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Home » Sauces and Salsa

Perfect Homemade Marinara Sauce

Published: Nov 10, 2019 · Modified: Feb 11, 2022 by RebeccaBlackwell · This post may contain affiliate links · 22 Comments

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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.

A pot of homemade marinara sauce.

How to Make the Best Homemade Marinara Sauce

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.

Step #1: 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.

Chopping vegetables and herbs in a food processor for homemade marinara sauce.

Step #2: 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.

How to make homemade marinara sauce.

Step #3: Let the sauce simmer away happily on the stovetop for about an hour until it looks like this….

Recipes 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:

  • Dutch Oven
Dutch oven

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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Homemade meatballs in marinara sauce.

Perfect Homemade Marinara Sauce


★★★★★

5 from 8 reviews

  • Author: RebeccaBlackwell
  • Total Time: About 2 hours
  • Yield: 11 cups of sauce
Print Recipe
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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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Add one of the cans of crushed tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and darkened in color – 5-10 minutes.
  4. 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
  • Category: Sauces

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @littleandalot on Instagram and hashtag it #alittleandalot

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jo Anne Williams says

    March 19, 2022 at 11:31 pm

    Great marinara recipe and directions! I used a jalapeno pepper instead of red pepper, and chopped up spinach in place of basil. Delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • RebeccaBlackwell says

      March 20, 2022 at 4:15 pm

      I'm so happy to hear that you like this recipe Jo Anne! And I LOVE your suggestion to use jalapeño and spinach! I think I might do the same the next time I make it. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! I truly appreciate it! xo

      Reply
  2. Christina says

    December 19, 2021 at 2:09 pm

    Hi. I’d like to add beef and sausage to this sauce to make meat sauce? What do you think?

    Reply
    • RebeccaBlackwell says

      December 19, 2021 at 5:23 pm

      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

      Reply
  3. Alejandra Jaramillo says

    December 05, 2021 at 2:27 am

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • RebeccaBlackwell says

      December 05, 2021 at 6:53 pm

      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

      Reply
  4. Judy Johnson says

    September 17, 2021 at 12:41 pm

    I’m just thinking this would be perfect to make in the crockpot. Do you think that would work?

    Reply
    • RebeccaBlackwell says

      September 23, 2021 at 3:21 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Judy Johnson says

        October 14, 2021 at 8:40 am

        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.

        ★★★★★

        Reply
        • RebeccaBlackwell says

          October 15, 2021 at 3:18 pm

          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

          Reply
  5. Beth says

    January 15, 2021 at 12:02 am

    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!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • RebeccaBlackwell says

      January 15, 2021 at 4:50 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Beth says

        January 17, 2021 at 1:18 pm

        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!!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
      • Carole says

        April 25, 2021 at 8:27 pm

        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.

        ★★★★★

        Reply
        • RebeccaBlackwell says

          April 26, 2021 at 5:15 pm

          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

          Reply
  6. Laura Jones says

    July 25, 2020 at 5:21 am

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • RebeccaBlackwell says

      July 28, 2020 at 5:38 pm

      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

      Reply
  7. Fergin says

    April 13, 2020 at 7:05 pm

    Can you use fresh tomatoes instead?

    Reply
    • RebeccaBlackwell says

      April 13, 2020 at 7:23 pm

      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

      Reply
  8. kita says

    November 18, 2019 at 6:54 pm

    Homemade marinara sauce is SO much better than jarred sauce and I love how uncomplicated it really is to make. This sounds incredibly delicious.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. Amy says

    April 12, 2019 at 4:16 pm

    What Red wine do you recommend for the sauce?

    Reply
    • RebeccaBlackwell says

      April 14, 2019 at 8:54 pm

      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

      Reply

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Rebecca Blackwell

Hi! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, and full time RV nomad.

My husband Steve and I are digital nomads living in a 43-foot 5th wheel. Favorite things include hanging out with our daughters, motorcycle riding, being close to the water, and anything that includes chilies or custard.

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