Easy Marinara (San Marzano Sauce)

About this Homemade Red Sauce

Making a great marinara sauce does not need to be complicated. Anyone can pull off a delicious and easy marinara sauce in under 30 minutes.

Some people will swear that a homemade red sauce needs to cook for at least an hour (my Italian family included). When you follow the steps in San Marzano tomato sauce recipe you will see that 30 minutes is all you need.

Ingredients Needed

• San Marzano whole canned tomatoes. I use this brand of San Marzano tomatoes but any brand will work.
• Onion.
• Garlic.
• Red pepper flakes.
• Olive Oil
• Dried Oregano
• Fresh basil
• Sugar (possibly, if your tomatoes are overly acidic).

Notes about the Ingredients

1. This recipe is for a San Marzano tomato sauce and it is so delicious. San Marzano tomatoes are a slightly sweeter tomato grown in Italy. If you cannot find them, there is a new variety of San Marzano tomatoes grown in the U.S. called San Merican that uses the same SM abbreviation as San Marzano. They are a great substitute.
2. The ingredients for this marinara sauce call for fresh basil and dried oregano. Fresh basil is very important to make a great tasting sauce and you do not need much of it. Try to find this if you can. The dried oregano in the recipe is fine and it blends in better with the sauce versus fresh oregano which would be clumpy.
3. Red pepper flakes are an important part of any good tomato (marinara) sauce. You do not get any heat from the red pepper flakes, just added depth of flavor.

How to make San Marzano Sauce

• Step 1: Add your olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once heated, add your onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt and cook until the onions are translucent.
• Step 2: Add your whole canned tomatoes to the pan and with a tomato masher or the bottom of a mug or cup, gently press down on the tomatoes until they burst and the pulp of the tomatoes have been mashed.
• Step 3: Let it simmer for 15 minutes without a lid.
• Step 4: Taste for seasoning. This is when you add more salt if needed. This is also where you add a pinch of sugar if you find your tomatoes are too acidic.

Why this is the best quick marinara

This San Marzano tomato sauce in my opinion makes the best homemade spaghetti sauce because it cooks up quickly and is ready in just 30 minutes. I also love that this simple spaghetti sauce can be used in so many other dishes.

This is the marinara sauce I use as a dipping sauce for garlic crostini, fried mozzarella, for pasta and as a sauce for pizza. This is also the sauce I use to make many of my Italian dishes, like my Italian Baked Zucchini and my garlic bread pizza.

This easy San marzano marinara sauce can be used in any recipe that calls for a marinara sauce.

How to freeze marinara sauce

Now even though this marinara sauce is really easy to make, I do love making a double batch when I have time and freezing some of it. By having sauce already made in the freezer, it is like having a meal ready to be cooked without any fuss.

To freeze the marinara just let it come to room temperature on the counter. Once it is at room temperature, pour the marinara into a freezer bag or freezer container and place it in the freezer.

To thaw the frozen marinara all you have to do is place it in a bowl, in the fridge the night before you need it. It will thaw gently overnight.

Honestly, this is my favorite quick marinara sauce recipe and one I think you will enjoy too.

Tips

• Use a good brand of Italian tomatoes like San Marzano tomatoes.
• Try to only use fresh basil.
• For the smoothest sauce, try to make sure you mash the tomatoes down well when you add them to the pan.
• Tomato sauce freezes well. You can read below in the recipe section for the best way to freeze it.

Faqs

1. Is marinara sauce the same as tomato sauce. Yes and no! Marinara is a tomato sauce that is made with minimal ingredients. Tomato sauces on the other hand are a little more complex and can involve vegetables, meat and many other ingredients. When you hear the stories of the Italian Mom or Grandmother cooking an all day sauce, that is a tomato sauce.
2. Can you freeze marinara sauce? Absolutely. If you have a freezer safe plastic bag or container you can put it in that and freeze for up to 2 months.
3. Does this make a marinara sauce for dipping sauce bread and mozzarella sticks? Yes. This is the preferred type of sauce to use for dipping.
4. Can this marinara sauce be used on pizza? Yes, this is the classic style sauce you use on pizza.
5. Does this make a good pasta sauce? Absolutely! This marinara sauce over pasta is wonderful, especially when you add lots of freshly grated Parmesan on top.

More Italian Recipes

• Italian Baked Zucchini
• Olive Oil and Garlic Pasta
• Pasta with Pancetta and Mushrooms
• Pasta Genovese
• Italian Sunday Gravy Sicilian Style
• Italian Meatballs
• Pork Bolognese
• Authentic Bolognese (Ragu)
• Authentic Carbonara
• Pizzelle Recipe