My Homemade Marinara Sauce is so quick and easy, you can forget jarred spaghetti sauce! Enjoy this authentic Italian recipe, with no added sugar. Don't miss my tips for making the best marinara that's not bitter!
Did you know jarred tomato sauce can contain more sugar per serving than a candy bar?
A half-cup serving of store-bought sauce can contain up to 10 grams of sugar. A fun-size Snicker's Bar has eight grams of sugar.
And who only uses half a cup of sauce?
Fortunately, homemade marinara sauce happens to be one of the easiest (and most delicious) things to cook. My family calls it "quick sauce," and it contains no added sugar!
So, this sauce is healthier, and tastes better too. (Sugar ruins the flavor profile of marinara, in my humble opinion.)
What's Different About this Marinara?
This is my go-to sauce recipe, so I've made it hundreds of times. I used to serve it with rigatoni at the cast parties we hosted for 150+ teenagers over the years.
They'd always say it's the best tomato sauce they ever had.
And I'd think, "It's so simple. What makes it the best?"
I'm guessing it's because I skip the sugar...and I don't use oregano in my sauce. Neither does my family, my husband's family, nor any of our friends from Italy.
Oregano, especially dried, is just bitter. (My personal theory on why jarred tomato sauce contains so much sugar is that it needs to compensate for the oregano.)
I also like to add a bay leaf for flavor. Plus, I use regular olive oil, since it's more mild tasting than extra-virgin olive oil.
The result is a delicious, savory sauce that's not bitter. In fact, I have some important tips for you when making marinara sauce.
How to Make Marinara that's Not Bitter
- Start with good-tasting tomatoes, ideally the San Marzano variety, which is more sweet. Tuttorosso tomatoes (affiliate link) also work well.
- Use regular olive oil, which has a mild flavor compared to extra-virgin olive oil.
- Use fresh garlic cloves without green shoots. The green garlic will be bitter.
- Don't use oregano, which is bitter.
- Add a little chopped onion, which provides savory sweetness. This is an optional step, and I sometimes skip it if I'm in a hurry or want a less sweet sauce.
- If you still detect some bitterness or acidity in your sauce, try adding a little more olive oil and a bit more salt. Keep in mind that different brands of tomatoes will contain different amounts of salt, so you'll need to season accordingly.
- As a last resort, Mom's tip is to add a half teaspoon of baking soda to the sauce to cut down the acidity.
Ways to Use Marinara Sauce
I often make this marinara in big batches so I can keep an extra quart or two in my freezer at all times. I use the sauce on pasta, pizza, spaghetti squash, lasagna, stuffed peppers, Italian meatloaf and Homemade Manicotti with Crepes. It's perfect to have on hand to make baked rigatoni.
It's also the starting point for my meatballs and sauce. (Once you add meat, it's no longer "marinara.")
And, you have to try dipping some Italian bread in this!
Friends, if I had to choose one recipe I couldn't live without, it's this homemade marinara sauce. That's why it was the very first post I shared on Cooking with Mamma C nearly five years ago!
I figured it was time for some new photos and text. But the recipe's still the same!
Enjoy!
(Recipe source: Cooking with Mamma C. Adapted from my Nonna's method. Originally published on June 1, 2014 and updated now with new photos and text.)
Homemade Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup olive oil regular, not extra virgin
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 1 small onion chopped (optional)
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet (or large sauce pan if making more than one batch) on medium high.
- Add onion, if using, and cook until soft, around four minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic to pan and cook for a minute, stirring a couple of times.
- Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper flakes; stir.
- When sauce starts to boil, lower the temperature and loosely cover the pan with a lid, using a wooden spoon resting on the rim of the pan to keep the lid propped open.
- Cook on low, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes. Because the tomatoes you use are a factor, taste along the way to see if any extra salt is needed. If you detect any bitterness, add a little more olive oil.
- When the sauce is cooked, add basil leaves and stir in before serving.
Video
Notes
-
- Start with good-tasting tomatoes. Use crushed tomatoes from the San Marzano region of Italy, if possible. Tuttorosso tomatoes (affiliate link) also work well.
- Use regular olive oil, which has a mild flavor compared to extra-virgin olive oil.
- Use fresh garlic cloves without green shoots. The green garlic will be bitter.
- Don’t use oregano, which is bitter.
- Add a little chopped onion, which provides savory sweetness. This is an optional step, and I sometimes skip it if I'm in a hurry or want a less sweet sauce.
- If you still detect some bitterness or acidity in your sauce, try adding a little more olive oil and a bit more salt. Keep in mind that different brands of tomatoes will contain different amounts of salt, so you'll need to season accordingly.
- As a last resort, Mom's tip is to add a half teaspoon of baking soda to the sauce to cut down the acidity.
- If you are making a larger quantity of sauce, you will need to increase the cooking time. If doubling the quantity, a minimum of 30 minutes is needed for cooking.
- For triple and quadruple batches, cook the sauce for an hour.
- If making a huge batch for a party, cook it for 90 minutes.
- Also, you can just use one bay leaf for up to a triple batch. If you are making quadruple or more, use two bay leaves.
Christine Blake
Have you tried canning this sauce in mason jars, using a hot water bath, or would you just can the tomatoes and make it into the sauce when you are ready to use it?
Mamma C
Hi Christine - I've never tried canning the sauce. I have used canned tomatoes given to me in a mason jar, and find them runnier than the crushed tomatoes called for here. You could use canned tomatoes from a mason jar for this recipe, but you might want to add a little tomato paste, if you want a thicker result.
Loriann
Fantastic even from an Italians perspective!
Mamma C
Hi Loriann -That's what I like to hear! Thanks so much for letting me know.
lisa
this is my go-to sauce every week! beats jarred hands down. love it.
Mamma C
Hi Lisa - I'm so glad to hear that. I just made some yesterday!
Raevyn N
HI,
haven't tried it but I'm wondering how long this sauce saves in the fridge and if I can freeze jars?
Mamma C
Hi Raevyn - The pasta sauce will stay for up to one week in the refrigerator. When I freeze it, I use plastic quart containers.
nikki bennett
i would like to be added to your list
Mamma C
Hi Nikki - Great! I added you to the list. You may receive a confirmation email.
Larry
For an old fashion New England pizza flavor add fennel seed to the sauce.
Mamma C
Hi Larry - Oh, that's an interesting idea. Thanks for sharing!
Beverlee
Would love to be on your email list..all your recipes sound great without oregano...family does not like the bitter of oregano..now i can please them..thanks
Mamma C
Hi Beverlee - I've just added you to my email list, but you will have to confirm your subscription when you receive the confirmation email. I hope your family enjoys my recipes!
April Tuttle
This is my new favourite sauce! It was fabulous work eggplant and chicken parm!
Please add me to you list!
Mamma C
Hi April - I'm so glad this is your favorite marinara sauce! I've added you to my mailing list and hope you enjoy my other recipes too.
Jalaine
I don't have regular olive oil, only extra virgin. Would that be ok to use?
Mamma C
Hi Jalaine - Yes, you can use the extra-virgin. You might want to use an onion in the sauce to bring some sweetness to compensate. Enjoy!
Katie M
If we wanted to make it just a little less chunky, would tomato paste work instead of crushed tomatoes?
Mamma C
Hi Katie - Crushed tomatoes in the can are not chunky, just thick. I would not substitute tomato paste, because tomato paste needs to be used in small quantities. However, if you want a thinner sauce, you could substitute tomato puree for the crushed tomatoes, then add a couple spoons of tomato paste to thicken the sauce to your liking.