This easy homemade marinara sauce is proof that some things are so much better homemade. This easy sauce recipe only takes minutes to put together, then simmers for 25 minutes. Perfect for simple pasta dishes, to bring your lasagna to the next level, to create a more flavorful chicken parmesan, or anything else that you love with marinara sauce. Feel free to add a protein or veggies to the sauce to suit your tastes, I love adding mushrooms to mine but any kind of protein simmered in the sauce also comes out amazing! If you really want to impress a crowd without adding a whole lot of effort, try pairing this with our grilled bread and kale salad for a well balanced but absolutely delicious meal!

Quick & Easy Marinara Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: Main Course, Miscellaneous
Servings: 16
Calories: 85kcal

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup yellow onion diced small
  • ½ tbsp crushed red pepper
  • 12 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
  • 1 15oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ¼ cup dry red wine

Instructions

  • In a large skillet (do not use a deep pot as evaporation is important to have the right sauce consistency) heat the oil over medium heat. When it is hot, add onion and crushed red pepper, saute for about 2 minutes, until the edges start to turn translucent. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic over cook and turn dark.
  • Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, basil, oregano, black pepper, bay leaves, and sugar. I like to pour the red wine in the tomato sauce can and mix it around to get all the tomato sauce out, then I pour it in the wine. You can also just scrap out the can and pour wine directly into skillet. Mix well and reduce to a slow simmer for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure sauce doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
  • Remove bay leaves and enjoy!

Notes

You can easily use fresh herbs in this recipe.  Simply substitute dried herbs for 1.5 tsp fresh herbs.  Oregano is a more rugged herb so you add it to the sauce as directed, but basil is more delicate so I would recommend adding it right at the end so you don’t lose it’s flavor during the cooking process.
For the dry red wine I would recommend a Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, or Syrah.  You just want to flavor of the wine to compliment the flavor of the sauce.  You can substitute water for the wine if desired, just will just miss a little depth in flavor in the end product. 
This sauce freezes really well.  Just put in an airtight bag/container and freeze up to 4 months.  When reheating, check consistency (sometimes marinara will thin out a bit when thawed out) as you may need to let simmer for a few minutes to get back to the thicker consistency.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 85kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 478mg | Potassium: 423mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 487IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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