Homemade Marinara Sauce is made easy in only 10 minutes with this recipe of basic pantry ingredients of tomatoes, garlic and spices. Perfect for pizza, pasta and dipping.
Do you have a recipe that you make so often that you don’t need to look at the ingredients or amounts anymore? For me, this is one of those old family recipes that has become so second nature I didn’t think to write about it until now.
For the last year, I have been watching my little grandson a few days a week and life has gotten a little crazy at mi casa. Because of this, my 30 Minute Meal and Slow Cooker recipes are getting such a daily work-out I have started a new 30 Minute Meal Italian-American series of recipes. This amazing sauce is the basis for a few of them!
With hurried schedules and the usual daily chaos, it’s easy to throw homemade out the window in favor of the convenience of jarred anything. And we all know what that means….preservatives, too much fat and sodium and lots of added sugar. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In 10 minutes, you can have a huge amount of Homemade Marinara Sauce ready and waiting to be eaten as-is or dressed up with lots of veggies and cooked meat. Toss it with pasta or healthy grains and you have a quick and delicious main dish ready to be devoured.
Here is what I used to make my 10 Minute Homemade Marinara Sauce. You might notice (of course now that I point it out you will!) the sugar, salt and pepper are missing from the photo. They sit on my counter and I use them all the time…so I didn’t even think about them when I snapped this photo. Oops, my bad.
What Kind of Canned Tomatoes Should I Use for Homemade Marinara Sauce?
Tomato puree might feel like the tomato of choice for a quick, 10 minute recipe but I recommend using crushed tomatoes for this Homemade Marinara Sauce. It is a mixture of diced tomatoes and tomato puree or paste, so you get both the chunks of diced for fresher flavor and the deep richness of paste. I have made this recipe with stewed tomatoes, but find that they don’t break down to a saucy consistency on their own for this fast recipe. They will need to be broken up with a spoon during cooking. But if you prefer a chunkier sauce then they are fine.
Really, any canned tomatoes you have in your pantry can be used in a pinch. You just may need to break them up manually to get the sauce consistency that you want. This recipe was created using plain canned tomatoes, so you may not get the same results if you use a canned tomato variety that has flavorings or herbs already added.
One of the keys to making a simple sauce with simple ingredients is making sure to use good quality ingredients. I always say this, but the best results start with quality ingredients, so use the best you can afford.
Recipes for using this Homemade Marinara Sauce:
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Helpful Tools and Ingredients:
- 3 Quart Saucepan – I love this saucepan! It has a stay-cool handle so you don’t need oven or silicone mitts to handle it.
- Italian seasoning – you can buy it at most grocery stores, but this is my favorite, high quality brand.
- Freezer Safe Mason Jars – perfect for storing extra leftovers.
How To Make 10 Minute Homemade Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tsp fresh basil chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 56 ounces crushed tomatoes 2 (28-ounce) cans
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat until shimmering.
- Add garlic and saute for 1 – 2 minutes or until fragrant and golden.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and mix with the garlic. Add sugar, Italian seasoning, pepper flakes, basil and salt. Stir to combine. Continue cooking over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat.
- Stir in additional salt and pepper to taste. Use immediately, freeze or refrigerate covered up to 3 days.
Chef Tips
Nutrition Facts
© Copyright Christine Mello for Must Love Home. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.
