How to Make Homemade Marinara Sauce

An easy and straightforward Marinara Sauce is also known simply as Tomato Sauce. This sauce is ideal for pasta, lasagna, and pizza.

Jump to Recipe

What is Marinara Sauce?

Marinara sauce is a tomato sauce that is usually made with tomatoes, fresh garlic, and herbs and can also include onions, olives, spices, and even a dash of wine in its many variations.

Here in Italy, alla marinara refers to a sauce made with tomatoes, basil, oregano, and sometimes olives, capers, and salted anchovies. People often eat Spaghetti with Marinara sauce.

This free version is the simplest possible and still delicious and full of flavor. Most Italian Sauces rely on simplicity, suitable application of techniques, and ingredients.

Ingredients

For this easy tomato sauce, you only need

• Pasatta (pure tomato sauce)
• Garlic
• Fresh basil

Add a dash of salt and sugar and you have a delicious and simple tomato sauce. You can choose to add olive oil when stir-frying the garlic or ad the end.

Salt rounds up the flavor, and sugar balances the acidity of the tomato.

Instructions

Chop the garlic and stir-fry it for 30 seconds in olive oil. You can also add 2 tablespoons of water if cooking without oils.

Add the tomato sauce (Italian Passata), half of the basil, salt, and sugar.

Let it cook on medium heat with a lid for 20 to 30 minutes, until thick.

Add the remaining basil leaves, put a lid on top and let it rest for 5 minutes or store when it has already cooled down.

Variations

You can add a finely chopped white or yellow onion to the sauce at the beginning of the cooking, just after frying the garlic. A Lot of people go for this option; I like it more without it.

In addition to fresh basil, you can include a tablespoon of fresh or dry oregano. I love the fresh basil by itself, so I tend to use oregano only when I am out of fresh basil.

If you want to add more complexity to the sauce, you can add a tablespoon of halved green olives.

If you like capers and want an extra acidity punch, add some capers.

To add more dept, you may choose to add half a cup of leftover red wine.

Storage

This sauce is so quick and versatile that we always keep one jar in the fridge and another portion in the freezer.

The one in the fridge we store in a clean, out-of-the dishwasher mason jar.

Totally. We always keep a batch in my freezer. We like making pizza once a week, and it is convenient to have the tomato sauce ready. As we use this easy tomato sauce on a variety of dishes is a great keeper.

Simply thaw either in the refrigerator overnight or place the frozen chunk in a small or medium saucepan along with half-cup of water and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.

How to use it

You can use this basic marinara sauce in Eggplant Parmesan, Lasagna, Pasta, and pizza.

If you want more Simple Italian Sauces, check out:

• 3-Ingredients Pasta Sauce
• 5-Minutes Vegan Pesto Sauce
• Creamy Vegan Sauce for Everything
• Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

Recipe: How to Make Homemade Marinara Sauce

Gus

An easy and straightforward Marinara sauce is also known as Tomato Sauce. This sauce is ideal for pasta, lasagna, and pizza.

4.9 from 9 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins

Resting Time 5 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course Preparation, Sauce

Cuisine Italian, Italian-Inspired, Whole Foods Plant-Based

Servings 4 Servings

Calories 160 kcal

Equipment

• Large Saucepan

Ingredients

 

CupsMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 24 ounces tomato sauce pureed (Italian passata)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup basil fresh leaves

Optional:

• 1 tablespoon organic sugar cane don't use to make it WFPB
• 1 teaspoon sea salt don't use to make it WFPB
• 2 tablespoons olive oil extra-virgin, don't use to make it WFPB
• 1 onion yellow or white, chopped
• 1 tablespoon oregano preferably fresh, dry also works
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 tablespoon green olives halved
• ½ cup red wine

Instructions

 

• Chop. Grind or thinly chop the garlic and fry in olive oil on medium heat for 30 seconds. You can also add 2 tablespoons of water if cooking without oils.
  2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 onion
• Add the tomato sauce, half of the basil leaves, sugar, and salt.
  24 ounces tomato sauce
• Cook for twenty to thirty minutes until it has reduced one third. It should be thick.
• Remove from heat and add the remaining basil leaves. Taste for salt. Let it rest.

Notes

If making it Whole Foods Plant-Based , don't use the salt, oil and sugar. Use a little bit of water, instead of oil, to prevent sticking to the pan, and aid the simmering process.

If using onions at the beginning of the cooking, just after frying the garlic.
If using oregano, add it when the first batch of basil is added.
If choosing to add red wine, add it with the tomato sauce.
If using olives or capers, add them during the last five minutes before removing them from the heat.

You can replace the tomato sauce with canned tomatoes or fresh super-ripe plum tomatoes (use the same quantity and put them in a blender for 1-2 minutes until pureed).

If freezing any leftovers simply thaw either in the refrigerator overnight or place the frozen chunk in a small or medium sauce pan along with half-cup of water and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1562mgPotassium: 684mgFiber: 4gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 1086IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 3mg

Keyword basil, capers, passata, tomato sauce

Did you make this recipe?Tag @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram and Hashtag it #ourplantbasedworld so we can see what's cooking!!

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.

Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I use all of the products listed and recommend them because they are companies that I have found helpful and trustworthy.