How to Make the Best Homemade Marinara Sauce
This. Sauce. This marinara sauce is guaranteed to make your house smell like an Italian grandmother moved in and started cooking for you.
This recipe for marinara sauce includes a bit of red wine, garlic, onions, crushed red pepper, Italian herbs, and plenty of fresh basil and parsley. The sauce requires only about 15 minutes of hands-on time, but should simmer for at least 2 hours, even longer if you wish.
I know of no better way to draw my family (and probably at least a couple of my neighbors) to the dinner table than with a big pot of this marinara sauce simmering away on the stovetop. It will make your house smell so, sooooo good.
It’s incredibly rich and thick, and packed with flavor that’s both complex and comforting. While a long simmer is highly recommended, making this homemade marinara sauce is super simple.
How to Make Homemade Marinara Sauce
Simply add some onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, sugar, salt, and pepper to the bowl of a food processor, and process it into a paste.
Cook the herbs and vegetables in some olive oil to release all their flavors and soften the garlic and onion. Then add some of the crushed tomatoes, cooking them down until they are rich and concentrated before adding some red wine, Worcestershire sauce, and and more crushed tomatoes.
Let the sauce simmer away happily on the stovetop for about an hour until it looks like this….
Dishes that use Homemade Marinara Sauce:
- Extra Cheesy Ricotta Stuffed Shells
- Indian Shrimp and Rice
- Eggplant and/or Chicken Parmesan
- Homemade Pizza
- Meatball Sandwiches
- Homemade Meatballs and Marinara
- The {BEST} Classic Lasagna with Italian Sausage
- Chachouka (North African tomato and pepper stew)
Useful for this recipe:
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #alittleandalot on Instagram.
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Perfect Homemade Marinara Sauce
- Total Time: About 2 hours
- Yield: 11 cups of sauce
Ingredients
- 2 large yellow onions, peeled and cut into quarters
- 12 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 4 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1 - 2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (depending on how spicy you want your sauce to be)
- 1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp salt (more to taste)
- 1 ½ tsp ground black pepper (more to taste)
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Four 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes (I like to use fire roasted tomatoes)
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¾ cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Add the onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, sugar, salt, and pepper to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Pulse until the ingredients form a paste.
- Heat olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion mixture to the hot oil and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
- Add one of the cans of crushed tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and darkened in color – 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in the wine, the rest of the crushed tomatoes, and the Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and cook, partially covered to avoid splatters, over medium low heat for an 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Stir in the fresh parsley and basil.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1-2 hours
Amy says
What Red wine do you recommend for the sauce?
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Amy! I usually use a Chianti, but any dry red wine will do. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear how the sauce comes out for you! xo
kita says
Homemade marinara sauce is SO much better than jarred sauce and I love how uncomplicated it really is to make. This sounds incredibly delicious.
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Fergin says
Can you use fresh tomatoes instead?
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi there! You could use fresh tomatoes, but plan on cooking the sauce longer to concentrate the flavors and allow the extra water time to evaporate. But, honestly, my favorite sauce using fresh tomatoes is actually this Roasted Tomato Sauce. Both methods will work, but I find that roasting fresh tomatoes intensifies their flavor more than cooking them down on the stovetop. Does that help? Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear what you think of either recipe if you try it. xo
Laura Jones says
I am planning to can marinara sauce tomorrow and I know it’s to late to be asking but I wish you had a recipe of this for that. I’m thinking I could multiply the ingredients. I love your website so much!
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RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Laura! I am so happy you like the site! ♥️ This marinara can easily be canned. Make sure to sterilize jars and lids and then fill the jars while the sauce is hot, leaving about 1/4 of an inch of space at the top of the jar. Process the jars in boiling water for at least 45 minutes. I usually set the jars upside down on a kitchen towel after removing them from the boiling water. This may, or may not, be necessary... but it "might" help the jars seal. I figure, if it might help, why not? I hope this helps! Please let me now if you have any other questions! xo
Beth says
How do I substitute dried basil for fresh basil? It’s winter here and my fresh basil is long gone. Your recipe sounds delicious, can’t wait to try it!!
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RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Beth! Great question. You have a couple of options. You can leave the fresh basil out entirely - the sauce is perfectly delicious without it. Or, you can add some dried basil along with the Italian Seasoning - I'd add about a teaspoon. Or, sometime supermarkets will have "basil paste" - fresh basil that's concentrated and in a tube. It's usually in the produce section in the same area where they stock small containers of fresh herbs. If you're using the paste, add about a tablespoon, taste, and add more if you like. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to know what you think of this sauce after you make it. xo
Beth says
Thanks so much for the suggestions! They are very helpful!! Getting ready to make my first batch. I’ll be sure to let you know what I think!! Thanks again!!
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Carole says
I've been using this recipe for over a year and just love it! Thank you for sharing. I used to buy jar sauce but now, my family can tell the difference and requests this.
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RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Carole! I'm so happy to hear that you and your family likes this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. I truly appreciate it! xo
Judy Johnson says
I’m just thinking this would be perfect to make in the crockpot. Do you think that would work?
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Judy! I'm sure this would work in the crockpot! Great idea! My guess is that it would take about 4 hours on low or 6 on high. If you try this, would you let me know how it comes out for you? xo
Judy Johnson says
I just wanted to let you know that I made the marinara sauce in the crockpot, I did 4 hours on low. I followed the recipe through step 3 then placed everything into the crockpot. I must say that I’ve been looking for a great marinara sauce for at least 3 years and I don’t have to look any further. My 92 year old dad loved it with spaghetti, and I used it tonight to make lasagna. It was so delicious. I just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us all.
★★★★★
RebeccaBlackwell says
Your comment just made my entire day Judy! I am so happy to hear that you liked this recipe. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. I truly appreciate it!!! xo
Alejandra Jaramillo says
The best marinara sauce! I did not have the wine and it was still delicious. I will never buy jar sauce again. Thank you so much.
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RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Alejandra! I'm so happy to hear that you like this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me. I truly appreciate it! xo
Christina says
Hi. I’d like to add beef and sausage to this sauce to make meat sauce? What do you think?
RebeccaBlackwell says
Hi Christina! Yes - you can add any kind of meat to this sauce. Add the meat with the onion mixture in step #2, cooking it until it's browned, then proceed with the recipe. Another option is this recipe for Bolognese Sauce - a tomato based sauce packed with ground beef and bacon. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to know what you think of this sauce (or the Bolognese sauce) after you make it! xo