This recipe is my family's cherished marinara sauce. San Marzano tomatoes are simmered on the stovetop for 30 minutes to produce a beautiful smooth red sauce that is perfect with so many Italian dishes. It is filled with authentic Italian flavor and is so easy to make. Perfect for pasta dishes, as a dipping sauce for bread, pizza, meatballs, or any recipe that needs an Italian red sauce.
Why You Should Make Your Own Marinara Sauce
If you have been buying marinara sauce, this recipe will hopefully get you to stop once you see how easy it is to make at home and how fresh and delicious a homemade marinara sauce tastes.
This homemade marinara (sugo) is one of the first recipes I learned to cook in my Italian family because it is the base of so many Italian recipes (like my San Marzano meat sauce and baked penne alla vodka or served with oven-baked Italian sausage) and because it is so easy to make. I have passed down this recipe to my kids as well in keeping that Italian tradition alive and now I am passing it to you.
When you make your own homemade sauce, the ingredients are higher quality, the taste is more vibrant and it costs so much less than the marinara sauce you buy at the store. It serves as a base for Sunday sauce as well and it stores well in the freezer so you can make extra and stock up for a quick dinner.
I will give you all the tips I learned to make this sauce so you can make it at home just like an Italian!
Ingredients Needed
- Whole canned San Marzano tomatoes: My grandmother taught me to always buy whole canned tomatoes because she wanted to be able to see if the tomatoes were fresh with no green ends. Make sure to buy the best tomatoes you can!
- Fresh basil: Only use fresh basil. Dried basil is too bitter.
- Dried oregano
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt:
- Red pepper flakes
- Yellow onion
- Fresh garlic: Use fresh garlic, not powdered or garlic salt.
- Tomato paste: optional but sometimes needed.
Top Tip
Tomato paste is a very helpful ingredient to have on hand to thicken your sauce. This is a concentrated tomato product that when added to marinara will add a smooth consistency and help balance out the sauce. I use it if my sauce is too thin after simmering.
Sometimes canned tomatoes can contain more juice than normal depending on the year, manufacturer, and growing season. The tomato paste is a great way to counter this.
How To Make Authentic Italian Marinara Sauce From Scratch
- Prep: Chop the onions and garlic finely and set aside.
- Saute: In a large saute pan, add the olive oil, red pepper flakes, onions, and garlic and saute until they soften and release their flavors.
- Mix: Add in the canned tomatoes, and herbs and mash them down. You can also mash the tomatoes down in a bowl first and pour them into the pan.
- Simmer: Allow the marinara sauce to simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes uncovered. This will give the tomatoes time to break down and the liquids time to reduce.
Instructions Tip: I prefer to use a wide deep bottomed saute pan with a lid as opposed to a large pot for this marinara sauce. A deep bottom saute pan will heat and cook the sauce more evenly and allow it to thicken faster when simmering. If you don't have this type of pan, a large heavy bottom pot will work.
Recipe Variations, Substitutions, And Tips
Like all Italian recipes, improvising and using what you have on hand is important. Here are some tips and ideas:
- Use regular olive oil: If you do not have extra virgin olive oil, regular olive oil which comes from the second and third presses of the olive will work fine.
- Only buy whole canned tomatoes: You want to make sure to crush the tomatoes yourself so you can see the quality of the tomatoes you are using. If they are already crushed, you will not know how fresh they are. With that said, if you cannot find San Marzano tomatoes, feel free to use canned whole plum tomatoes. Just make sure you are buying from a reputable brand.
- Add in some items: Italians use marinara sauce on its own and as a base for other great additions. Black olives, capers, mushrooms, and sliced red and green peppers are all amazing with this.
Homemade Marinara Sauce FAQs
Yes. In Italy, this sauce is called sugo and every family has their own recipe for it.
Italians tell the story that this sauce originated near the coast of Naples and the wives of the fishermen there made this dish for them for their return. The word marinara comes from the Italian word marina which means marine.
Yes. Italians eat red sauce on pasta, pizza, lasagna, and so many other dishes.
The best way to thicken a marinara sauce is to add a small amount of tomato paste. This thickens the marinara relatively quickly. If you do not have tomato paste, simmer the sauce uncovered for longer to thicken it up.
Storing And Reheating Marinara Sauce
Homemade marinara sauce is one of the best make-ahead dishes because it stores well in the fridge and freezer and is easy to heat up. Make sure to make extra!
- Storing: To store the extra sauce that you have, place it in a container with a lid and store it in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Freezing: If you will not be using the extra sauce right away, allow it to cool then place it in a freezer-proof container. I like to freeze the exact portion size I will need for a new pasta dish, about 3 cups per container.
- Reheating: To reheat the sauce, you want to make sure you are working with thawed sauce (if you froze it) which you can do by placing the frozen sauce in the fridge overnight. Place the sauce in a medium saucepan over low heat and gently heat for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
How To Use Homemade Marinara Sauce
This marinara sauce is great as a spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, with baked rigatoni, eggplant parmesan, and so many other Italian dishes! Dipping our Tuscan focaccia bread into it is another favorite way we enjoy it. Here are some more ways we like to use this Italian marinara sauce:
Authentic Italian Marinara Sauce From Scratch
Ingredients
- 28 ounces Canned whole San Marzano tomatoes
- 4 Fresh basil leaves rough chopped
- ¼ cup Yellow onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic finely minced
- 2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt plus more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon Dried oregano
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste (optional) use if your sauce does not thicken enough after simmering for 30 minutes.
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a medium sauce pan over medium heat.2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- Add onion and cook until lightly golden and translucent, about 4 minutes.¼ cup Yellow onion
- Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.4 cloves Garlic
- Add tomatoes, and mash them down with a large spoon, the bottom of a mug or a potato masher. Make sure they are fully broken down.28 ounces Canned whole San Marzano tomatoes
- Add oregano, salt and fresh basil and stir well.4 Fresh basil leaves, ⅛ teaspoon Dried oregano, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Simmer covered for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Serve tossed with your favorite pasta or on pizza.
Tk says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
kisitalian says
So glad to her that Tk! Thanks for sharing 🙂
David says
Turned out great. Easy to personalize the recipe.
kisitalian says
glad you enjoyed it David!