My homemade marinara sauce is full of Italian flavor – and so easy to make. Use it as pasta sauce or in Italian recipes like baked ziti, lasagna, or stuffed shells. Grab a can of crushed tomatoes, jump to the recipe, and let’s make this easy marinara sauce recipe! 

Homemade Marinara Sauce

I’ve always loved marinara sauce… I mean, who doesn’t love spaghetti with red sauce? But as an Italian mom of two toddlers, I find myself making marinara sauce at least 3 times a week! I can say for sure it’s definitely one of my most made recipes. 

My kids absolutely love it on pasta and meatballs. But they also love it for dipping their grilled cheese sammies, garlic knots, soft pretzels, etc. And I love having leftovers in the fridge so I can make myself a quick bowl of pasta at the end of the night. Sometimes I do straight marinara sauce, but sometimes I’ll toss in pre-cooked sausage, fresh herbs, or some veggies to switch it up.

Skip the Jarred Marinara Sauce

Canned marinara sauce is convenient but often lacks flavor. I also find it way overpriced and often packed with ingredients and preservatives that I don’t want to eat. And definitely don’t want my kids eating. 

So my solution is making big batches of homemade marinara sauce! It’s so easy to make and you can double or triple this recipe if needed. Plus, you can tinker with the taste until it’s just perfect for you! 

Leftover marinara sauce will keep in the fridge for several days. And if you have too much, you can always freeze marinara sauce for up to 2 months. I use an ice cube tray to freeze some of my sauce. Then I just grab a few cubes of sauce whenever I need it! 

Ingredients for Italian Tomato Sauce

• Crushed Tomatoes: For the best tasting sauce, use canned San Marzano tomatoes. Other types of canned tomatoes will work, but you may need to add a dash of sugar or more salt/pepper/etc. 
• Olive Oil: It doesn’t need to be fancy olive oil, but don’t sub with canola oil or vegetable oil. 
• Onions and Garlic: In addition to the tomatoes, onion and garlic add depth of flavor. Don’t sub garlic powder and onion powder for fresh onions and garlic!
• Fresh Herbs: Fresh basil and parsley add a pop of fresh flavor. For more Italian flavor, add a 1/2 teaspoon of chopped fresh oregano or 1/8 teaspoon of dried oregano.
• Red Pepper Flakes: Adds a touch of spice, but can be omitted or reduced. 
• White Wine: If you don’t have white wine, you can sub red wine or use chicken broth with a teaspoon of white wine vinegar. 
• Salt and Pepper: Start with the amounts called for then add more as needed. 
• Sugar: Tomatoes have a lot of acidity, so I like to add a bit of sugar to take the edge off. This is optional, but I do fine a bit of sugar creates a more well balanced marinara sauce.

For a fun summery twist, add even more herbs at the end of cooking! Like fresh mint, fresh oregano, and add even more fresh basil! You could also easily toss in pre-cooked meat like ground beef or ground sausage. Or add some veggies like zucchini, peppers, or spinach. 

San Marzano Tomatoes?

If you can find San Marzano tomatoes, I suggest using them. San Marzano tomatoes are a variety of the plum tomato. They’re thin, but have thick tomato flesh and fewer seeds. They have a sweeter flavor than regular tomatoes and less acidity, which means you can use less sugar in your sauce. 

More Italian Recipes:

• Big Italian Chopped Salad 
• Italian Wedding Soup
• Italian Sausage Meatballs 
• Italian Meatball Sub Sandwiches
• Italian Sausage, White Bean, and Kale Soup