Marinara Sauce
Marinara sauce is one of the easiest sauces to make. No fancy ingredients are required, and you don’t need to simmer it for hours. It’s fast and delicious. Tossed with spaghetti, it makes a perfect weeknight family meal.
Servings: 4 Makes 1 quart
Ingredients
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (may substitute diced or crushed)
- 1 (14-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (may substitute diced or crushed)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
- 1 small fresh chili pepper such as fresno, minced; or a generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 5 fresh basil leaves, torn or coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Prep the tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes in a bowl with a potato masher or your hands. Or, for a smooth sauce, pass the tomatoes through a food mill, discarding the solids. Pour a little water into the empty tomato cans and swirl it around to gather up any bits of tomato pulp or juice. Add this to the tomatoes and set aside.
- Sizzle the aromatics. Pour olive oil into a deep skillet or wide saucepan and add the garlic cloves. Cook on medium-low until the garlic is just beginning to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Press down on the cloves to release their flavor but don't let them brown or they will make the sauce bitter. Discard the garlic or leave it in—your choice. Stir the chili pepper into the infused oil. If using fresh minced chili pepper, let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes to soften slightly.
- Add the tomatoes. Pour the crushed or milled tomatoes into the saucepan. Watch out for spatters as they hit the hot oil. Stir in oregano, along with salt and sugar.
- Simmer and finish. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the flame to medium-low and let the sauce simmer gently, uncovered, for 25 minutes, until it is thickened and oil has just begun to pool on the surface. Taste and add a pinch more oregano or salt if needed and simmer 5 minutes more. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir the basil.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and oregano used in this recipe.
- Storage: To store leftover marinara sauce, let it cool completely, then spoon it into an airtight container or a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Pop it in the refrigerator, where it will stay fresh for about 4 to 5 days. If you know you won’t use it that quickly, you can freeze it instead—just leave an inch at the top of the container for expansion and it’ll be good for at least a few months.
- To use fresh tomatoes:
- Start with 3 pounds blanched, peeled, and chopped fresh Roma or plum tomatoes; about 4 3/4 to 5 cups total.
- With a sharp paring knife, cut a small “x” on the bottom of each tomato. This will make them easier to peel.
- Blanch the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water to loosen the skins. Then peel them and cut them into pieces.
- Continue with the recipe as directed.
- When the sauce is ready, pass it through a food mill to make it smooth and to get rid of any seeds or stray bits of peel. Or, if you prefer a chunkier sauce, leave as is.
- The nutrition information below does not include pasta.
Nutrition
Calories: 130.5kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.6g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 1.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10.2g | Sodium: 582.9mg | Potassium: 23.7mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 0.7g | Vitamin A: 73.3IU | Vitamin C: 4.8mg | Calcium: 12.7mg | Iron: 0.3mg
QR code
Scan this QR code with your phone's camera to view this recipe on your mobile device.
