My Easy Pasta Sauce is so quick and delicious, you can forget store-bought spaghetti sauce! Enjoy this authentic Italian recipe for homemade marinara with no added sugar. Don't miss my tips for making the best tomato sauce that's not bitter!
This is where it all started, folks. This delicious, homemade marinara sauce was the first recipe ever posted on Cooking with Mamma C back in 2014.
That should give you an idea of how much we love this Easy Pasta Sauce and how useful it is in many of my Italian recipes. And, it's not just for pasta!
The best homemade pasta sauce
If it's never occurred to you to make homemade tomato sauce for pasta, allow me to convince you.
First, you can make my Easy Pasta Sauce in 25 minutes. Really! There's no need to cook marinara for hours, unlike meat sauce.
Second, did you know store-bought tomato sauce can contain more sugar per serving than a candy bar?
A half-cup serving of jarred marinara from the store can contain up to 10 grams of sugar. Meanwhile, a fun-size Snicker's Bar has eight grams of sugar!
And who only uses half a cup of sauce?
My easy tomato sauce contains no sugar, so it's healthier.
Third, you can't beat the taste of this homemade marinara!
This is my go-to marinara 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'd 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 don't use oregano either.
Sugar ruins the flavor profile of marinara, in my humble opinion. And, oregano, especially dried, makes tomato sauce bitter.
I'm pretty sure that's why there's so much sugar in store-bought sauce ― to counteract the oregano.
So, I never use oregano in my spaghetti sauce. Neither does my family, my husband's family, nor any of our friends from Italy.
Let's take a closer look.
Recipe ingredients
Crushed Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes provide the perfect texture for this easy pasta sauce, which happens to be vegan. Crushed tomatoes aren't runny like purée or peeled tomatoes, and you won't need to add any tomato paste.
If you have garden tomatoes, be sure to use this Homemade Spaghetti Sauce from Fresh Tomatoes recipe.
Olive Oil: I recommend using regular olive oil instead of extra-virgin. Regular olive oil has a milder flavor.
Bay Leaf: A bay leaf in spaghetti sauce adds a nice, savory flavor.
Seasonings: I just use salt and a bit of crushed red pepper flakes for a little heat. This isn't overly spicy though, and you can adjust the seasonings to your liking. Keep in mind, the brand of tomatoes you use will be a factor in the amount of salt needed.
Tips to prevent bitter tomato sauce
- Start with good-tasting tomatoes, ideally the San Marzano variety, which is more sweet. Tuttorosso tomatoes (affiliate link) also work well and so does the Giant Eagle brand.
- 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'll skip it if I'm in a hurry or want a less sweet sauce.
- If you still detect some bitterness in your sauce, try adding a little more olive oil and a bit more salt.
How to make easy pasta sauce
See the recipe card at the end of this post for full instructions, but here's an overview.
- Heat olive oil on medium-high in a large skillet. If using chopped onions, add them and cook until soft.
- Add crushed garlic and let that cook for about a minute, stirring. Don't let the garlic burn.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add the seasonings and bay leaf.
- When the sauce comes to a boil, lower the heat and prop a lid on the pan. Let the sauce simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Stir in fresh basil leaves.
Ways to use marinara sauce
I often make this marinara in big batches so I can use it in other dishes besides pasta. I use the sauce on pizza dough, Italian bread pizza, spaghetti squash, ricotta lasagna and Italian Stuffed Peppers.
It's also great with Italian Meatloaf with Chicken or Turkey and Homemade Manicotti with Crepes.
It's perfect to have on hand to make Pasta al Forno with Smoked Mozzarella and to dip Baked Breaded Eggplant Slices into for an appetizer. And don't forget about Italian sausage subs or Italian Eggplant Parmesan!
Frequently asked questions
You will need four cups of marinara sauce per pound of pasta. This equals one quart. One batch of this recipe makes enough for a pound of pasta.
Yes! Store the sauce in plastic tubs with lids.
I use quart-size containers (affiliate link) or half-quart ones, depending on how much I need to store.
You can add a half teaspoon of baking soda to tomato sauce to cut down the acidity.
More recipes like this
- Authentic Italian Beef Meatballs - Make three batches of marinara to cook the meatballs! It'll become a delicious Sunday sauce.
- Gluten-Free Meatballs in Sauce
- Italian Meat Sauce with Country Ribs
- Bolognese Pasta
- Braciole Recipe
Enjoy!
Friends, if I had to choose one recipe I couldn't live without, it's this Easy Pasta Sauce. If you try it, don't forget to leave a comment and a rating!
E-Cookbook!
With my Pasta & Sauces collection, even a beginner can cook like an Italian nonna!
Easy Pasta Sauce (Marinara)
Video
Ingredients
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes (preferably Giant Eagle or Tuttorosso brand)
- 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. Serve with pasta, zucchini noodles or over pizza. Refrigerate leftover sauce in a tightly sealed container for one week, or freeze it.
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.
Nutrition
(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.)
Pam says
Absolutely delicious! Thanks so much for posting these fantastic recipes. 🙂
Mamma C says
Hi Pam - I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipes. I don't want anyone to eat bad food, Lol!
David says
Thanks so much for your quick response . I making this today.
David says
When making the larger batches do you double all the other ingredients spices, olive oil etc.. ?
Mamma C says
I double everything except the bay leaves. I use one bay leaf for up to a triple batch.
Mamma C says
Hi David - I forgot to mention that if using onion, you can get away with just a little for the bigger batches. I often skip the onion altogether and then double all the garlic, etc.
Yinyin says
OK I know we use both 🙂
Mamma C says
I'm glad you figured it out, Yinyin. Enjoy!
Yinyin says
The recipe says basil leaves and in the "Notes" call them bay leaves. Which is it?
Sachinder Paruth says
I like to add a dash of grape wine vinegar to make it a little zingy.
Being an Indian we tend to like it a little hot by adding a couple of green chillie.
Mamma C says
I do like a little heat in my food, too. Thanks for sharing your touches, as well as how you prep your tomatoes, Sachinder!
Carmen says
Would there be any adjustments if using fresh tomatoes?
Mamma C says
Carmen, you could peel the tomatoes first by plunging them briefly in boiling water, then quartering them and removing the seeds, if you wish. Or you could cut the tomatoes, seed them (if you wish) and put them in the blender without peeling them. After you do either of these steps, then you can proceed to cook the sauce.
Sachinder Paruth says
I also use fresh tomatoes. First I steep them on boiling water then plunging them in cold water.
The skin comes off easily. I then cut them in halves and give them a squeeze in my palm to remove the seeds and the centre.
This consists of a lot of water.
Mel says
How many tomatoes do you use? What kind?
Kelly says
Can I ask why you don't use Extra Virgin Olive Oil compared to regular Olive Oil?
Mamma C says
Good question, Kelly. I find EVOO to be bitter tasting, so I never use it in my cooking. Neither does anyone in my family. Interestingly, since I wrote this two years ago, the media has reported that most of the EVOO sold in America is fake, and can even be rancid, if it was made with rotting olives.
Kelly says
Thanks for the quick reply. I am on a strict diet and that was the only part of your recipe that didn't follow my plan. I think I will try it but keep once I am off move to regular!! Can't wait to make this tonight!
Mamma C says
OK, good luck!
Jonel duenas says
Love the marinara! Just made a batch to go along with pizza roll ups. I would love to share this recipe on my food blog if you are ok with it? If you agree I'll be sure to credit the source of the recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Mamma C says
I'm glad you love my marinara, Jonel! It's the very first recipe I posted to my blog! I just made some last night, in fact. You can share this on your blog if you take your own photos and re-write the recipe in your own words, with credit and a link back to my post. 🙂
mike/ says
Nana added her 'secret' ingredient for a bit of sweetness - fresh grated nutmeg. just a hint. her 'special' sugo had a chicken thrown into it and simmered for hours. she'd get so mad at us because we would tear off a piece of bread and dip it right into the pot as it was simmering. can you think of anything better to eat????
Mamma C says
Mike, I've never heard of the nutmeg trick but will have to give it a try. I bet your Nana's sauce was delicious. And, you're right, there's nothing better than dipping some bread into the pot! 🙂
Jere says
I’ve heard of nutmeg but never tried it. How did your trial turn out???
And I grew up dipping bread in my moms red gravy. That comment brought back a thousand great memories! Thank you, Mike!!!
Mamma C says
I haven't tried it with the nutmeg, Jere. My hubby loves to dip bread in the sauce, so I have to make sure I have plenty for the pasta too!