Basic Marinara Sauce

Written by
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Diana Rattray
Updated 11/01/19
homemade marinara sauce
Diana Rattray
  • Total: 40 mins
  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 30 mins
  • Yield: 8 4 Servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
105 Calories
5g Fat
13g Carbs
2g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 4 Servings
Amount per serving
Calories 105
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 7%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 27mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 13g 5%
Dietary Fiber 3g 9%
Protein 2g
Calcium 58mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This basic marinara sauce has great flavor and a nice texture. Use this sauce with any pasta dish. It's an excellent sauce to serve over a meat or cheese ravioli or stuffed shells, or use it with a vegetable lasagna dish.

Use a food processor to chop the vegetables or chop them by hand.

Ingredients

  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 small onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 small carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, optional
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
  • 3/4 cup water

Steps to Make It

  1. Put the garlic, onion, carrot, and celery in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Or, finely chop the vegetables by hand.

  2. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the vegetables and saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender and translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.

  3. Add the salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper if using, basil if using, bay leaf, tomatoes, and water. Stir to blend.

  4. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low; simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the cover and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

  5. If you prefer a smooth sauce, puree it in batches in the blender. Make sure you never fill the blender more than one-third to one-half full with the hot sauce mixture and hold the lid down firmly with a folded kitchen towel in hand. Steam from hot liquids can blow the lid off of a blender if it's too full.

  6. Use the finished marinara sauce immediately or store in the refrigerator or freezer. Bring the sauce to a simmer before serving.

Serve this marinara over your favorite spaghetti or ravioli, or use it as a sauce for vegetable lasagna or manicotti. Double the marinara sauce recipe to make a big batch and freeze the extra sauce in 2-cup or single-serve containers.

Use Caution When Blending Hot Ingredients

Steam expands quickly in a blender, and can cause ingredients to splatter everywhere or cause burns. To prevent this, fill the blender only one-third of the way up, vent the top, and cover with a folded kitchen towel while blending.

Expert Tips

  • The chopped carrot helps sweeten the sauce, but if it still tastes a bit acidic, add a small amount of granulated sugar.

  • A small amount — 1/2 teaspoon or so — of anchovy paste can add richness to a marinara sauce. 

  • If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of vegetable broth or tomato juice.

  • Use leftover marinara sauce as a dip for spinach balls or breadsticks, or drizzle some over an omelet. Spread some over a meatloaf instead of the usual ketchup or barbecue sauce.