Marinara sauce is a very flavorful and delicious red pasta sauce that tastes absolutely amazing when made at home from scratch.
Marinara Sauce
Marinara sauce is a red pasta sauce made with tomato, onions, garlic, and herbs. Sometimes, capers olives and spices can also be added. This sauce is widely used in Italian-American cuisine to make pasta and pizzas.
Supermarkets are full of canned pasta sauces, however, they are also full of preservatives. Personally, I prefer homemade sauces, as they taste awesome and are always full of fresh flavors.
Red Sauce vs White Sauce
There are a number of sauces for pasta like pesto, red sauce, and white sauce. Pesto is made with herbs dried nuts and olive oil. Red sauce, being slightly tangy is based on tomatoes while the white sauces tend to be mildly sweet and creamier and are made with milk, flour, and butter.
Examples of red sauce are arrabiata, marinara, bolognese, and ragu and the popular white sauces are bechamel and alfredo.
Ingredients Needed for Marinara Sauce
- Tomatoes: Fresh or canned tomatoes.
- Onion: I have used white onion but any kind of onion red or white is perfect for the recipe.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil.
- Basil: Fresh or dried basil leaves.
- Salt and Pepper: For seasoning.
Why make homemade Marinara
✔Free from preservatives
✔Tastes fresh and DELICIOUS
✔Not loaded with sugar like the store bought sauces
✔Needs only 5 – Ingredients
✔Easy to make
✔Full of vitamin C and Antioxidants
How to make Marinara Sauce?
This is one of the easiest pasta sauce. First of all, heat oil in a pan and saute garlic and onions. Cook until the onions are transparent. Now add the tomatoes, basil, oregano and seasoning. Let it cook covered until tomatoes are soft. Mash with a ladle or use an immersion blender to blend the tomatoes.
Serve the marinara sauce tossed well in pasta, and season with salt and pepper. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the pasta with a glass of red wine, fruit punch, or iced tea. You can also pair it with some garlic bread or pizza to hang out or for party celebrations.
Pro Tips
- For variations, you can also add paprika, olives, and capers.
- You can always make the marinara sauce ahead and store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Canned chopped tomatoes can also be used to ake this sauce.
Other Sauce Recipes
- Basic Italian White Sauce Recipe
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Muhammara Sauce
- Vegan Soya Mince Bolognese Sauce
- Salted Caramel Sauce
Looking for more such lunch recipes to get some ideas for your meals? Do not miss my Chole Bhature and Crispy Tofu Taco and the best one’s Grilled Veg Taco.
*If you ever try this recipe don’t forget to share your photos with me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or tag me on Instagram @cookingwithsapana using the hashtag #cookingwithsapana and stay connected* I would love to see your creations from my space!!
Marinara Sauce
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Hand Blender
Ingredients
- 1 kg tomatoes chopped or 3 cans of chopped tomatoes
- 2-3 onions chopped
- 1 bulb of garlic minced
- 15-20 basil leaves chopped or 2 teaspoons dry basil
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 2 teaspoon pepper
- salt to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic and onions. Saute until onions are soft.
- Add basil, oregano, salt, and pepper followed by tomatoes.
- Stir and cook covered until tomatoes are soft. Stir in between.
- Now either mash the tomatoes with a spatula or use an immersion blender to blend it.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes more. Remove from heat and serve warm tossed with pasta.
- Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze up to a few months.
Notes
- You can use canned chopped tomatoes to make the sauce.
- Fresh herbs taste better but you can always use dried ones if you can’t source the fresh.
- You can also add chilly flakes or paprika for some kick in the sauce.
Nutrition
This post was originally posted in 2015, since then I have updated the pictures and content for better engagement.
Always let me know how these recipes turned out in the comments below and give a ★ rating. I will be so excited to hear how you enjoyed your Marinara Sauce and please do share your tips and tricks with me.
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Best Regards,
Sapana Behl
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