Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce

So what do you need for this recipe? Extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, onion, tomatoes, a bay leaf, tomato paste, fresh basil leaves, dried oregano, crushed red peppers, and salt + pepper. Some recipes call for the addition of sugar and a lot of store-bought marinara sauces add sugar as well, so I turned to Chris’ mom (the queen of Italian recipes) to see what she recommended and she said to leave it out. You can totally try this recipe with sugar if you would like, but we thought that it was perrrrfect without it and didn’t need any additional sweetness.

The recipe yields 4 cups of marinara sauce. You can half it if you would like, or you can make a whole recipe and freeze half! Cool the sauce completely to room temperature and then transfer it into freezer-safe bags.  freezer bags. Store in freezer up to 4 months. When you are ready to use it, thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight.

Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Author: Jasmine @ Sweet Simple Vegan
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 cups

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Description

Get ready for the best homemade marinara sauce! Plus it requires 30 minutes, just 10 simple ingredients to make, and it is so dang good.

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil*
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 large onion, finely chopped (1 1/4 cups)
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes* (see notes)
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 20 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped* (see notes)
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Black pepper, as desired

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Instructions

1. In a large pan over medium heat, add in the olive oil. Once warmed, add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant, about 4 minutes.
2. Next, add in the canned tomatoes (with juice), and gently break them apart using either a wooden spoon or a potato masher. Be careful as they may splatter.
3. Add in all of the remaining ingredients and mix until uniform. Simmer uncovered on low for 20 minutes, or the sauce reaches your desired consistency, stirring often. Remove from heat and remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired
4. Serve over your favorite pasta or even with some homemade mozzarella sticks.

Notes

• We prefer using olive oil as it adds a great flavor to the sauce, but if you would like to make this oil-free, feel free to use vegetable broth the sauté the onions and garlic. For this, I would start with just 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth and add more as needed, 2 tablespoons at a time, to prevent burning.
• Canned diced tomatoes will work as well, we just use whole for an extra chunky sauce.
• Fresh basil works much better in this recipe than dried as it yields a fresher flavor. If you would like to use dried basil, use 3 teaspoons of dried basil in for the 20 basil leaves.
• Store the sauce in an airtight container (we used mason jars) in the refrigerator for up to two weeks..
• This sauce can be frozen as well. Cool the sauce completely to room temperature and then transfer it into freezer-safe bags. Store in freezer up to 4 months. When you are ready to use it, thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight.
• If you would like a smoother sauce, you can blend half or all of the sauce in a high-speed blender or with an immersion blender.

• Prep Time: 6 minutes
• Cook Time: 24 minutes
• Category: Sauces, Sides
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Vegan, Italian

Keywords: Sauce, Vegan, Italian, Marinara, Sides

Nutrition facts label provided by Nutri Fox.

Disclaimer: The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional’s advice. This page may contain affiliate links, which simply means that we earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!