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    Home » Sauce Recipes

    Italian Marinara Sauce

    BY: Ben Rayl PUBLISHED: 21 Jun, '21 UPDATED: 6 Aug, '21 69 Comments

    RecipeVideoPrintComments
    5 from 18 votes
    Italian marinara sauce

    This Italian marinara sauce is an iconic Sicilian marinara and a generational recipe that continues even today. This recipe, combined with quality ingredients, love, and time, is one of the best you'll find and certainly worth saving and sharing.

    Full ladle of italian marinara sauce

    This marinara sauce combines perfectly with my stuffed shells with ground beef and ricotta cheese and my cheesy stuffed rigatoni pasta bake. It also goes great with my Italian meatloaf! True comfort food everyone will enjoy!

    Contents
    • ⭐ Why this recipe is the best
    • 💭 What is marinara sauce?
    • 🍽 Ingredients notes
    • 🔪 How to make
    • 📖 Easy recipe variations
    • 🥫 Storage
    • 🙋 Frequently asked questions
    • 🍳 Related Tomato Recipes
    • 👪 Serving size
    • 🎥 Watch how to make it
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ⭐ Why this recipe is the best

    This is a comfort food site, and I'm not going to pretend this is the best marinara sauce in the world. Just know this is an authentic Mariana recipe that has passed from one generation to the next for many years.

    My nonna would be proud to know I'm sharing this homemade marina sauce with you.

    I promise this recipe is easy to make, tastes fantastic, and is superior to store-bought tomato sauce in every way. You'll come away with an amazing marina sauce everyone will enjoy with minimal effort.

    You'll still need to set aside 3-4 hours required to cook down the tomatoes. For this reason, I recommend making a large batch so you can make an amazing pasta whenever you want.

    💭 What is marinara sauce?

    Italian Marinara Sauce

    Originated in Naples- Italy, and it comes from the Italian word sailor (marinara).

    The authentic marinara sauce in Italian is called sugo, which means using the end of the season (ripest) tomatoes.

    Italian marinara sauce recipe is savory and robust and often referred to as "the sun and aroma of Italy on a plae." Italian cuisine is focused on the quality of the ingredients.

    Sicilian Marinara Sauce

    Sicilian cuisine comes from Sicily's island, influenced by Greek, Spanish, French and Arab cultures. This cuisine is primarily vegetable-based. Thus, Sicilian food is primarily all about vegetables!

    Sicilian and Italian sauces originate from different regions of the country. None the less both of these sauces are savory and world-renowned and considered leaders when making pizza and pasta!

    🍽 Ingredients notes

    Quality ingredients are essential to this Italian marinara sauce; I recommend getting your hands on some San Marzano tomatoes grown in Agro Sarnese Nocerino, an area in Southern Italy.

    And before you ask, yes, I prefer these over fresh tomatoes. However, don't fret over this, I've used more brands than I can count and even fresh tomatoes.

    🍅 Can you use fresh tomatoes?

    Yes, you can also use garden tomatoes. A plum variety tomato is the best for this marinara sauce recipe. Still, you can use other varieties (beefsteak, early girl, etc.). Ripe tomatoes are more much more flavorful.

    When cooking garden tomatoes, you will need to add garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper to taste.

    You can freeze this sauce, so this recipe is a great way to use up all those tomatoes that you have left in your garden in the fall.

    🔪 How to make

    Learn how to make this easy and delicious marinara sauce with step-by-step instructions or watch my video for a complete recipe walkthrough.

    Instructions

    Step 1

    Melt the butter and the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat.

    Step 2

    Add the garlic and onions, salt generously, and saute over medium heat for about 7 – 8 minutes. Cook and stir until the onion rings begin to lose their shape. They will be soft and translucent.

    Step 1 italian marinara sauce

    Step 3

    Add the tomatoes (with their juices) and bring to a simmer.

    Step 2 italian marinara sauce

    Step 4

    When simmering, reduce the heat and maintain a slow simmer for about two hours, stirring frequently.

    Step 5

    Add the sugar, paste, and Italian herbs (if using dried herbs, add now, if using fresh basil, add about 10 minutes before blending). Stir well, and continue to simmer for about another hour.

    Step 3 italian marinara sauce 1

    Step 6

    Let the marinara cool a bit, then using an immersion blender, puree it right in the pan that you used to cook it until it is smooth. Be careful, it is hot!

    Step 4 italian marinara sauce 1

    📖 Easy recipe variations

    1. Tomatoes - In this marinara recipe, I prefer to buy San Marzano (a plum variety) tomatoes, but use whatever tomatoes you have on hand, including fresh tomatoes.
    2. Oils - If you don't have olive oil on hand, you can use canola, sunflower, or vegetable oil.
    3. Noodles - You can vary the dish by using different noodles for this recipe. Spaghetti is the most common noodle choice, but you can also use fettuccine, linguine, penne, or macaroni. Use whatever noodles on hand in your pantry.
    4. For a healthier alternative - try something different. Use spaghetti squash, zucchini, gluten-free pasta, or rice pasta. This option is a nice change to a carb-filled pasta.
    5. This sauce is already savory, but you can change it by adding different spices - mint, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, etc. Don't forget to add basil (fresh or dried). Basil and garlic are key to the flavor in tomato sauce recipes.
    6. Add red or green bell pepper to the recipe. If you add peppers, you need to dice and cook the pepper with the onion in this recipe.
    Italian marinara sauce with meat balls on top of a plate of spaghetti.
    Gorgeous deep red Italian marinara sauce topped with freshly grated parmesan.

    🥫 Storage

    Marinara freezes and reheats well, which makes it perfect for preparing a quick dinner for your family. All you need to do is cook the noodles and add the pasta sauce.

    The prep time is minimal, so if you have it on hand or in the freezer, you can serve a delicious pasta dinner (with or without meatballs) to your family in less than 15 minutes total time.

    This is a perfect solution when everyone is starving, and you need to make a quick dinner to serve your family.

    I often use zip locks to store marinara sauce. Let it cool, fill the ziplock, seal properly, and freeze.

    I typically lay them flat, let them freeze, and then stack them. To unthaw, it is easy to tear the ziplock open.

    🙋 Frequently asked questions

    What is the difference between marinara sauce and spaghetti sauce?

    Marinara and spaghetti sauce are the same thing. Marinara sauce is commonly known as spaghetti sauce in North America. Marinara is a simple tomato sauce made using san San Marzano tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, herbs, and Italian extra virgin olive oil. It does not contain any meat.

    What can I use if I don't own a blender?

    Not a problem. You can transfer the marinara sauce from the saucepan to a countertop blender. Remember, the sauce is hot off the stove, so be very careful when pouring the sauce into a countertop blender. You can also use a hand mixer for the job.

    Can you use this marinara sauce for pizza?

    Yes, add a touch of oregano to turn this into a fantastic marinara pizza sauce. I also recommend letting your sauce simmer longer, resulting in a thicker sauce for pizza.

    🍳 Related Tomato Recipes

    If you love my italian marinara sauce recipe. Try one of these fantastic easy recipes for your next meal.

    • Italian stuffed tomatoes
      Stuffed Tomatoes with Ground Beef
    • Stuffed rigatoni 4
      Stuffed Rigatoni
    • Bruschetta with mozzarella featured
      Bruschetta with Mozzarella
    • Italian meatballs and spaghetti
      Italian Meatballs and Spaghetti

    For more tomato recipe ideas check out my delicious and comforting tomato bisque soup and my easy pizza soup recipe.

    👪 Serving size

    This marinara sauce recipe makes 16 servings. In addition to using this easy-to-make sauce for pasta dishes, you can use it when making meatballs, pizza, chicken parmesan, lasagna, meatloaf, stuffed zucchini boats, or as a dipping sauce, to name a few.

    Oh and don't forget my Ikea meatballs recipe, I'm sure these would be fantastic with a nice marinara sauce.

    🎥 Watch how to make it

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    Try one of my comfort recipes for your next family meal! And if you have any questions, I'm here to help!

    📋 Recipe

    Italian marinara sauce

    Italian Marinara Sauce

    This Italian marinara sauce is an iconic Sicilian marinara and a generational recipe that continues even today. My nonna would be proud to know I'm sharing this homemade marina sauce with you. This recipe, combined with quality ingredients, love, and time, is one of the best you'll find and certainly worth saving and sharing.
    5 from 18 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved! Share
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 3 hours
    Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
    Servings: 16 Servings
    Calories:
    Author: Ben Rayl

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 tablespoon butter
    • 2 onions
    • 6 garlic
    • 6 cans whole Italian tomatoes - 14 oz cans of real San Marzano
    • 2 tablespoon sugar - subsitute 1 carrot shredded
    • 2 tablespoon tomato paste - Italian triple concentrate
    • 2 tablespoon Italian herbs - increase based on preference

    Instructions

    • Melt the butter and the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed sauce pot.
    • When all the butter is melted, add the onions and garlic, salt well, and saute over medium heat for about 7 – 8 minutes, until the onion rings begin to lose their shape and soften.
    • Add the canned tomatoes (with their juices) and bring to a simmer.
    • When at simmering, reduce the heat and maintain a slow simmer for about two hours, stirring frequently.
    • Add the sugar, tomato paste and Italian herbs (if using dried herbs add now, if using fresh, add about 10 minutes before blending), stir well, and continue to simmer for about another hour.
    • Let the sauce cool a bit, then using a hand-held blender, puree until smooth.

    Video

    Notes

    Tomatoes? Ideally whole peeled tomatoes. I typically use real San Marzano tomatoes. You could just as easily use fresh garden tomatoes.
    Sugar? Firstly, this is a Sicilian tomato sauce and yes sugar. The small amount of sugar added to this large batch of tomato sauce helps enchance the tomatoes natural sugars and balance the acidity in the tomatoes.
    Carrots? Yes, you can substitute the sugar for a single shredded carrot.

    More Sauce Recipes

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Justin

      April 28, 2019 at 8:37 pm

      Hi, what would you suggest to do when it comes to the last step if I don't have a hand-held blender to puree the sauce.

      Reply
      • Mary Kavaler

        December 10, 2022 at 11:20 pm

        5 stars
        You can use a hand held masher..like a potato masher..the point is to mash up the tomatoes so that you have a sauce...this is very, very good...ml kavaler, in NYC

        Reply
    2. Kelly

      April 25, 2019 at 11:44 am

      This looks incredible! Do you yourself usually use the higher or lower amounts of onion, garlic and basil? I like to try recipes the way that those posting them making them at first. Thanks!

      Reply
    3. Louella

      April 14, 2019 at 8:16 pm

      My daughter-in-law is Vegetarian My son wants gnocchi. I'm making this for Easter along with a leg.of Lamb and salad. This recipe sounds very good. Will soon find out. Happy Easter to you all.

      Reply
    4. Troy

      March 31, 2019 at 3:32 pm

      I’ve been making this recipe from my brother in-law for years the only difference is I add diced green peppers and 1 Tbs crushed red peppers.I highly recommend San Marzano tomatoes 👍

      Reply
    5. Judith

      February 07, 2019 at 4:28 am

      What is the exact amount of tomatoes to be used. I see 6 14 oz in the original, but later you mention 28 oz. Is it a total of 84 oz or as close as possible?

      Reply
    6. Beth

      January 21, 2019 at 9:33 am

      Are these regular (plain) canned tomatoes, or the Italian flavored canned tomatoes? Also, how much canned (versus the tube) tomato paste would you recommend?

      Reply
    7. Jennifer

      January 05, 2019 at 2:42 pm

      Do they have to be whole tomatoes? Or can they be diced ?

      Reply
    8. Viki J.

      December 29, 2018 at 4:53 am

      5 stars
      I haven't tried recipe yet, but I will try it. I can't believe some of the morons commenting without trying and criticizing! I would prefer to use basil than herbs. About how much basil do you recommend? This recipe sounds terrific. I'll let you know how it goes.

      Reply
    9. Rebecca Ross

      November 04, 2018 at 8:50 pm

      5 stars
      This sauce is AMAZING!! Thank you for sharing it!!

      Reply
    10. Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes

      October 19, 2018 at 10:28 am

      5 stars
      This is so good! Love homemade sauce

      Reply
    11. Toni | Boulder Locavore

      October 18, 2018 at 11:00 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is absolutely amazing! My family enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂

      Reply
    12. [email protected]

      October 18, 2018 at 10:48 pm

      5 stars
      THAT COLOR!!!

      Reply
    13. Jennifer Farley

      October 18, 2018 at 2:22 pm

      5 stars
      This sauce is so good! I'm going to make it to put on dinner tonight!

      Reply
    14. Melissa Sperka

      October 18, 2018 at 8:46 am

      5 stars
      Wow, beautiful the perfect topping for my pasta!

      Reply
    15. Aysegul

      October 18, 2018 at 7:42 am

      5 stars
      This looks very nice and delicious. Also can be used with most of dishes. Thanks for sharing

      Reply
    16. Joanne

      October 18, 2018 at 7:00 am

      5 stars
      This is the most wonderful tomato sauce. Easy, great flavor, and goes with so many dishes. Thanks!

      Reply
    17. Brian Archimbaud

      August 11, 2018 at 12:45 am

      5 stars
      I add grated celery as part of the anti-acidity process along with sugar and cook for four hours then the browned meatballs and sausage for another four. The meat absorbs the sauce (my grandmother called it gravy, hence I call it gravy) and helps to finish the gravy.

      Reply
    18. Cherie

      July 02, 2018 at 7:22 pm

      By canned tomatoes you are talking also about homemade canned correct? I have homemade canned tomatoes with no salt added and would like to use them for this.

      Reply
    19. Janice

      April 12, 2018 at 2:49 pm

      Thank you for your time,it really sounds great .

      Reply
    20. Dolores

      March 21, 2018 at 1:12 pm

      5 stars
      I really don’t want to make a comment since i have not yet make it but i thank you anyway for sharing. I don’t want to criticize you because people have different ways of cooking and what ingredients i use is up to me. My gratitude for showing me the basic . More power to you .

      Reply
    21. pamela J joslin

      January 24, 2018 at 12:46 pm

      5 stars
      It was great...thank u

      Reply
    22. Emily

      January 17, 2018 at 7:23 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe sounds absolutely wonderful. I can’t wait to prepare it!....it seems it could be a versatile, basic recipe for so many dishes. Having it already prepared and frozen will be a fantastic timesaver. Thank you so much for sharing!...😊

      Reply
    23. Gustav Jensen

      December 02, 2017 at 8:51 am

      5 stars
      WOW I love it. Thanks it is super delicious and the kids love it!

      Reply
    24. Sherrie

      November 28, 2017 at 11:33 pm

      To each their own. Sounds delish to me - I’ll gladly give it a try.

      Reply
    25. Ricardo Felintor

      August 07, 2017 at 11:22 am

      5 stars
      Hi, thank you so much for this recipe! It came out perfect for me!!! I will use it in the future for my own personal variations!! It got me inspired! 🙂

      Reply
    26. Gloria LaRoche

      July 06, 2017 at 5:56 pm

      What in the world is 2 96 oz. cans Italian tomatoes. I was thinking of using 2 large cans Cento San Marzano tomatoes. This is confusing. I also think you are talking about 2 heads of garlic?? Please make it clearer. I don't need to cook marinara 3 hours.

      Reply
    27. Maria's Mixing Bowl | Sicilian Tomato Sauce

      April 16, 2016 at 10:14 am

      […] Sicilian Tomato Sauce!!..simple, delicious.. make it in huge batches and freeze it for later because it’s perfect for those nights you don’t feel like cooking. Simply defrost and your good to go. Recipe Here : https://comfortablefood.com/sicicilian-tomato-sauce/ […]

      Reply
    28. frattura30

      May 28, 2015 at 1:04 pm

      Making tomato sauce is a religious debate for many. Theres really no official way to make it but this recipe is along the general way of making it. I don't use butter, but hey if it works it works. I also do not simmer for hours. Im not entirely sure why simmering for 3 hours is needed unless you're making meat sauce as that would really make it tender. I no longer add the salt and sugar until the very end. Onions and or carrots are added because most tomatoes have high acid content.

      Reply
    29. Julia

      December 15, 2014 at 1:05 am

      If I substitute carrots for sugar, how much shredded carrot should I use?

      Reply
    30. hugonelson1964blog

      August 20, 2014 at 12:00 am

      Just curious, are you sure that heads of garlic is what you use? Sounds like an awful lot...not that I doubt you.

      Reply
    31. Charles

      June 27, 2014 at 7:12 am

      Clarification please. Your recipe calls for "two 96 oz (2.5k) cans of tomatoes". My cans of tomatoes measure 4-inches wide X 4.5-inches tall. These filled cans weigh 2 lbs each and the tomatoes inside weigh 28 ounces. The tomatoes measure about 3.5 liquid cups per can. Does the recipe use 2 of these cans or more or less? Appreciate your input.

      Reply
    32. Dee

      June 26, 2014 at 4:37 pm

      I have made my own for years but I use fresh tomatoes and it is just as easy. I don't like the added salt in canned products.

      Reply

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    Chef Ben Rayl

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