This homemade marinara sauce is so easy to make and much more delicious and healthy than jarred sauce. Ready to eat in just about an hour!
When thinking of homemade marinara sauce, I’m sure the image that comes to mind for many of y’all is what it used to be for me: slaving over a hot stove for hours – stirring…and stirring…and stirring some more – to achieve results that probably don’t taste as good as what you can buy in a jar. That couldn’t be any further from the truth! Making homemade marinara sauce from scratch at home couldn’t possibly be easier, and I can say without any hesitation that if this sauce and a jar of your current favorite were pitted against one another, the contest would be over before it began.
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The beauty of this homemade marinara sauce is its simplicity: no fussy ingredients, no fancy-schmancy cooking methods. Just fresh veggies and herbs coupled with sweet-tart tomatoes and a minimal investment of time! Continue reading to grab the recipe to try for your next pasta night! Our family likes to add a little kick to our sauce with some dried chile flakes, but that is totally optional.
Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1 35-oz. can whole tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and saute, stirring frequently, until the veggies are softened and carrots are a rich golden color, about 10 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and saute for about 1 minute more, until fragrant. Add the tomato paste, stirring until the paste coats the veggies and the herbs are fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the wine all at once to the pan. Boil, stirring constantly, until wine evaporates almost completely, 2-3 minutes. (At this point, the mixture will be very thick.) Add the tomatoes and their juice to the pot. Use a potato masher to break up the tomatoes and incorporate them into the sauce. Add the basil, oregano, chile flakes and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring to incorporate.
- Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until sauce is considerably thickened. Check for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper as desired.
Helpful Hints and Tips
- Much of the flavor of this sauce is imparted from the adequate caramelizing of the onions. Don’t skimp on this step! Make sure they are nice and golden before proceeding.
- The imported tomato paste you can buy in a tube is a bit more of an up front investment, but it saves money in the long run since you can use only what you need and conveniently store the rest for later use. And it has a much richer taste than the canned varieties!
- This sauce can easily be doubled for freezing. Divide among freezer-safe zip-top bags and freeze for up to 6 months. A quick and easy weeknight meal solution!
- If you prefer a smoother sauce rather than a sauce that is chunky, use an immersion blender to break up all of the veggies once the sauce is cooked down.
This homemade marinara sauce is delicious tossed with spaghetti and paired with my easy baked meatballs.
Having grown up in a home brimming with sewing notions and paintbrushes, Amy has a deep love for all things creative. On any given day, you’ll find her knee-deep in her latest creative endeavor, with projects ranging from sewing and crafts to home decor and kid-friendly ideas. Amy believes that everyone, regardless of skill level or experience, possesses the ability to create something beautiful, and Positively Splendid was born of her passion for helping others harness their innate creative potential.
this looks delish! I made homemade marinara sause last summer with fresh tomatoes from our garden. I then canned a bunch to get us through the winter months. I bet we eat itallian food 2-3 times a month and I haven’t bought any sauce in a jar from the store in about a year. I might have to try your recipe this year when the tomatoes are ready to be picked.
Very nice! Sounds easy enough and looks delicious. I may give this a go the next time we make homemade pizza! Thanks for sharing!
THANK YOU for posting this! I am putting it on the menu for the week!
Thanks for the tomato paste tip!
I’m so excited to try this as I am growing basil right now and have a TON of it!
Thanks for sharing!
YUMMY…I love marinara!!! Something scrumptious to do with that fresh basil and oregano!!! Sounds good for dinner!! HUGS!
Scoop left over tomato paste onto a parchment lined tray and freeze then store in a zip lock bag. No waste.
Yunm! can’t wait to try this.
Thank you so much, Amy, for this delicious sounding and looking recipe! 😊 I just bought the first tube of tomato paste a few days ago. How many ounces or servings will this recipe make? 💙💚❤️
Hi, Gaila! I am unsure of the exact number of ounces, but this recipe is my direct substitution for a standard-size jar of store-bought sauce in my recipes, which for our family contains 6-8 servings.