not authentic Italian San Marzanos. We don’t have volcanic soil in my part of Texas, but hopefully they’ll be good!)
What will I need to do to fresh tomatoes to use in this recipe? I understand peel on/off may be personal preference. Just add them as in the recipe but simmer for longer? Simmer separately for 10-15 minutes before adding? Many thanks!
PS – I made your Spaghetti and Meatballs as well – Fantastic!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the marinara. You can use fresh tomatoes and definitely peel them. Peel tomatoes by scoring the skin of each tomato with a sharp knife (do not cut too deep). Then, place scored tomatoes into a pot of boiling water and boil for approximately 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Remove tomatoes and plunge into cold water. The peels should come right off.
Break the tomatoes up by hand or with an immersion blender and simmer for 5-10 minutes then make the sauce per the recipe.
John
Hello Chef! Lovely little marinara recipe! Thank you again for sharing. I’m going to pressure can a bunch of it. Any idea on yield? I’m not seeing volume/weight for a serving. A quart?
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the sauce. It all depends on how many people you are serving and how much pasta each person is getting. 16 ounces should be enough for two generous servings.
John Brooks
Thank you Chef! Think standard recipe (for 4) yields a quart?
Chef Dennis Littley
That sounds about right. one cup per person.
kim gaudette
Chef Dennis My question to you is why do I have troubles with getting my sauce stick to my pasta. I am going to give your recipe a try. I am not a pasta fan but I try to eat it at least once a month. And I only eat spaghettini. I appreciate your thoughts on this thank you.
Kim
Chef Dennis Littley
Pasta is extruded thru a die and if the interior is smooth, sauce will never cling to it. Over time the inside of the die will get imperfections, that transfer to the pasta letting it cling. Companies like Dececco and Barilla use dies that have accumulated these imperfections that help the sauce cling.
Oiling pasta after draining will also cause the sauce to slide off the pasta. Oily or butter sauce can have a difficult time clinging.
GMJ
Hi Kim, Chef Dennis is spot on with his advice. …as ALWAYS. I use barilla, and do not have issues. Another tip is, DO NOT RINSE THE PASTA. after draining. The starch that clings to the pasta, helps the sauce stick to pasta. At leadt that has been my experience.
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for confirming my instructions. I like Barilla, but my first choice is DeCeccio.
Susan
My German mom was taught by my Italian grandma and great grandma to make sauce in the same way. Crushed tomatoes were a welcome help when cooking for a large family! We all add our own variations, but include a spoonful of sugar because that’s what Grandma did.
Chef Dennis Littley
I always add a little sugar to my long simmering sauce, it helps balance the acidity.
Jon
Fantastic marinara sauce! The San Marzano tomatoes certainly do make a difference. Amazing flavor.
John
I’ve made this marinara sauce a 1/2 dozen times to use in my veggie lasagna. (In my quest to cut down on sodium, I’ve started making most things I used to buy like marinara sauce, pasta, canned beans, ricotta cheese, etc.) This marinara sauce has become a solid go-to for me! I just sent it to my son (junior at university) . . . he likes to cook. Fingers crossed this becomes his great go-to for feeding his guys and his girlfriend!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you like my marinara recipe. It’s a quick and easy pasta sauce recipe. Let’s hope your son likes it too!
Theresa
The recipes are very simple and very good!!