This basic homemade marinara sauce is a staple for so many delicious Italian dishes. It is worth learning how to make this delicious sauce. The best part is how easy and simple it really is!
Simple Ingredients
I think the best part about this homemade marinara sauce is how simple it really is! It is made with only a few pantry staples. Making it extremely budget-friendly. The fresh garlic and onions really add so much flavor to the tomato sauce while using dried herbs and canned tomato sauce keeps it budget-friendly and accessible year-round.
Can you use fresh tomatoes?
You absolutely can! This sauce can be easily made with fresh Roma tomatoes! If you keep a garden and have extra or canned your own sauce it all can be used.
I love using these large mason jars to store this homemade marinara sauce. I can keep it in the fridge and use it as needed throughout the week.
Ingredients
For this homemade marinara sauce, I use just a few ingredients.
- 4 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes or 112 oz of homemade tomato puree or homemade canned tomatoes.
- 2 small sweet Vidalia onions
- 1 whole garlic head
- 2 tbsps dried Italian herbs
- 1 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt get my favorite here
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp of crushed red pepper (adjust according to desired spice level)
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
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How to make homemade marinara sauce
Start by prepping your ingredients.
I like to blend all my spices in a small glass bowl first. As result, I don’t forget to add any later on.
Next, I mince the garlic and onion.
Now, to the olive oil. I like to keep mine in an oil sprayer, it is super easy to use and it keeps things clean. Because of this oil sprayer, I no longer end up with hard-to-clean oily measuring cups and counters. It is also great for cooking with the air fryer.
I heat up the olive oil in my dutch oven on medium heat. I like this pot because of how well it retains heat. This translates into an evenly cooked sauce. I think a dutch oven is a good investment and one I wish I made earlier. I have a similar one to this one here.
Once the oil is hot I add the garlic and onions.
After they are softened I add the tomato sauce and dried herb mix.
After I mix the sauce I wait for it to start to boil.
Now for the fun part, once the sauce starts to boil I bring the heat down to medium-low and let it cook uncovered for at least 2 hours. I make sure to check it and stir it periodically.
After 2 hours or more a lot of the extra liquid has been cooked out. Because of this, I am left with a thick and deep red sauce that is ready to serve.
Enjoy this sauce with your favorite pasta!
Why does homemade marinara sauce cook for a long time?
Firstly, this homemade marinara sauce is easy to make but there is one catch. It has a long cooking time so make sure it is a day when you are going to be home. I usually like to make it part of a meal prep day as I am already in the kitchen cooking for a few hours. Cooking the sauce for at least two hours allows the flavors to develop. Think about it as infusing the sauce with all the flavors of garlic, onion, and herbs. Also, as a result of the long simmer, the sauce thickens without having to add anything to it.
Homemade Marinara Sauce
This simple and delicious homemade marinara will become a staple in your kitchen! Full of flavor this versatile sauce is the perfect companion to many of your favorite Italian dishes. The best part is that it is made with just a few pantry staples making it a delicious budget-friendly sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes or 112 oz of homemade tomato puree or homemade canned tomatoes.
- 2 small sweet Vidalia onions
- 1 whole garlic head
- 2 tbsps dried Italian herbs
- 1 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp of crushed red pepper (adjust according to desired spice level)
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
Instructions
- Mix the Italian herbs, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Mince the garlic and onions.
- Heat up the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot like a dutch oven on medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot add the garlic and onions.
- After the garlic and onions are softened add the sauce and herb mix.
- Give the sauce a good mix and wait for it to boil.
- Once it is bubbly turn the heat down to a low simmer.
- Simmer the sauce for 2 hours or more. Make sure you stir it periodically.
- The sauce should change in color to a deeper darker red and it should thicken as it cooks.
- Once it is thick and colorful it is ready to use.
Notes
- The longer the sauce cooks the thicker it will get so you can play around with the consistency.
- This sauce is excellent for pasta, pizza, and chicken parmesan.
- You can store this sauce in mason jars in the fridge for up to a week.
- I like to make this as part of a meal prep batch because I can easily use it for a couple of different meals throughout the week.
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