Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe (2024)

Skip the jarred stuff, a classic homemade marinara sauce for all kinds of pasta dishes is a way to go!

This simple sauce has many uses and it’s incredibly simple to make and is perfect for spaghetti!

This homemade marinara sauce is a game-changer. Homemade marinara is so easy and so good and only requires a few readily available ingredients. You are going to love how simple it is to make homemade sauce, you really won’t buy jarred again!

This tomato sauce is such an easy way to make pasta night feel complete. Made from scratch in just a few minutes this sauce is perfect for anything from ravioli to spaghetti.

What Is Marinara Sauce?

Marinara sauce is the most basic pasta sauce. It is a tomato-based sauce that can be used for all sorts of pasta dishes. Most popularly, it’s used in Italian-American pasta recipes such as spaghetti, lasagna, and sometimes even pizza!

This homemade spaghetti sauce recipe uses a few canned ingredients, garlic, and spices. It takes very little time to prepare, making it an ideal recipe to keep handy. We love making this sauce often and I’m sure that once you see how easy it is to make from scratch that you’ll want to make it more often too.

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil – I always use extra virgin, but regular olive oil can work just as well.
• Minced Garlic – Fresh or jarred garlic will work great.
• Crushed Tomatoes
• Diced Tomatoes– I prefer the petite diced, but you can use what you prefer depending on how chunky you want the final results to be.
• Tomato Sauce
• Sugar – This will help to cut down the acidity of the tomatoes so that the sauce is a perfect balance of flavors and not too “tart.”
• Herbs – Oregano, Basil, and Red Pepper Flakes are all great for helping to add in more flavor.

For the exact amounts, please see the recipe card below.

How to Make Homemade Marinara Sauce

1. To start, heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and cook for one minute.
3. Add crushed tomatoes, diced, tomatoes and tomato sauce.
4. Stir in sugar, salt, oregano, basil, and crushed red pepper.
5. Cook until the mixture begins to simmer.
6. Reduce heat to low and cover until ready to serve.

Recipe Tips

• Tomatoes. I like to use a large can of crushed tomatoes and a smaller can of petite diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. This will make you have a little to no chunk consistency but if you want it chunkier you can use diced tomatoes or even chopped fresh tomatoes. This is your preference, the tomato style will not affect the taste.
• Seasonings. I like to season my sauce with dried oregano, Those seasonings are pretty standard, but I say use what you have at home. Fresh herbs are always good, but I would add those at the end of the process. Adding them just before serving the sauce would really maximize the flavor. suggested seasonings include basil, salt, pepper, and a few red pepper flakes.

Variations

• Onions. You can also add chopped onions – cook those down first with the olive oil
• Reduced sugar. You can omit the bit of sugar, but it is a minimal omit and will help reduce the acid in the sauce.

How To Thicken Marinara Sauce

This pasta sauce should be thick enough to enjoy after simmering for several minutes uncovered, but if you want it even thicker then here are a couple of ways to thicken your pasta sauce.

1. The first way is to add tomato paste. If you add tomato paste, I may add a touch more sugar, as you are adding to the acidity in the sauce. Taste as you go.
2. The second option is to add a small amount of water from your cooked pasta. Pasta releases quite a bit of starch as it cooks which is great for thickening sauces. You can see how I use pasta water in this Stove Top Pastit*io. It really is a simple cooking hack. You can reduce the amount of liquid; use less tomato sauce and then allow the sauce to simmer longer so that it cooks down.
3. Lastly, you can add a small amount of cornstarch to your recipe. It dissolves easily and is tasteless.

Marinara vs spaghetti sauce

They are incredibly similar but marinara sauce is usually a little sweeter and cooked for less time. Not only that but spaghetti sauce is more known for having meat and added veggies in there.

Marinara sauce calories

This sauce has about 43 calories per serving and 6 servings per batch. Each serving is about 1 cup of sauce. If you use less sauce, you’ll intake fewer calories, and if you load up on extra sauce you will ingest more calories.

Keep in mind that the amount of calories calculated is purely estimation and not exact. Different ingredients and how much you eat all play roles in how many calories are involved.

Choose low-calorie options if desired.

Simple marinara sauce

This recipe is incredibly simple as written making it perfect for any night of the week! Marinara sauces are known for being fast and simple.

Classic marinara sauce

With this classic sauce recipe on hand, you’ll never have to buy storebought again. Add meat or cooked ground sausage if desired or leave it as its authentically classic self.

Fresh marinara sauce

If desired you can use fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes, giving you an even fresher taste in every bite. You will want about 4 or 5 cups of fresh tomatoes that have been washed and diced really small.

Healthy marinara sauce

Compared to a lot of other sauces out there this one is pretty healthy. You can make it even healthier by choosing low-sodium options and selecting fresh tomatoes instead of canned. Another way to make it healthier is to serve it up with cooked spaghetti squash instead of starchy noodles.

Difference between marinara and pizza sauce

Marinara sauce, spaghetti sauce, and pizza sauce all share the same basic ingredients as a base. This means that they can be interchanged as needed.

So if you’re thinking to yourself “can I use marinara sauce for pizza?” Yes, you can. Perfect for using up the leftover sauce without eating pasta several nights in a row!

Keto-friendly marinara sauce

You might be wondering, is marinara sauce keto? The answer is yes and no. While this recipe is not keto-friendly, there are many others online that are.

You could also just adapt this one to be more keto-friendly by using keto-friendly substitutions for the sugar. I do not recommend omitting the sugar as it helps to cut down on the acid, but it’s only a small amount that’s needed in the first place.

Marinara sauce for lasagna

Use this marinara as a sauce between layers in your favorite lasagna. Mix it with meat or leave it as is and layer it in a pan with cooked lasagna noodles, cheeses, meats, and cooked veggies (if desired). Bak in the oven until hot and bubbly, and enjoy!

FAQs

What is marinara sauce used for?

Marinara sauce is used for anything from pasta to pizza, soups, and more. It’s a truly versatile sauce that has limitless potential. If you can use a red Italian sauce for it, marinara sauce would be a good choice.

How to make marinara sauce from scratch

Making marinara sauce from scratch is as easy as sauteeing some ingredients together in a skillet until heated and adding in seasonings. Then allow them to simmer for a few minutes for the flavors to really settle. You can cook it in as little as 15 minutes or let the sauce simmer for a few hours depending on what you want to do.

Does marinara sauce go bad?

Yes, unfortunately, this sauce will go bad eventually. For short term storage place the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For long term storage store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to heat up marinara sauce

Place your sauce into a large saucepan with a lid and heat it over medium-low until warmed through. You don’t want to heat the sauce too quickly because it can bubble and splatter everywhere, so heating it up slowly is best and allows the flavors more time for simmering together.

Is marinara sauce gluten free?

This recipe is gluten-free as written because there are no ingredients that should contain gluten. Please note that if you are avoiding gluten for an allergy that you should look at ingredient labels and watch out for cross contamination just to be sure.

What Are Some More Uses for Homemade Marinara Sauce That Aren’t Pasta?

This homemade marinara recipe is well-suited for so many recipes like this Pork Parmesan or this Basil Ricotta Dumpling recipe.

It works as a base for both these Homemade Parmesan Soft Pretzel Bites, this crockpot lasagna, and this meaty marinara. Basically, this sauce will work anytime you need a red sauce. It is an extremely versatile sauce!

Can I Freeze This Homemade Marinara Sauce?

Yes, this sauce freezes well so there is no reason you cannot make a double batch each time.

Place your cooled sauce in an airtight container or a freezer-safe bag. Marinara sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months.

When the craving for spaghetti hits, you will always have the sauce ready! Simply thaw for a few hours in the fridge or heat your frozen sauce (removed from the container), in a large pot on low with a lid to cover. Slowly thaw the sauce and bring it up to temp.

What To Do With Leftover Pasta Sauce

Leftover sauce? No problem! You can reuse this same sauce in so many different recipes and create entirely new dishes. Some great recipes that this sauce is perfect for include:

• Meatball subs
• Meatball pizza
• Baked risotto balls
• Pretzel bites
• You can even stir your leftover marinara sauce into this Minestrone Soup!

Can I can marinara sauce?

Please note that this recipe has not been tested or approved for actual canning so I cannot recommend that you pressure can or water bath can this sauce for long-term storage preservation. The safest way to preserve leftover sauce is still to freeze it in an airtight container for up to a few months. This should still be fine as it gives you plenty of time to use it up!

If you liked this marinara sauce recipe, then check out these other tasty sauce recipes!

• Quick and Easy Ragu Sauce
• White Alabama BBQ Sauce
• Tzatziki Sauce Recipe
• Slow Cooker Meat Sauce