Cooking Basics: Simple Homemade Marinara Sauce

written by:

Joan Feldman

October 4, 2023

The ingredients in this homemade marinara sauce are so simple — an onion, garlic, crushed tomato purée, and a few herbs and spices.

I know. Why make homemade marinara sauce when there are so many jarred sauce options in the grocery store? Honestly, I usually do buy marinara sauce (AKA spaghetti sauce) from the grocery store. My favorite jarred sauces are from RAO and Ohio City Pasta (based in my hometown, Cleveland), but any organic grocery store brand that doesn’t have a lot of extra ingredients or chemicals will work just fine. Marinara sauce is so simple it’s hard to go wrong if you read the label. And when it’s on sale? Stock up.

How to Hack a Jar of Marinara Sauce

The good news is that quality jarred sauces are perfectly good as is  — especially in a casserole such as lasagne or eggplant parmesan. But, if the sauce takes a starring role in your dish, you might want to tweak it a bit. Simply add a can of high-quality crushed or chopped tomatoes, a handful of parmesan or romano cheese, a pinch of dried or fresh herbs, and a pinch of sugar and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Sometimes I’ll throw in a cup of wine, too. If you add wine, though, you’ll need to let it simmer for at least 30 minutes to cook away the alcohol.

Back to Making a Basic Homemade Marinara Sauce

Like an omelet, veggie chili, pot roast, or basic brownie, marinara sauce qualifies as one of those go-to recipes to have in your repertoire. It’s nice to know you can create a meal out of a couple of cans of tomatoes and a box of pasta.

The ingredients in this recipe are simple — an onion, garlic, crushed tomato purée, and a few herbs and spices. And it takes only 20 minutes to complete on the stovetop. This is definitely not your Italian grandmother’s all-day Sunday sauce, which includes a variety of meats that bubble and simmer down for hours until they transform into something incredible — but not especially healthy. This vegetarian marinara sauce is a fresh and bright companion to a simple pasta dish or to fill the layers of an Italian casserole.

Simple Homemade Marinara Sauce

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• Author: Joan Feldman
• Total Time: 40
• Yield: 8
• Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

Homemade marinara sauce is so simple. This bright, fresh sauce is done in 30 minutes. The yield is approximately 4 cups or  6 to 8 servings.

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Ingredients

1 T olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced in quarter inch bits

1 clove garlic, minced

2 28-ounce cans of tomato purée or crushed tomatoes (I prefer Muir Glen with basil)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp turbinado sugar or brown sugar

1/2 tsp dried oregano,

1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper

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Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onions are soft and golden but not browned. Be careful not to burn or you will get a bitter taste from the garlic.
2. Add the two cans of tomato purée, the salt, sugar, oregano, and Aleppo Pepper. Stir and bring to a simmer.
3. Lower heat and let simmer gently for 20 minutes.

 

Optional: If you are adding red wine, add it immediately after sautéing the onions and simmer until the wine is reduced by half. Continue with the recipe.

 

Notes

If you are concerned about the addition of sugar in this recipe and you can exclude it. It is there to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and wine, but if you’re squeamish, remove it — or add just a pinch. My nod to making the recipe a bit healthier is to use raw or turbinado sugar instead of white sugar. (There is no science behind that but it makes me feel better.)

If you don’t have tomato purée or crushed tomatoes, you can use two large cans of plum tomatoes. Simply add them to the blender and purée before adding them to the saucepan.

Flavor Boost: If you have Parmesan rinds on hand (I store mine in the freezer), toss them in the sauce to add a deeper flavor. Remove the rind when the sauce is done.

Restaurant tip: You know this already, but restaurant pasta tastes so good because of all the butter. For a slightly more decadent dish, do this. Put your desired amount of sauce in a saucepan. Add drained pasta to the sauce. Throw in a tablespoon or half tablespoon or teaspoon of real butter. Turn on the heat to medium and stir for one to two minutes. Enjoy.

• Prep Time: 10 minuts
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

Please note: Nutrition facts and calories per serving are approximate.

© Photos / iStockPhoto

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