This easy Italian marinara sauce is quick to make and delicious to eat! A rich, full-flavored tomato sauce lightly seasoned with the aromas of Italy, stir it into pasta or enjoy as a rich dipping sauce with snacks and appetizers.
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So Much To Love About This Quick Marinara Sauce
Uses basic pantry ingredients you’re sure to have to hand.
Takes less than 30 minutes to make: Make the sauce while the pasta is cooking and for a quick and easy weeknight family dinner.
Healthy & versatile: You have full control over the ingredients and can easily customize marinara sauce to suit your taste preferences. Or use it as a base for other flavors.
Add in your favorite fresh herbs, switch the sugar for naturally sweet veggies, or include other spices like a pinch of red pepper flakes for a kick of heat.
Simple enough to teach your kids: the most difficult task is chopping the onion, closely followed by paying attention while sauteing it (i.e. not walking off in the middle and returning to find it VERY brown.)
So ditch the store-bought jarred sauce and and follow this simple yet super flavorful Italian-style marinara sauce recipe. You won’t regret it!
Marinara Sauce Ingredients & Substitutions
- Canned tomato sauce: The marinara sauce base.
- Tomato Paste: Adds richness and helps thicken the sauce.
- Olive Oil: Preferably Extra virgin olive oil for its divine rich flavor.
- Fresh garlic cloves: minced or sliced.
- Onion: Finely chopped onion adds sweetness and depth.
- Herbs: I like to use fresh or dried parsley and Italian seasoning, but you can also use basil, oregano, thyme or any Italian herbs. Fresh or dried herbs, whatever you have to hand.
- Bay leaf: Added for its aromatic quality, adding depth and complexity to the sauce
- Seasoning: I like to use garlic salt and black pepper.
- Sugar (optional): Normally a pinch of sugar is added to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
My favorite addition/variation, is the addition of some dried or fresh red chilli, lovely if you like it hot!
The Origin Of Marinara Sauce
Marinara sauce is believed to have originated from Southern Italy, either in Naples or Sicily. This old Italian tomato sauce is called “alla marinara” in Italy, derived from “marina”, Italian for sailors.
Although the exact history of traditional Italian marinara sauce has been lost to time, there’s one theory that it was a popular choice for sailors, due to it’s quick prep time and dried or tinned ingredients with a long shelf-life. (Source.) Add it to pasta and you’ve got a simple and nutritious meal.
What Is A Classic Italian Marinara Sauce Made Of?
Classic Italian Marinara sauce is made of olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, and dried oregano. Today, there are many different versions and many Italian marinara sauce recipes also include onion, such as this one.
My easy marinara sauce recipe calls for tomato paste and tomato sauce, garlic, onion, herbs (dried and fresh) plus sugar to taste. But feel free to make it your own – I love a pinch of chili flakes for a kick of spicy heat. This particular addition turns an authentic Marinara sauce into Arrabiatta.
Pizza Sauce Vs. Marinara: What’s The Difference?
The main differences between pizza sauce and marinara sauce are consistency and cooking method. Pizza sauce is typically thicker in consistency making it a firm base ingredient on pizza crust. Pizza sauce has a high proportion of tomato paste to achieve this consistency.
My quick pizza sauce is a no-cook recipe. The cooking happens when atop the pizza. For this reason, it’s a little rich and tart to be eaten on the side as a dip.
On the other hand, not all marinara recipes call for tomato paste. It has a thinner consistency and requires cooking, after which it’s delicious served alone and can be enjoyed as a dip or topping, as well as in other Italian-inspired dishes.
Using Fresh Tomatoes Vs. Canned When Making Marinara
Canned tomatoes add convenience as prep is minimal and you can have them on hand for whenever you choose to make marinara. Fresh whole tomatoes may provide more flavor, as they can to any dish, but this delicious marinara sauce uses only tinned tomatoes and you won’t be disappointed!
Here are some more quick simple dinner ideas:
- Easy Grilled Chicken & Strawberry Salad
- Crispy Baked Chicken Nuggets With Panko Breadcrumbs
- Best Juicy Turkey Burger Recipe (Without Breadcrumbs)
Does Marinara Sauce Need sugar?
Marinara sauce doesn’t always need sugar, but it’s normally preferable. Sugar helps to balance the acidity of the tomatoes, so without it this easy Italian Marinara sauce recipe will be more acidic.
If you want to keep the recipe low in sugar, simply taste it without and add a little at a time until you get the desired balance of sweetness and acidity.
How To Make Marinara Sauce Without Sugar
To make Marinar sauce without sugar, add sweet vegetables and fruit, such as carrots, red pepper, and red apples. These will help to balance the acidity of the tomatoes without adding sugar.
Obviously, this is a deviation from an authentic marinara sauce, but offers a healthy alternative to refined sugar.
It’s also a great way to get extra veggies into kids or a simple way of increasing the nutritional value of the sauce.
How To Make Italian Marinara Sauce On The Hob
1. Gather and prepare the ingredients for this marinara recipe. You’ll need to chop the yellow onion and parsley, mince the garlic, open the tomato tins and have the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, sugar, water and bay leaf to hand
2. Heat a pot over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions once the oil is hot and cook for 1-2 minutes or until soft and translucent.
3. Add in the garlic for 1 minute, stirring so that the minced garlic doesn’t burn and the onions and garlic are fragrant and browned.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir to mix well.
5. Bring the pot to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
6. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning to taste. Add sugar, a little at a time, until you reach your desired balance of sweetness and acidity.
6. If you want a really smooth consistency, remove the bay leaf and blend the sauce with a hand blender.
7. Stir your tasty marinara sauce through pasta or allow to cool and use it as a dipping source.
How To Make Marinara Sauce In A Ninja Foodi Soup Maker
I could not live without my Ninja Foodi soup, sauce and smoothie maker! (It’s this one.) Unlike most soup makers, it has a saute function, so you can saute your onion and garlic before adding the remaining soup or sauce ingredients. This is essential!
Making this classic Marinara sauce in a Ninja Foodi is extremely easy and only requires two simple steps:
- Add the onion, oil and garlic to the Ninja and press “chop” (a 10 second chop setting)
- Once done, press “saute” (a 5 minute cooking setting)
- Then add remaining ingredients, except the sugar, and press “sauce” (a 30 minute setting)
The Ninja Foodi will blend and cook, blend and cook until your hearty marinara sauce is ready. Then adjust seasoning and add sugar to taste. Stir in or use the manual blend button.
And you’re done!
Want some more Italian inspiration?
Try:
- Easy Italian Mozzarella & Ricotta Cheese Calzone Recipe
- Simply Divine Easy Penne Pesto Pasta Recipe
- How To Make Pizza Sauce From Tomato Paste
Storing & Freezing Marinara Sauce
Once this homemade Italian marinara sauce has completely cooled, store it in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for 5-7 days or in the freezer for 3-6 months.
When storing in the freezer, make sure to leave some space between the surface of the sauce and the lid so that there is room for it to expand as it freezes.
Thaw the frozen tomato-based sauce overnight in the fridge and reheat over low heat on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring frequently.
How To Thicken Marinara Sauce?
To thicken marinara sauce, make sure you bring the pan to the boil and simmer. Simmering reduces the liquid, thickening the consistency. If you’re making this homemade Italian marinara sauce recipe to serve with your favorite pasta dish, consider using a little reserved starchy pasta water. The starch in the water will help thicken it.
What To Use This Marinara Sauce For
This easy Italian marinara sauce recipe can be enjoyed in so many delicious ways, there are so many Italian dishes you can try it in. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
- Use it as a homemade pasta sauce
- Add it to ground beef to make spaghetti sauce
- Enjoy it as a dipping sauce with juicy Italian meatballs, garlic knots, or cheese sticks
- Use it in your chicken parmesan recipe or other favorite Italian recipes
Here are some delicious afters:
- Strawberry Cheesecake Cups (Easy No-Bake Recipe)
- Blueberry Chia Seed Pudding
- Grilled Peaches and Cream
Classic Italian Marinara Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 15 ounce cans tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-2 teaspoon sugar to taste
Instructions
- Prep ingredients (Mise En Place) – Chop onion, parsley, mince garlic, and measure all the ingredients
- Heat a pot on medium-low heat, add the olive oil.
- When the oil is hot, then add the onions and cook for 1-2 minutes, so they soften and become translucent.
- Then add the garlic for about 1 minute. (Don’t overcook, and brown the onions and garlic.)
- Next, add all the remaining ingredients to the pot.
- Stir well to mix, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes,
- Taste the sauce and add more seasoning as needed, as well as sugar. Add sugar little by little until you get the desired balance of sweetness and acidity.
- If you want a really smooth consistency, remove the bay leaf and blend the sauce with a hand blender.
- Stir through pasta or allow to cool and use as a dipping source.
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