How to Make Homemade Marinara Sauce
Why buy sauce in a jar with freaky ingredients and preservatives, when you can can make my Homemade Marinara Sauce in just a few minutes? This sauce has a simple, smooth tomato flavor and makes a ton, so you can freeze half of it and have it on hand for a quick meal another night.
Why make Homemade Marinara Sauce?
My mother’s side of the family is Italian, so homecooked Italian meals like pastas, manicotti and lasagna were a staple in my childhood. My dad actually instructed us to never order spaghetti and meatballs in a restaurant because it “won’t ever come close to being as good as Mom’s”.
That is a fact. It never is.
My mother’s family recipe is just delicious. I’ve used our family recipe as a base, but put my own spin on it to simplify the ingredient list, and speed up the cook time, without sacrificing any flavor.
What do you need?
- tomato puree
- tomato sauce
- tomato paste
- sugar
- Italian seasoning
- garlic powder
- salt
How do you make Homemade Marinara Sauce?
Grab a can opener and start opening cans!
In a large pot or Dutch oven like this one, combine (1) 28oz can of tomato puree, (2) 15oz cans of tomato sauce and (1) 6oz can of tomato paste.
Stir in 1.5 T sugar, 1T Italian seasoning, .5t garlic powder and 1t salt.
Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The sauce will splatter as it simmers, partially coving it the pot lid is a good idea to help keep your kitchen clean. Just make sure to stir the sauce every few minuets to prevent it from scorching.
How to serve Homemade Marinara Sauce?
My husband prefers classic spaghetti noodles like these.
My kids sometimes prefer a “fun” noodle like “bow tie” Farfalle or “twisty” Rotini.
We simply top the cooked noodles with sauce and sprinkle with a bit of shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese.
I like to serve one or two of the following sides:
- meatballs (find my Ground Turkey Meatball recipe here)
- Italian sausage
- grilled chicken
- mixed greens salad
- steamed broccoli
- green beans
- cheesy garlic toast
- breadsticks
How to Store Homemade Marinara Sauce
Homemade Marinara sauce will last in the fridge for up to a week if you store it in an air tight container.
This sauce makes a ton, so I usually freeze half of it to keep on hand for future quick meals.
You can follow my same method for freezing soups to freeze this sauce in individual portions, or freeze it all together in a big container like this.
How to Make Homemade Marinara Sauce
Equipment
- 1 large pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 28 oz can tomato puree
- 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1.5 T sugar
- 1 T Italian seasoning
- .5 t garlic powder
- 1 t salt
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine (1) 28oz can of tomato puree, (2) 15oz cans of tomato sauce and (1) 6oz can of tomato paste.
- Stir in 1.5 T sugar, 1T Italian seasoning, .5t garlic powder and 1t salt.
- Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- The sauce will splatter as it simmers, partially coving it the pot lid is a good idea to help keep your kitchen clean. Just make sure to stir the sauce every few minutes to prevent it from scorching.
Awesome! All of Liz’s ideas are great, and simple enough for even me to figure out!