Homemade marinara sauce is perfect for pasta, pizza, or dipping.
This easy sauce is made with canned tomatoes and a handful of seasonings simmered until thick and flavorful. This classic red sauce is always a win!
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: This fresh, wholesome sauce has a balanced tomato base with garlic, herbs, and a subtle sweetness.
- Skill Level: This sauce is easy to make and uses simple everyday ingredients, most of which you likely have on hand. Don’t let the simplicity fool you; it’s delicious.
- Serving Suggestions: Homemade marinara sauce can be used to replace tomato sauce in most recipes or for preparing lasagna. So double or triple the batch and freeze it for last-minute recipes!
Ingredient Tips for Marinara Sauce
- Tomatoes: Use a combination of crushed and canned tomatoes along with tomato paste. While it costs just slightly more, I love the fresh flavor that San Marzano tomatoes add to sauces. Fresh tomatoes can be peeled and added.
- Vegetables: Onion and garlic add flavor, while shredded carrots add sweetness and balance the tart flavor of the tomatoes.
- Sugar: Depending on the brand of tomatoes, you may not need sugar in this recipe. If the sauce is tart, add a pinch or two. But you can omit the sugar entirely if you’d like.
- Seasonings: Add dried seasonings (like DIY Italian seasoning) before simmering in Step 5. Fresh herbs should be added just before serving. A few red pepper flakes or a splash of sriracha gives homemade marinara a little pep!
- Variations: Sneak in shredded zucchini or a little pureed pumpkin or squash as a natural sweetener and nutrient booster. Or add ground beef and turn this into a hearty homemade spaghetti sauce.
How to Make Marinara Sauce
- Sauté onion, carrot, and garlic in oil until softened (full recipe below).
- Add whole tomatoes and break them up with a spoon.
- Add remaining ingredients with ½ cup of water and simmer until thickened.
- Stir in basil before serving.
Save It for Later!
Marinara sauce will last about 5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. For longer storage, it can be stored in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Besides spaghetti, use marinara sauce in chicken parmesan, for a great meat sauce, or as a dipping sauce for breadsticks.
More Easy Tomato Sauces
Step up your sauce and try one of these favorites to spoon over your favorite pasta or pizza.
Did your family love this easy Marinara Sauce? Leave us a rating and comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup finely diced onion
- ⅓ cup shredded carrot
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 28 ounces canned whole tomatoes 1 can
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-2 teaspoons granulated sugar optional
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- To the pot, add the finely diced onion, shredded carrot, and minced garlic. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add whole canned tomatoes (juice included), breaking them apart gently with a spoon.
- Mix in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar if using, dried oregano, and season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir in ½ cup of water.
- Simmer uncovered on low heat for about 20 minutes, or until thickened to the desired consistency. Stir in fresh basil.
- Serve over spaghetti or enjoy in your favorite recipes.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course, Pasta, Sauce
Cuisine Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Love the recipes. Hope I get the instant pot recipes also.
Hi Debbie, we have a section of Instant Pot specific recipes you might enjoy.
Great…and I’m gonna try to make that Sauce…
Loved this sauce. I made this sauce for the recipe Chicken Parmesan. Which I got from your collection of recipes!! They are perfect tasting!! Totally yummy!! Thanks much!!
Sharla
That’s awesome Sharla, glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, like ur recipes. I want to cook it for my family. Thank u.
This was my first go at making marinara sauce, and it turned out pretty good! I had to do some substitutions due to my inability to go to the grocery store. I used two 28 cans of crushed tomatoes as I didn’t have whole tomatoes. And I used dry basil rather than fresh, and I added a couple of bay leaves. I thought it was a little on the tangy side for my taste, so I tripled the amount of recommended sugar. Next time I might try adding more shredded carrots to see if this cuts the tang a bit.
It makes a lot of sauce. I froze half, and to the other half I added some pre-made store bought homestyle meatballs and served over instant mashed potatoes, utilizing what I had in my pantry/fridge. Even thought my family initally had their doubts about a tomato based sauce being served over mashed potatoes, they really liked it!
I’ll definitely be making this one again!
Those substitutions sound great Janice! Thanks for sharing. I am glad your family enjoyed it :)
Janice, Carrots will definitely help with the tanginess of the recipe. As you add carrots, cut back on the sugar though…guessing 1 less tablespoon per carrot if you like the sauce sweet.
Also, if you can get San Marzano tomatoes, they are less acidic and sweeter. Use less sugar with those. Your other major brands and store brands are more acidic and need that extra sugar (or carrots).
If you can swing the fresh basil next time, try it out. Worth it! Basil is one of the few herbs I spend the money to keep fresh on hand at all times; Mint is the other. Everything else I use dry.
Love love this recipe! So easy and my NY man says it’s just like a true Italian marinara
Can you use jarred tomato puree instead of the crushed and whole canned tomatoes?
We have only made this recipe as listed but that sounds like it should work Olga. Your consistency will be slightly different without the larger chunks of tomatoes in it but still yummy!
Great recipe
Hi, I see 2 cans of tomatoes (whole and crushed); is it one or the other, or both? No mention of the crushed tomatoes in the directions. Thanks.
You will need both. The crushed tomatoes are added with the remaining ingredients in step 2.
Thank you! Can’t wait to try it :)
Lovely
Thanks Janet!
I can’t cook…….help
You are in the right place Lyndsay! This recipe is a great place to start. Have fun with it!
What does the grated carrots do?(thicken)and can you taste them in the sauce?
You cannot taste the carrots. They add a bit of sweetness (instead of using sugar).
Very easy and delicious. I’m a garlic lover so I added a few more cloves.
I am so glad you enjoyed this sauce recipe!
Made this this evening and you are right, I will never use jarred sauce again… absolutely fantastic, I did alter it a little by sautéing the onions, carrots and garlic in soy sauce instead of oil, I also added lentils, zucchini, broccoli and mushrooms using edamame noodles. Thank you so much for sharing, I feel liberated
I am so glad you enjoyed the sauce Darren! Your variations sound wonderful!
This recipe looks amazing. However, what if I like smooth sauce? Should we use different types of canned tomatoes, or use an immersion blender or food mill?
I think using an immersion blender would make things smooth Michelle!
Hello. So excited to try this recipe. My question for you is. Can i use frozen chopped onions in this? If so. Do i need to thaw 1st or can i use as is? Thanks.
I think that should work just fine!
think they would be fine frozen LuAnn!
Thank you for your Recipe
Enjoy!
I have just cooked this but only put 400 g tin tomatoes with a bit more water and sun dried tomato paste aswell as tomato paste.After 20 minutes I threw in meat balls for another 30 minutes..delicious!! It was only for 2 of us so thought all that tomato a bit too much
So glad you enjoyed it Dianne!
Can I freeze the sauce and meatballs together? I doubled the sauce and the meat and cooking half suacw and meatballs now. I will cook the second batch immediately. I am assuming I can freeze together.
I have only ever frozen this recipe as is (without meat), but you should not have any issues.
I have frozen a portion of sauce with meatballs. Turned out great!
It looks so tasty! However, I’m not a fan of carrot, what if I don’t use it? Or do you have any substitute?
– Natalie Ellis
You can skip the carrots Natalie!
The carrots are for natural sweetness; eliminating the need for sugar. Cannot taste the carrots.