How to Make Homemade Marinara Sauce

A step-by-step process on how to make an easy Homemade Marinara Sauce. It’s kid-approved and delicious served with pasta, chicken, or meatballs. And it’s low in calories and carbs, paleo, keto, gluten-free, dairy-free, and Whole 30 approved.

HOMEMADE MARINARA SAUCE

It takes only a few simple ingredients to create this delicious Homemade Marinara Sauce and add a taste of Italy to your family’s meals. It’s so easy to prepare you’ll want to make extras for the freezer or take some as a gift for a friend or neighbor. And it doesn’t contain the extra salt and sugar often found in store-bought sauces. Once you’ve tasted this healthy Homemade Marinara Sauce you’ll want to add this to your list of fast, favorite recipes!

If you’re after other healthy and delicious homemade sauces be sure to try our Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce or Homemade Pesto Sauce.

Why Make Homemade Marinara Sauce?

• Simple ingredients. This Homemade Marinara Sauce uses ingredients you may already have on hand in your kitchen.
• Healthier than store-bought. This healthy sauce recipe is delicious and tasty but omits the added salt and sugar found in many canned and jarred sauces.
• A family favorite. There’s nothing like a comforting bowl of hot pasta with fresh Homemade Marinara Sauce, and you can make it a meal by serving it with our hearty Italian Turkey Meatballs or alongside our delicious low-carb Avocado-Tomato Salad.

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes

Yellow Onion

Garlic

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Dried Oregano

Fresh Basil

Salt and Pepper

STEP BY STEP PROCESS

1. Peel the onion and the garlic. Then crush the garlic and dice the onion. We recommend using fresh garlic and not garlic powder.
   

   

   

2. Sauté Garlic & Onion: Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes.
   
3. Crank open the can of tomatoes and pour into the pan.
4. Add seasonings: Stir in the oregano, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt.
   
5. Simmer: Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by 1/3, and oil gets separated from the sauce.
6. Blend: Remove from the heat and carefully transfer the sauce into a stand blender, together with the
   fresh basil. Then blend until smooth, or until it has reached the desired consistency.
   

   

   

   

7. Taste: Taste and adjust the salt according to your taste.
8. Enjoy: Finally, transfer the sauce into an air-tight jar secure with lid. Serve with your favorite side. This sauce can be refrigerated for up to 5 days and freeze up to 6 months.

FAQ’s and tips

• Tomatoes: Any style of canned tomato is fine, but San Marzano tomatoes have the best flavor because they are grown in Italy and picked at their peak of ripeness.
• Garlic: Freshly chopped garlic is preferred, but you can use jarred garlic in a pinch. We recommend not using garlic powder as it can add bitterness to the sauce.
• Onion: You can use a yellow onion, or a Vidalia or Walla Walla onion to give your sauce a little bit of sweetness.
• Oil: You can use Avocado oil, Olive oil, or butter for keto.
• Cheese: For a kick of flavor, add a bit of freshly grated parmesan cheese to your sauce before pureeing. You could also add nutritional yeast if you want the cheesy flavor but want to keep the sauce vegan.
• Don’t overcook the garlic: you don’t want to burn the garlic so it doesn’t give a bitter taste.

How to store the marinara sauce

Marinara sauce can be stored in a container and placed in the fridge for up to 7 days. Reheat in the microwave when ready to eat or added to pasta. You can freeze for up to 4-6 months.

What do you use the marinara sauce for

Marinara sauce is a tomato-based sauce made with either fresh or canned tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. It can be served or used in many meals like pizza, pasta dishes, and over chicken and so on. Also, here are a few dishes we made that used marinara sauce:

• Cheeseburger Pasta
• Zucchini Lasagna Boats
• Easy Chicken Cacciatore
• Zucchini Pizza Bites
• Italian Turkey Meatballs
• Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

Other healthy ITALIAN-INSPIRED recipes to check out

• Keto Creamy Italian Chicken Skillet
• Italian Chicken Veggie Soup
• Creamy Tuscan Chicken
• Cucumber and Tomato Salad
• Italian Spaghetti Squash Boats
• Low Carb Pizza
• One-Pot Chicken Spaghetti

Also, if you try a recipe and you like it, leave us some feedback in the comment section below, and don’t forget to rate it! Share it with friends and family on social media.

Finally, please use our hashtag #healthyfitnessmeals on INSTAGRAM for a chance to be featured! FOLLOW Healthy Fitness Meals on FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER for all of our latest blog posts and recipes.

5 from 5 votes

How to make homemade marinara sauce

By: Rena

Servings: 6

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Rate Pin Print

Simple and homemade marinara sauce that's easy to make, so flavorful and ready in just 20 minutes.

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 large 28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes, large can
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion, peeled
• ▢ 2-3 large cloves garlic, peeled
• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1- 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ▢ a handful of fresh basil leaves packed
• ▢ Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Peel the onion and garlic, then crush the garlic and dice the onion.
• Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes.
• Crank open a can of tomatoes and pour into the pan. Stir in oregano, olive oil, red pepper flakes (optional if you want to make it spicy add 1 tsp), and salt.
• Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by 1/3 and oil gets separated from the sauce.
• Remove from the heat and carefully transfer it into a stand blender, together with the fresh basil. Blend until smooth, or until it has reached the desired consistency.
• Taste and adjust the salt according to your taste. Transfer the sauce into an air-tight jar secure with lid.
• Serve with your favorite side. This sauce can be refrigerated for up to 5 days and freeze up to 6 months.

Notes

• Tomatoes: Any style of canned tomato is fine, but San Marzano tomatoes have the best flavor because they are grown in Italy and picked at their peak of ripeness.
• Garlic: Freshly chopped garlic is preferred, but you can use jarred garlic in a pinch. We recommend not using garlic powder as it can add bitterness to the sauce.
• Onion: You can use a yellow onion, or a Vidalia or Walla Walla onion to give your sauce a little bit of sweetness.
• Oil: You can use Avocado oil, Olive oil, or butter for keto.
• Cheese: For a kick of flavor, add a bit of freshly grated parmesan cheese to your sauce before pureeing. You could also add nutritional yeast if you want the cheesy flavor but want to keep the sauce vegan.
• Don't overcook the garlic: you don't want to burn the garlic so it doesn't give a bitter taste.
• Storing: It can be stored in a container and placed in the fridge for up to 7 days. Reheat in the microwave when ready to eat or added to pasta. You can freeze for up to 4-6 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 56kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 40mgPotassium: 84mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 40IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: condiment, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Tried this recipe?Mention @healthyfitnessmeals or tag #healthyfitnessmeals!