Quick and Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe (2024)

This homemade marinara sauce recipe can be made with fresh tomatoes or canned whole tomatoes.

Have you ever wondered what the difference between marinara sauce and spaghetti sauce is? In the United States, marinara sauce is a meatless, red sauce often served over pasta. However, in Italian cuisine, Marinara sauce is served as part of a seafood dish. In America, marinara sauce is usually thicker than spaghetti sauce, but thinner than pizza sauce.

Ways to Use Marinara Sauce

Don’t let this information limit you! You can use marinara sauce however you like. It makes a tasty dipping sauce, can be used as pizza sauce, works in lasagna and chicken parmesan. Your imagination is the only limit in how you use it in your recipes. You can use this recipe as a base red sauce recipe and then adapt it to make it match your needs by making it thicker or thinner.

During the summer, I like to make marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes and herbs from my garden. If I have an abundant harvest, I will can some to use later. During the winter, I use canned whole, peeled tomatoes to make marinara sauce and dried herbs.

How to Peel Whole Tomatoes

Confession: Sometimes I leave the skin on the tomatoes when I make marinara sauce. My family is used to my lazy approach to tomatoes. However, most people peel their tomatoes before making red sauces. If you wish to peel your tomatoes, you can use the boiling method to quickly peel a large batch of tomatoes.

How to Peel Tomatoes Using the Boiling Method

1. Heat a large pot of water until it reaches a boil.
2. While the water is heating, remove the stems from your tomatoes and use a knife to slice a shallow “X” in the bottom of each tomato.
3. Fill a large bowl halfway full with water and add several handfuls of ice to it. Set the bowl of ice-water on the counter close to the stove.
4. Carefully place 4 -5 tomatoes into the boiling water at a time for 45 –60 seconds, or until their skin begins to wrinkle.
5. Scoop the tomatoes out of the water with a slotted spoon and place them in the ice-water.
6. Once the tomatoes are cool, use a slotted spoon to transfer the tomatoes to a towel to dry.
7. Repeat until all of the tomatoes have been poached.
8. Use a soup spoon to get under the skin and gently peel back the tomato skins.

Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe

Prep-Ahead Tip: Marinara Sauce can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 – 14 whole Roma tomatoes, peeled (or 28 ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes)
• 4teaspoons fresh oregano, shredded (or 2teaspoons dried oregano)
• 2teaspoons fresh basil ( or 1teaspoon dried basil)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• dash of pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until they are translucent, 5 – 7 minutes.
2. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes and crush with a potato masher.
4. Add oregano, basil, sugar, seasoned salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Stir well.
5. Cook until it reaches a boil, then lower the flame and simmer the marinara sauce for 20 minutes.

Note: Tomatoesvary widely from one crop to another. Here are some tips on modifying the sauce, so it is exactly the way you like it.

The tomatoes should continue to break down while the sauce is simmering, but if the finished marinara sauce is not as smooth as you would like it, you can carefully place it in a blender and pulse it with the lid on until it reaches the desired consistency. If you have an immersible blender, You can blend the sauce while it is still in the pot.

If the marinara sauce is too thin, continue to simmer until the liquid cooks off and the sauce thickens.

If the marinara sauce is too thick, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.

How to Make a Large Batch of Marinara Sauce

Do you have a large harvest of tomatoes or find a great deal on a case of ripe tomatoes? You can double, triple, or even quadruple this Homemade Marinara Sauce recipe. Then divide the sauce up into usable portions and freeze it until you need it.

If you don’t have a lot of room in your freezer, you can divide the sauce between canning jars and follow the instructions on your water bath canner to can your Marinara Sauce.

Printable Recipe for Homemade Marinara Sauce

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Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Quick and Easy Pizza Sauce

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