The Best Marinara Sauce Recipe From Scratch

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Looking for a deliciously simple Marinara Sauce recipe from scratch? I’ve got just the one for you!

Looking for a deliciously simple Marinara Sauce recipe from scratch? I've got just the one for you!

Marinara Sauce Recipe From Scratch

Growing up, spaghetti was a staple dinner in our home. Once a week my mom would brown some hamburger, add in a jar of Prego, boil some noodles and dinner was ready!

Fast forward 25 years, and here I am with six young children of my own, and I find myself turning to pasta on those nights when I need a quick meal that is sure to satisfy!

Conventional canned pasta sauce with healthy ingredients can be expensive, sometimes upwards of $10 per jar! Less costly versions are filled with sugars or oils our family prefers to avoid. You can’t get the authentic Italian flavor you want with store-bought sauces.

Marinara sauce can be made from scratch with just a few simple ingredients: tomatoes, fresh herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper, onion, and balsamic vinegar.

This summer, we grew 41 tomato plants in our garden, translating into hundreds upon hundreds of pounds of juicy, plump tomatoes for our family! While I did make some home-canned pasta and pizza sauce, I decided to can most of my tomatoes plain. In doing so, I am able to be far more versatile in how they are used in recipes.

Marinara Sauce with meatballs

Earlier this week, I had a craving for some spaghetti and meatballs, and I set out to make an easy, perfect, from-scratch marinara sauce using only the ingredients I had on hand. I would say the recipe was a raging success! Even my pickiest of eaters declared I could make this recipe again!

The ingredients in this marinara are incredibly simple, and you likely have most if not all of them in your pantry right now! Best of all, the resulting sauce is versatile enough to use in a wide variety of Italian dishes from spaghetti to pizza to chicken parmesan to lasagna and more!

Here’s how I made it.

Marinara Sauce Ingredients

Ingredients in Marinara Sauce From Scratch

  • Crushed tomatoes. If you don’t have any from the store you can use home-canned tomatoes, blended in a blender until smooth.
  • Sweet onion. Yellow or another kind of sweet onion work best in this recipe.
  • Garlic. Fresh garlic is best in this recipe but you can use dried garlic if that is all you have.
  • Basil and Parsley. For the best and freshest flavor, all herbs in this recipe should be fresh. Dried herbs will do if you can’t find any fresh.
  • Olive Oil. If you use a lot of Olive Oil in cooking, you may consider buying it by the gallon to save money.
  • Balsamic Vinegar. You can get Balsamic Vinegar by the gallon if you use a lot!
  • Salt and Pepper.

What is the Difference Between Marinara Sauce and Spaghetti Sauce?

Marinara sauce is typically thinner than spaghetti sauce and can be used as a topping or as a dipping sauce. A basic Marinara does not contain meat, spaghetti sauce sometimes contains ground beef.

Marinara sauce is a simpler sauce using only a few basic herbs. Spaghetti sauce usually contains a variety of herbs and spices for a richer-tasting sauce.

Cherry Tomatoes

Can You Use Fresh Tomatoes in Marinara Sauce?

Yes, you can use fresh tomatoes! Any tomato based sauce will always taste better when you use fresh garden tomatoes.

Just run the tomatoes through the blender to “crush” them before you use them in the sauce.

Tips for Making Marinara Sauce From Scratch

  • You can make a big batch of this sauce and freeze it for later so you always have plenty on hand. Reditainer makes a great freezer container.
  • If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can use dried herbs for a more frugal version.
  • If you are using fresh tomatoes, you don’t need to peel before using. Just wash them well and run them through the blender. Pick out any large pieces that are left.
  • If you feel like it needs a little bit of extra flavor you could add in a pinch of dried oregano or red pepper flakes depending on the flavor profile you are looking for.

Sourdough pizza

What to Serve with the Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe

This marinara would also be fantastic as a pizza sauce for homemade pizza, or as a simple dipping sauce for breadsticks or mozzarella sticks.

Making Marinara Sauce

Instructions for Making Homemade Marinara Sauce

Start by heating 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a medium-sized cast-iron skillet over low-medium heat. (If you don’t have cast iron, a 3-4 quart saucepan would work just as well.)

Finely mince your garlic (or use store-bought chopped garlic) and add to the skillet, stirring to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. (Some browning is okay and helps enhance the flavor; you don’t want it to turn black!)

I’m not one for kitchen gadgets, but my six-year-old bought me a garlic chopper for Christmas last year, and I love it. You put the cloves in, close the lid, and drive it like a Hot Wheels car back and forth on a cutting board! Voila! Instant finely chopped garlic!

Dice one medium sweet onion and add to the skillet. Stir and cook until onions are tender and begin to caramelize (turn golden brown).

Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine; let simmer. If you don’t have crushed tomatoes but, like me, have an abundance of home-canned tomatoes calling your name, drain off some of the excess water from your tomato jar, and then blend the tomato chunks into a thick puree. You can use an immersion blender.

Now for the flavor punch: the herbs! You can use dried store-bought herbs in this recipe, but if you happen to have some fresh herbs sitting on your windowsill, they will take this recipe over the edge!

I found some “living” herbs in the produce section at our local small-town grocery store. They were hydroponically-grown herbs that still had the root system in tack! I popped the roots in pint mason jars of water, plucked off what I needed for this recipe, and plan to plant the herbs to continue growing on my windowsill all winter long! Not bad for $2.79!

Cut up Basil Leaves

Mince the fresh parsley, and chiffonade cut the basil leaves. (Chiffonade is a fancy term for layering the leaves on top of each other, rolling them up tightly lengthwise, and then slicing thinly across the width. It makes beautiful fine ribbons and makes you feel fancy with little effort!)

Marinara Sauce

Add the herbs to the simmering tomato sauce, sprinkle in some salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring in 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Stir again, and allow to continue on a low simmer for an additional 10 minutes. (Tip: I use this last simmering time to cook my noodles!)

That’s it! This marinara sauce is super simple, yet rich and flavorful. It is excellent served on its own over noodles, or you can even bake meatballs right in the sauce for spaghetti and meatballs!

The longer you let the sauce simmer, the thicker it will become and the more depth of flavor your sauce will have.

Store any leftover Marinara sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.

Marinara Sauce with Herbs

Need to print this recipe for your Recipe Binder? Grab it below!

Marinara Sauce from Scratch

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Marinara Sauce
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 8 people
Calories 94 kcal
Creator Kendra

Ingredients

  • 32 oz crushed tomatoes or, home canned tomatoes, blended in a blender until smooth
  • 1 medium sweet onion diced
  • 4-6 cloves fresh garlic finely minced
  • 4 Tablespoons fresh basil chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Start by heating 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sized cast-iron skillet over low-medium heat. (If you don’t have cast iron, a 3-4 quart saucepan would work just as well.)
  2. Finely mince your garlic (or use store-bought chopped garlic) and add to the skillet, stirring to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. (Some browning is okay and even helps enhance the flavor; you just don’t want it to turn black!)
  3. I’m not one for kitchen gadgets, but my six-year-old bought me this garlic chopper for Christmas last year, and I actually love it. All you do is put the cloves in, close the lid, and drive it like a Hot Wheels car back and forth on a cutting board! Voila! Instant finely chopped garlic!
  4. Dice one medium sweet onion and add to the skillet. Stir and cook until onions are tender and begin to caramelize (turn golden brown).
  5. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine; let simmer. If you don’t have crushed tomatoes but, like me, have an abundance of home-canned tomatoes calling your name, simply drain off some of the excess water from your tomato jar, and then blend the tomato chunks into a thick puree.
  6. Now for the flavor punch: the herbs! You can totally use dried store-bought herbs in this recipe, but if you happen to have some fresh herbs sitting on your windowsill, they will really take this recipe over the edge!
  7. I actually found some “living” herbs in the produce section at our local small-town grocery store. They were hydroponically-grown herbs that still had the root system in tack! I popped the roots in pint mason jars of water, plucked off what I needed for this recipe, and plan to plant the herbs to continue growing on my windowsill all winter long! Not bad for $2.79!
  8. Mince the fresh parsley, and chiffonade cut the basil.
  9. (Chiffonade is a fancy term for layering the leaves on top of each other, rolling them up tightly lengthwise, and then slicing thinly across the width. It makes beautiful fine ribbons and makes you feel fancy with little effort!)
  10. Add the herbs to the simmering tomato sauce, sprinkle in some salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes and then stir in 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Stir again, and allow to continue on a low simmer for an additional 10 minutes. (Tip: I use this last simmering time to cook my noodles!)
  11. That’s it! This marinara sauce is super simple, yet is rich and flavorful. It is great served on its own over noodles, or you can even bake meatballs right in the sauce for spaghetti and meatballs!
Nutrition Facts
Marinara Sauce from Scratch
Amount Per Serving
Calories 94 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Sodium 152mg7%
Potassium 369mg11%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 339IU7%
Vitamin C 13mg16%
Calcium 48mg5%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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KendraKendra Paulton is a freelance writer, photographer, and ranch mama. She resides on a fourth-generation cattle ranch with her husband, six young children, and a pack of German Shepherds. Visit her website www.dakotacanyonbeef.com to connect.

This recipe for the Best Marinara Sauce from scratch was originally posted on Little House Living in February 2023.

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