How to Make Marinara Sauce
Best Marinara Sauce Recipe – Here we’re showing you step-by-step by how to make fresh, flavorful and savory tomato sauce from scratch! Homemade marinara is perfect for serving with pasta dishes or using as a zesty dipping sauce.
Why We Love this Classic Marinara Sauce Recipe
What is it about robust, tangy, and not-too-sweet Marinara Sauce that makes it so tantalizing? It’s vibrant and perky. It tastes of fresh herbs and vegetables. It’s perfect for dipping and tossing with pasta. In short, it makes everything it graces so much more appealing!
There are certainly times I’m in a hurry and grab a jar of pre-made marinara sauce at the grocery store. We all do it…
Yet the best marinara is always the potful you craft in your own kitchen. Especially if you remember a few key tips! Keep reading for the easy steps for how to make the absolute best tomato sauce from scratch with only one pot and simple pantry staple ingredients.
Ingredients You Need
- Onion – peeled and chopped
- Garlic – finely minced
- Carrots – peeled and shredded
- Dried thyme – for a deep, earthy flavor
- Butter – I prefer unsalted butter, so you have full control over the amount of seasoning
- Crushed tomatoes – fire roasted canned tomatoes have the most flavor
- Tomato sauce – choose a quality sauce for the best taste
- Fresh basil – roughly chopped
How to Make Marinara Sauce from Scratch
- Add the butter to a large sauce pot over medium-low heat. Once melted add the onions and garlic. Sauté for 12-14 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and translucent but not dark.
- Then add the shredded carrots and dried thyme. Sauté another few minutes to soften the carrots.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients, except for the basil. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Then cover the pot, leaving a crack for venting, and simmer for 30 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- Lastly, stir in the chopped basil and simmer another few minutes. Give it a try, and season to taste.
Ways to Use Homemade Marinara Sauce
Toss this herby and rich tomato spaghetti sauce with noodles, and use it to make any and all of your favorite pasta dishes. It’s perfect for making classic Italian-style recipes, like:
- Homemade Sausage Lasagna
- Veal Parmesan
- Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole
- Margherita Baked Polenta
- Crockpot Ravioli Lasagna Casserole
- Manicotti Recipe with Meat
- Italian Sausage Meatballs or Plant-Based Vegan Meatballs
- No Boil Chicken Parmesan Pasta
It’s also a fabulous sauce for dipping all kinds of appetizers and snacks! Serve a ramekin of marinara with yummy savory goodies, like:
- Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
- Homemade Stromboli
- Air Fryer Toasted Ravioli
- Air Fryer Breaded Mushrooms
- 1-Hour Garlic Knots
Best Recipe Tips
- Give Your Onions Some Alone Time. Most stove-top marinara sauce recipes that involve onions ask you to sauté the onions for only 3-5 minutes to soften before moving onto the next step. With marinara, it’s best to sauté the onions for triple the time, to make sure they are extremely silky and sweet, before adding the tomatoes. In fact, it you cook them long enough, they will almost melt into the sauce. Just make sure the heat is low, so they don’t brown and turn bitter.
- Butter is Better. Olive oil is a more traditional choice for sautéing onions and garlic for marinara. Yet I find butter provides a richer, more appealing quality that elevates and softens the tomatoes, instead of overpowering them.
- The Right Amount of Sweetness. In the past I have been known to add a little sugar to my marinara if the tomatoes aren’t naturally sweet enough. This isn’t a bad thing. However, adding finely shredded carrots to the marinara often has the same effect, while creating an additional layer of flavor. Start with carrots for sweetness, and only add a touch of sugar at the end if the tomatoes prove to be very acidic.
- Yes, You Can Use Cans. It might come as a surprise, but I truly believe that canned fire roasted tomatoes produce a better marinara than fresh tomatoes. First of all, canned tomatoes are stewed and canned at the height of freshness. If you’re making marinara in the winter, grocery store tomatoes are not going to provide the same flavor and sweetness as summer tomatoes at their peak. Second, tomatoes have a much deeper, richer flavor once stewed. The concentrated tangy flavor is the base of a really good marinara. You’d have to simmer fresh tomatoes for hours to create the same kind of flavor.
- Less is More. Instead of filling your pot with countless vegetables and herbs in hopes of creating a sauce with depth, focus on fewer well-selected ingredients. I like to stick with good tomatoes, good fat for richness, and just a handful of specific ingredients that offer the biggest bang for the buck. That way, the sauce tastes fresh and pure, not weighty.
If you keep these tips in mind, you can create a bold, zesty marinara sauce in less than an hour that puts any store-bought sauce to shame!
Frequently Asked Questions
I say both! Add a rustic dried herb (like thyme) at the beginning so it has time to mix and mingle into the sauce. Then add a bold fresh herb (like basil) at the end to bump the garden-fresh appeal.
Fresh made marinara is fabulous immediately after cooking… But it’s even better the next day! When possible, make your marinara a day ahead. Consider making a double or triple batch to freeze (or can) for additional meals.
Cool the sauce completely before transferring to an airtight container. Then store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Absolutely! Transfer cooled tomato sauce to an airtight container and wrap that container in a layer of aluminum foil for extra protection. Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating to use.
Looking for More Scratch-Made Staple Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Homemade Cocktail Sauce
- Creamy Pesto Sauce
- How to Make Tzatziki Sauce
- Garlic Butter Sauce
- Cheese Sauce for Broccoli
Get the Complete (Printable!) Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe Below. Enjoy!
How to Make Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped (about 2 1/4 cups)
- 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 56 ounces crushed “fire roasted” tomatoes
- 14 ounces tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place a large sauce pot over medium-low heat. Add the butter. Once melted add the onions and garlic. Then sauté for 12-14 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft, but not dark.
- Add the shredded carrots and dried thyme, then sauté another 5 minutes to soften.
- Finally add the crushed tomatoes and juices, tomato sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Then cover the pot, leaving a crack for venting, and simmer for 30 minutes. Lift the lid and stir occasionally.
- Stir in the chopped basil and simmer another 2-3 minutes. Taste and season accordingly.
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Stellar
Yep! There’s nothing like homemade! I have to try your onion tip!
I need a good go-to sauce for those busy weeknights. Hello darling!!
totally delish!!
These are such great tips! Especially the one about the onions…I do the same and it makes a big difference!
I agree butter is better, I always use a mix of butter and olive oil.
This sauce looks delicious…I can almost smell it!
Thank you for the nice recipe.
I always make my Italian grandmother’s marina recipe and she always used carrots instead of sugar and I am a big believer in less is more. Great recipe.