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Homemade sauce doesn’t have to be left for Sundays. This easy marinara sauce simmers for just 20 minutes and only requires 8 ingredients! It’s perfect for your weeknight pasta. And as a bonus, it makes a darn good pizza sauce too.
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As much as I love a more complex sauce, like my Instant Pot bolognese sauce with turkey or this Italian sausage pasta sauce, it’s totally necessary to have a quicky up your sleeve—especially if you don’t have a jar of store bought sauce kickin’ around. This easy marinara sauce only needs about 20 minutes of simmer time and it requires a short list of eight ingredients, which makes it perfect for weeknight pasta dinners.
Looking for more quick and easy pasta dinners? This pappardelle pasta recipe is another awesome option. And if you’re really pressed for time, try my 15-minute spaghetti aglio e olio or this tasty clam pasta with tomato sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s fast—Not only is the cook time hasty, but there’s very little prep here.
- It’s flavorful—A sauce that simmers all day is a glorious thing, but this recipe proves that you can have a delicious sauce in less than 30 minutes, too!
Ingredients for an Easy Marinara Sauce
A full ingredient list with exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- Crushed tomatoes—For the best tasting marinara sauce, I encourage you to get yourself high quality tomatoes to avoid that “tinny” flavor that sometimes comes with canned tomatoes. Some brands even offer crushed tomatoes in a box, which is also an option.
- Chili flakes—These are totally optional. We enjoy a little kick to our pasta sauce, but omit the red pepper flakes if you don’t like spice.
Recipe Variations & Modifications
- Parmesan rind—I always have parmesan rinds saved up in my freezer. They’re great for adding richness and smoothness to soups and sauces! I add mine once I add the crushed tomatoes to the pot, and I let it simmer in there until it’s time to serve.
- Dried herbs—If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can use dried herbs, just use less. In this recipe I’d start with 2 teaspoons of dried oregano and 1 teaspoon of dried basil, or one full tablespoon of my homemade Italian seasoning.
- Fresh herbs—You could add a tablespoon of fresh parsley to this mix if you’d like.
- Tomatoes—You can use tomato purée if you prefer a smoother texture, or diced tomatoes if you want it chunkier.
How to Make Easy Marinara Sauce
Step 1. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan (or large deep skillet) over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
Step 2. Add the crushed tomatoes, then increase the heat to medium-high to bring to a simmer (not a full boil). Once simmering, stir in the salt, oregano, basil, bay leaf, and chili flakes if using. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust if needed.
Recipe Tip
If the sauce tastes too acidic or “tinny”, stir in 1/4 tsp of baking soda. This will neutralize the acidity in the sauce by raising the pH level, resulting in a smoother flavor. Wait a few minutes before tasting the sauce again.
How to Serve This Easy Marinara Sauce
Serving this sauce over noodles, in a lasagna, or over these ground chicken meatballs is the obvious way to go about it. But this sauce lends itself in other ways, too! You could use it with this Grandma Pizza recipe, or as a dipping sauce for my garlic bread pizza. It would also work in this Instant Pot beef bourguignon and in my stuffed peppers with ground turkey. So many possibilities!
Storage & Freezing
- This homemade marinara will last in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- To freeze, seal is in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 6 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Marinara sauce is an unfussy tomato-based sauce with simple ingredients such as onion, garlic, herbs, and tomatoes. Spaghetti sauce on the other hand is more complex and includes ingredients like ground beef or pork, vegetables, and sometimes cream in an effort to make it richer than marinara.
If the tomatoes are overly acidic, they can result in a bitter-tasting sauce. Some people add a bit of sugar to counter the acidity, but I swear by stirring 1/4 tsp or so of baking soda into the sauce to alkalize it. See my tip above.
More Homemade Pasta Sauce Recipes…
If you try this easy marinara sauce recipe, please pop back in and leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1/3 cup minced sweet onion
- 3 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, more to taste
- 3 TBSP chopped fresh oregano
- 2 TBSP chopped fresh basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes (optional)—add more if you want it spicier
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onions and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, then increase the heat to medium-high to bring to a simmer (not a full boil). Once simmering, stir in the salt, oregano, basil, bay leaf, and chili flakes if using. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust if needed.
This is a sauce that is made in under 20 minutes but tastes like it was slow-cooked for hours.
A delicious and tasty sauce perfect for pasta night.
So good! I added in a little more basil at the very end. Wow! So good :)
This homemade marinara sauce is so simple and makes everyone happy! It’s perfect for our meatless Mondays. Thank you for sharing another winner!
This is such a great sauce recipe. My family loved it.