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Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe

February 17, 2020

A quick and easy marinara sauce recipe that uses minimal ingredients and is perfect for topping any of your favorite pasta recipes! Ditch the store bought marinara sauce with this recipe for the best marinara sauce.

Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe

Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe

If I had my way, we would eat pasta every single night. There are just so many ways to prepare it, with olive oil and veggies, with a red sauce and meatballs, stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella, there are truly endless possibilities. I usually stick to three main sauces. My husband’s favorite is my pomodoro tomato sauce, which simmers all day and is smooth, full of flavor, and rich. My daughter’s favorite is when I use olive oil and garlic. My personal favorite is marinara sauce. I love the chunky tartness of it!

The Best Marinara Sauce Recipe

I don’t always have eight hours to simmer sauce on the stove, so I have been looking for a quick and easy marinara sauce. I always come back to Marcela Hazan’s famous tomato sauce which uses minimal ingredients and replaces the olive oil with butter. I have always been intrigued by this sauce, but never tried it. While I wish I could stick to her bare basic approach, I had to add onion and garlic to amp up the flavor, and I am so glad I did. This sauce was amazing. I was eating it out of the pot with a spoon before we even added in the pasta! 

How long to simmer tomato sauce?

This sauce takes about an hour to simmer, which I know isn’t the quickest, but when compared to most tomato sauces, I think it is pretty doable for a weeknight. You can’t skimp on time either. The magic truly happens in the last 15 minutes or so when the sauce really thickens and the tomato chunks start to break up. This sauce is on the tarter side, but feel free to add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter sauce. You also want to use high quality plum tomatoes. Since there are minimal ingredients, you really want the best possible. I love Cento San Marzano tomatoes. Mine has a basil leaf in them, which you can see in the pictures, but I don’t think this is crucial if you have a can without the leaf! You can also add fresh garden basil if you have it!

Quick and Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe

I really doubted the use of butter here, but I was silly to doubt it! The butter adds a richness that makes the sauce taste like it has cooked much longer than it really has! I know six tablespoons seems like a ton, but I reminded myself that noodles actually have very little fat, so it all balances out right :)?

Looking for a go to chunky tomato sauce recipe? This easy marinara sauce will definitely be my go to for an easy weeknight sauce!

Quick and Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe
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Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe

This easy Marinara Sauce Recipe is the best sauce for topping your pasta.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Author Amanda @ Old House to New Home

Ingredients

  • 2 28 oz. cans san marzano peeled plum tomatoes
  • 1/2 medium onion finely diced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • salt-to taste
  • sugar-to taste

Instructions

  1. In a heavy pot, such as cast iron enamel, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Once melted, add the onions and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until translucent. Do not let them brown.

  2. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds then add the tomatoes.
  3. Break up the chunks of tomatoes with a spoon and then add 1 tsp. of salt and 1 tsp. of sugar. You can add more later to taste.
  4. Cook uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Check for additional seasonings around the half an hour mark and then again before serving.

Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe

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Posted by Amanda @ Old House to New Home 6 Comments
Filed Under: Pasta

Trackbacks

  1. Mushroom and Meat Tomato Sauce says:
    September 26, 2016 at 7:00 am

    […] of sauce on early in the day and get to smell it simmering all day long. I usually just go with a traditional marinara but some days love to mix it up with some meat or veggies. This sauce has both, lean ground beef and […]

    Reply
  2. The Best Classic Italian Meatballs - The Melrose Family says:
    June 15, 2017 at 8:08 pm

    […] Chicken Enchilada Soup!), a basic meat marinade, a go-to pasta sauce (try this easy weeknight Marinara), and of course, a classic Italian meatball recipe like this one for the best classic Italian […]

    Reply
  3. The Best Classic Italian Meatballs says:
    July 26, 2017 at 2:00 pm

    […] Chicken Enchilada Soup!), a basic meat marinade, a go-to pasta sauce (try this easy weeknight Marinara), and of course, a classic Italian meatball recipe. While those frozen meatballs from the store are […]

    Reply
  4. Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells - Yellow Bliss Road says:
    December 17, 2018 at 7:00 am

    […] cream sauce sounds fancy but it is really easy. I took my easy weeknight marinara sauce recipe and added a cup of half-and-half to it! For an even easier meal, you could use store-bought […]

    Reply
  5. Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Rigatoni says:
    April 1, 2019 at 7:00 am

    […] I love most about this dinner is that it uses ingredients that I always have on hand! I love making homemade tomato sauce, but since you are really jazzing this one up, a high quality store bought sauce works great too. I […]

    Reply
  6. Lasagna Stuffed Chicken Breasts: A Simple One Pot Dinner | Ideas for the Home says:
    May 17, 2020 at 8:11 pm

    […] If I have any pesto in my fridge, I like to throw a tablespoon into the filling, but it’s definitely optional! Fresh basil works well too and adds a bright flavor to the filling! If you are short on time, use your favorite store bought marinara, or if you have half an hour, you can make my favorite easy marinara sauce! […]

    Reply

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