Hearty Marinara Sauce

This simple to make hearty marinara sauce with chunks of tomatoes and seasoned with garlic, and herbs is so easy to make! It’s so much better than jarred sauce, plus it’s oil-free, and takes only 10 minutes to make from start to finish!

Are you looking for a simple marinara recipe you can make with pantry ingredients? This hearty marinara sauce is so easy to make! It’s oil-free, and done in only 10 minutes! It has a zesty flavor, that tastes so much better than jarred sauce.

Use the marinara sauce with your favorite pasta, spaghetti, lasagna, pizza sauce, a spread for sandwiches, or even as a dipping sauce for breadsticks! The natural flavor of the tomatoes shines through.

💗 Why You’ll Love This Works

• Easy to Make
• Vegan and Dairy-Free
• Gluten-Free
• Robust Tomato Sauce Flavor
• Use Fresh or Canned Tomatoes
• Simple Pantry Ingredients
• Ready in 10 Minutes
• Thick and Hearty
• Customizable

🍅 Ingredients and Notes

Crushed Tomatoes: This simple recipe starts with a 24 ounce can of organic crushed tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes are sweet and delicious and perfect to use in this recipe. Crushed tomatoes are chunkier than tomato puree. Another option is stewed tomatoes.

Garlic: I like my sauce super garlicky so I used 4 cloves of garlic.

Dried Herbs: Using Italian herbs and spices makes this sauce flavorful. I used dried oregano, parsley, and basil, with a bit of salt and black pepper.

Sugar (optional): Many marinara sauces add a bit of sugar to help balance the acidity. Not a lot is needed for this sauce. I recommend a teaspoon of organic sugar. However, taste your sauce before you add the sugar to be sure it’s needed.

There’s no need for extra virgin olive oil or even butter making this recipe oil-free.

📋 Hearty Marinara Sauce Instructions

Step 1: Add crushed tomatoes to a medium pot over medium heat.

Step 2: Add minced garlic, parsley, oregano, basil, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Simmer for 5-7 minutes over medium heat.

Step 3: Taste the sauce, and add the optional sugar if you think the acidity of the tomatoes needs some balance.

Step 4: Enjoy with your favorite pasta!

💭 Expert Tips

• Use canned tomatoes for a faster sauce.
• Choose a different type of canned tomatoes for a chunckier or smoother sauce.
• Add more vegetables to make this marinara even thicker!
• Adjust the spices to add your favorite flavors.
• Keep the sauce simmering over medium to medium-low heat. The sauce will spit and spatter easily. Cover with a lid to keep the sauce from making a mess.

❓ Recipe FAQS

📖 Variations and Substitutions

Add Chunky Vegetables: Sauté a combination of onions, mushrooms, green peppers, and diced plum tomatoes or romano tomatoes to add to your sauce to give it a hearty and chunky texture.

Fresh Herbs: If they are in season add fresh chopped parsley and fresh basil.

More Dried Herbs: If you don’t have oregano, basil, and parsley, try adding Italian Seasoning instead which uses a combination of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram.

Thicker Sauce: Add 1-3 tablespoons of tomato paste. Blend the tomato paste into the rest of the sauce until you reach your desired consistency.

❄️ How to Store and Keep

Refrigerate: Store the sauce in an airtight container. Keep for up to 7 days.

Freeze: Store in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Reheat: When reheating from frozen, transfer to the refrigerator to defrost overnight. Transfer to a small saucepan and warm over medium-low heat until heated through.

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