This knockout marinara sauce is the real MVP of Italian cooking – a perfect balance of juicy, hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes slow-simmered with sautéed onions, fresh garlic, and aromatic herbs. It’s stupid easy to make but tastes like you spent all day in nonna’s kitchen. The trick is giving it enough time to let those flavors meld together into something that’ll make you wanna slap your mama it’s so good. Versatile as heck, this sauce works on everything from spaghetti to pizza, and freezes like a dream for quick weeknight dinners when you’re too beat to cook from scratch.
Tips from the webhealthy
- San Marzano tomatoes are worth every penny – they’re way less acidic than the regular stuff
- Don’t even think about rushing the simmer – those extra 20 minutes are clutch
- If your tomatoes are meh, a pinch of sugar works wonders to balance things out
- Chuck in the fresh basil at the end or you’ll kill all that awesome flavor
- Freeze leftover sauce in ice cube trays for those nights when you’re totally wiped
Classic Marinara Sauce
- Total Time: 55
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (the good stuff, not the cheap junk)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (skip if you’re a wimp with spice)
- 2 (28 oz) cans whole San Marzano tomatoes, squished by hand
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 large sprig fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried if you’re in a pinch)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn up, plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, if your sauce is too tangy)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (totally optional, but makes it bomb)
Instructions
Heat that olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until it’s shimmering. Toss in your diced onion and let ’em cook for about 5-7 minutes, giving ’em a stir now and then, until they’re translucent and getting golden around the edges. Don’t cut corners here – this is where all that killer flavor starts building.
Throw in the minced garlic and red pepper flakes (if you’re using ’em) and cook for another 30-60 seconds until you can smell that amazing aroma. Keep an eye on it though – burnt garlic is nasty and will totally wreck your sauce.
Dump in those hand-squished tomatoes with all their juices. And yeah, I’m dead serious about squishing them by hand – it’s messy as hell but gives you that perfect chunky texture that makes the sauce pop. Mix in the tomato paste and give everything a good stir.
Chuck in the oregano, bay leaves, rosemary sprig, salt, and pepper. Mix it all up and bring it to a gentle bubble. Now here’s where you gotta chill – turn the heat down low, partially cover it (leave a crack for steam), and let that bad boy simmer for at least 30-40 minutes. Honestly, if you’ve got time to kill, go for a full hour. The longer it simmers, the more ridiculously good it gets.
About 5 minutes before you call it done, give it a taste. Need more salt? Throw it in. Sauce too acidic? A pinch of sugar fixes that right up. Feeling fancy? Toss in that tablespoon of butter – it makes the sauce silky smooth and is 100% worth the extra calories. Fish out the bay leaves and rosemary stem, then stir in those torn basil leaves.
Boom – your sauce is ready to rock! Slather it on pasta, pizza, or use it for dunking garlic bread. Not using it right away? Let it cool down, then stick it in containers. It’ll stay good in the fridge for about 5 days or in the freezer for a solid 3 months.
Notes
- Want it smooth? Blast it with an immersion blender after cooking, or let it cool a bit and hit it in the regular blender
- Sauce looking like sludge? Thin it out with a splash of water, chicken stock, or even some of that starchy pasta water
- FYI – this stuff is even better the next day when all the flavors have had time to get cozy with each other
- Wanna go next level? Roast the garlic before tossing it in
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 45
- Method: Stovetop
Nutrition
- Calories: 85
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Protein: 2g
Recipe Variations
- Spicy Arrabbiata: Double down on red pepper flakes and throw in a diced fresh chili
- Vodka Sauce: Splash in 1/4 cup vodka after the garlic step, let it cook down, then finish with 1/3 cup heavy cream
- Puttanesca Style: Toss in 2 tablespoons capers, 1/4 cup chopped olives, and a couple chopped anchovy fillets
- Veggie-Packed: Add finely chopped carrots, celery, and bell peppers with the onions if you’re trying to be healthy
- Meat Sauce: Brown a pound of ground beef, turkey, or Italian sausage before the onions go in
My Personal Touch
Here’s my secret weapon – I chuck a Parmesan rind into the sauce while it simmers (just don’t forget to fish it out later). It adds this crazy umami depth that’ll make people think you’ve been cooking Italian food since birth. And if I’ve got an open bottle of red wine hanging around? You better believe a splash is going in there. For summer cookouts, I sometimes throw some tomatoes on the grill first for this insane smoky flavor that’s killer with grilled chicken or salmon.
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