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    Home > Recipes > How-Tos

    Marinara Sauce

    Published: Jun 11, 2020 · Modified: Nov 19, 2022 by Iosune · This post may contain affiliate links · 13 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    Side photo of a bowl of marinara sauce with the words marinara sauce
    Photo of a bowl of marinara sauce with the words marinara sauce

    Marinara sauce, a flavorful and rich sauce that only requires 1 pot, 9 ingredients, and 30 minutes. It’s so easy to make and super healthy!

    Close-up shot of some marinara sauce on top of cooked macaroni

    I absolutely LOVE marinara sauce. It's delicious and so tasty I could eat it every day. It's very easy to make and ready in no time, and it only requires simple and inexpensive ingredients. This recipe is out of this world!

    I made this sauce with tomato, garlic, onion, and herbs, so you can imagine how good it is. Besides, it's packed with lots of nutrients and vitamins thanks to the tomatoes, and you could even add any ingredients you have on hand.

    If you like tomato sauce, you should give this marinara sauce a try because you are going to love it! It will really make your dishes be something else, and you can try it with plenty of different recipes.

    Marinara sauce, made with 9 ingredients and ready in less than 30 minutes. It only requires one pot and it's so easy to make. Customize it however you'd like and enjoy an amazingly good sauce all week long!

    How to make marinara sauce - Step by step

    Step-by-step photos of how to make marinara sauce
    • Heat the oil in a large pot and cook the garlic and onion over medium-high heat until golden brown (photo 1).
    • Add the remaining ingredients (photo 2) but leave the basil leaves apart. Stir, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes (photo 3). Then uncover and simmer for 10 more minutes (photo 4).
    • Add the fresh basil leaves (photo 5), stir, uncover, and cook for another 5 minutes (photo 6).
    • Remove from the heat and use immediately or blend it if you prefer a smoother texture.

    Pro tips

    • Using fresh tomatoes is also okay, but in that case, you may need to add a little bit of water.
    • Feel free to add your favorite veggies, dried or fresh herbs, and spices.
    • If you want to save some time, you could use garlic and onion powder instead, but I think fresh garlic and onion work amazing for this recipe.
    Close-up shot of a bowl of marinara sauce

    How to use marinara sauce

    This marinara sauce works just like any other tomato sauce. It goes amazing on dishes like vegan penne alla vodka, vegan gluten-free pizza, vegan lasagna, vegan meatballs, stuffed eggplant or cannellini bean stew, and you can even use it as a dip with some crudités or bread.

    Can I freeze this marinara sauce?

    Yes, you can freeze it. Just let it cool first, transfer it into a freezer bag or a sealed container and place it in the freezer. You can either freeze the whole batch together or split it into individual portions.

    To defrost, transfer it into the fridge the night before cooking and reheat it in the microwave or heat it up in a saucepan. It will last for up to 1 month in the freezer.

    How long will this marinara sauce keep?

    It's very important to store the sauce properly so it keeps in good condition for quite some time. To do it, just keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

    Looking for more vegan sauce recipes?

    • Vegan Sour Cream
    • Vegan Mayo
    • Healthy Ketchup
    • Healthy Barbecue Sauce
    • Vegan Gravy
    Photo of a pot with marinara sauce in it

    Did you make this marinara sauce recipe?

    Please leave a comment below, share it or rate it. You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I’d love to see what you cook!

    Square photo of a bowl of marinara sauce

    Marinara Sauce

    Marinara sauce, a flavorful and rich sauce that only requires 1 pot, 9 ingredients and 30 minutes. It’s so easy to make and super healthy!
    4.84 from 6 votes
    PRINT PIN RATE
    Course: How to
    Cuisine: Italian
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 2 cups (500 ml)
    Author: Iosune


    Ingredients 

    US Customary - Metric
    • 1–2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
    • ½ onion, chopped
    • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
    • 2 tablespoon tomato paste, optional
    • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 6 fresh basil leaves
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Heat the oil in a large pot and cook the garlic and onion over medium-high heat until golden brown. Add more oil if needed.
    • Add the remaining ingredients (crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and oregano) but leave the basil leaves apart. Stir, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Then uncover and simmer for 10 more minutes.
    • Add the fresh basil leaves, uncover, stir, and cook for another 5 minutes.
    • Remove from the heat and use immediately, or use an immersion or a regular blender if you prefer a smoother texture.
    • Serve it with dishes like vegan penne alla vodka, vegan gluten-free pizza, vegan lasagna, vegan meatballs, stuffed eggplant, or cannellini bean stew, or use it as a dip with some crudités or bread. This marinara sauce works just like any other tomato sauce.
    • Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

    Notes

    • Using fresh tomatoes is also okay, but in that case, you may need to add a little bit of water.
    • Feel free to add your favorite veggies, dried or fresh herbs, and spices.
    • If you want to save some time, you could use garlic and onion powder instead, but I think fresh garlic and onion work amazing for this recipe.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 16kcal | Carbohydrates: 2.6g | Protein: 0.7g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 122mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 1.6g

    Update Notes: This post was originally published in July of 2018, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions and tips in June of 2020.

    More How-To Recipes

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    • Vegan Aioli

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heidi says

      January 12, 2022 at 7:04 pm

      In the nutritional values, a serving is listed as 1 tablespoon.
      Is that correct?

      Reply
    2. Linda Stephens says

      March 22, 2021 at 5:40 pm

      5 stars
      Not yet but plan to. Can this recipe be canned?

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        March 26, 2021 at 8:36 am

        Hi Linda! I think yes! Hope you like it 🙂

        Reply
    3. Annie says

      December 06, 2020 at 6:52 am

      Hi... Does this go good with spaghetti?

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        December 10, 2020 at 12:07 pm

        Hi Annie! It goes amazing with spaghetti 🙂 Enjoy it!

        Reply
    4. Frederika says

      January 21, 2020 at 12:00 am

      5 stars
      Yes, I made it! It was great and so easy. I don't know why I haven't considered making my! own sauce before. No more store bought! Next time I will double the recipe and freeze it! Thank you! BTW I used dry basil, did not have any fresh.

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        February 27, 2020 at 4:45 pm

        Hi Frederika! You're so welcome 🙂 Yes, homemade marinara sauce is an epic win!

        Reply
    5. Martijn Samuels says

      October 07, 2019 at 9:37 pm

      4 stars
      My girlfriend and I really love this easy to make and tasty sauce. We had it over our linguine and loved it.

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        October 29, 2019 at 9:21 am

        Hi Martijn! So glad you guys enjoyed it 🙂

        Reply
    6. Alocasia says

      December 18, 2018 at 4:34 pm

      5 stars
      This is our favorite sauce. We have it all the time. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        December 18, 2018 at 6:52 pm

        Hi Alocasia! So glad you like it so much 🙂

        Reply
    7. joe says

      July 13, 2018 at 12:41 pm

      Half an onion with that quantity of tomatoes is too little in my opinion. We love onions esp in these kinds of sauces. We're in Malta and onions are used nearly ever day.

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        July 16, 2018 at 9:37 am

        Hi Joe! I think it's okay. We're from Spain and we also use onions a lot. This sauce reduces a lot while cooking 😉

        Reply

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