My family’s best marinara sauce recipe has a short list of ingredients, is super simple to make, and tastes incredible! This homemade sauce tastes fresh, bright, and so delicious!
Our family goes through a lot of pasta, so this homemade marinara sauce recipe fits right in with our favorite recipes! It tastes much lighter and fresher than anything you can buy at the store.
I use this marinara sauce as a building block for many recipes on Inspired Taste. I use it to make my spinach lasagna, baked spaghetti, and this spinach and artichoke baked ziti (so good!).
Key Ingredients
- Olive Oil: I use a generous amount of olive oil to make this sauce flavorful and have a lovely texture.
- Garlic, Onion, and Carrot: I slice the garlic, chop the onion, and grate the carrot for added texture.
- Tomatoes: I use canned whole tomatoes, but you can use fresh tomatoes (see my tips in the recipe). When using canned tomatoes, I crush them by hand before adding them to the pot.
- Bay Leaf and Basil: A bay leaf adds depth to the sauce, and I stir in basil at the end for fresh flavor, plus basil marinara is just the way to go!
How to Make Marinara Sauce
Use this homemade marinara sauce as a building block for many dishes. Toss with pasta or add to fish and meat dishes. To make it creamy, stir in heavy cream. For a spicy version, add extra crushed red pepper flakes. Or, for a briny version, add olives or capers.
I first cook the garlic, onion, and grated carrot in olive oil. Grated carrots are a fantastic tip for sauces like this marinara. By grating them, the carrot almost melts into the sauce, so you get the sweet flavor but no big bits of carrot.
When the veggies are soft and sweet, you can add the tomatoes. I use canned whole tomatoes, but I like to crush them first. I use my hands, but a potato masher works, too. You’ll see the same thing if you watch an Italian grandmother make tomato sauce.
After some simmering time, the sauce is ready for a handful of fresh basil, which makes it taste light and fresh. Then, it’s ready to use with your favorite pasta recipes!
Our Favorite Marinara Sauce
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
I use canned whole tomatoes to make this homemade marinara sauce, but you can use fresh. See the tips section below the recipe if you want to use fresh tomatoes. I’m pretty generous with the basil for this sauce. Add as much or as little as you like!
You Will Need
1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Half a medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated (1/2 cup)
2 (28oz) cans of whole peeled tomatoes, see tips for fresh
1 bay leaf
20 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and garlic, cooking and stirring occasionally until softened but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
2Stir in the grated carrots and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the carrots soften.
3While the vegetables cook, open the cans of tomatoes and pour them and their juices into a large bowl. Use your hands or a potato masher to crush the tomatoes. I leave it a little chunky.
4Add the crushed tomatoes, their juices, and the bay leaf to the pot. Stir the sauce and bring it to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes.
5Season with salt and pepper to taste. (If the sauce seems too acidic, add a pinch of sugar to balance the flavors.)
6Remove and discard the bay leaf, then stir in the chopped basil.
7The sauce is ready to use immediately, or you can refrigerate it for up to 1 week or freeze it for up to 6 months.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Fresh tomatoes: Use 4 pounds (1.8kg) of fresh tomatoes. Peel them for a smoother sauce. Cut an “X” at the bottom of each tomato, then add it to boiling water for about 1 minute. Then plunge into icy water. The peel should come off easily.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We assumed 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
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I went over the top and used the Certified Cento San Marzano peeled tomatoes. This recipe rocked. I doubled it and used with another meatball recipe. We had vegetarians and meat eaters at the birthday dinner and this kept everyone happy. This sauce was killer and will regularly make this with a little custom adjustments. Thanks
I love the meatyness (probably not a word LOL) of the San Marzano tomatoes!
If done with fresh tomatoes, do I need to add liquid? Water or stock?
You should not need to.
This sauce turned out perfect! Didn’t change a thing except I used diced tomatoes (all I had).
I used it in a vegetable lasagna and it was delicious! Thank you!
I made this yesterday as suggested to compliment the sausage stuffed shells recipe. So delicious ?! My mom saved some sauce aside for pasta adventures.Thank you..
I love this sauce for chicken parmigiana and the basil flavour is amazing. I’ve made this three times now!
I am loving this recipe and cannot wait to make it. I only have access to dry herbs. Can you please convert the quantity of fresh basil to dry for me? Thank you. I had over 500 recipes saved and my phone crashed and I lost everything. Now starting over. Perhaps this is why cookbooks are still better. Or write down like my Mom. Lol
Hi Joli, 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil should do it.