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](https://comfortablefood.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/italian-marinara-sauce-featured.jpg)
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
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. Check out my easy roasted red pepper sauce recipe that also pairs fantastic with any pasta dish.
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.
Learn more about types of pasta sauce in my detailed collection.
💭 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](https://comfortablefood.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Step-1-italian-marinara-sauce-1440x810.jpg)
Step 3
Add the tomatoes (with their juices) and bring to a simmer.
![Step 2 italian marinara sauce](https://comfortablefood.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Step-2-italian-marinara-sauce-1440x810.jpg)
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](https://comfortablefood.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Step-3-italian-marinara-sauce-1-1440x810.jpg)
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](https://comfortablefood.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Step-4-italian-marinara-sauce-1-1440x810.jpg)
📖 Easy recipe variations
- 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.
- Oils - If you don't have olive oil on hand, you can use canola, sunflower, or vegetable oil.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.](https://comfortablefood.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/italian-marinara-sauce-on-spaghetti.jpg)
🥫 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.
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
📋 Recipe
![italian marinara sauce](https://comfortablefood.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/italian-marinara-sauce-featured-360x360.jpg)
Italian Marinara Sauce
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.
Dee
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.
Charles
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.
hugonelson1964blog
Just curious, are you sure that heads of garlic is what you use? Sounds like an awful lot...not that I doubt you.
Julia
If I substitute carrots for sugar, how much shredded carrot should I use?
frattura30
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.
Maria's Mixing Bowl | Sicilian Tomato Sauce
[…] 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/ […]
Gloria LaRoche
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.
Ricardo Felintor
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! 🙂
Sherrie
To each their own. Sounds delish to me - I’ll gladly give it a try.
Gustav Jensen
WOW I love it. Thanks it is super delicious and the kids love it!
Emily
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!...😊
pamela J joslin
It was great...thank u
Dolores
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 .
Janice
Thank you for your time,it really sounds great .
Cherie
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.
Brian Archimbaud
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.
Joanne
This is the most wonderful tomato sauce. Easy, great flavor, and goes with so many dishes. Thanks!
Aysegul
This looks very nice and delicious. Also can be used with most of dishes. Thanks for sharing
Melissa Sperka
Wow, beautiful the perfect topping for my pasta!
Jennifer Farley
This sauce is so good! I'm going to make it to put on dinner tonight!
Erin@WellPlated
THAT COLOR!!!
Toni | Boulder Locavore
This recipe is absolutely amazing! My family enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes
This is so good! Love homemade sauce
Rebecca Ross
This sauce is AMAZING!! Thank you for sharing it!!
Viki J.
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.
Jennifer
Do they have to be whole tomatoes? Or can they be diced ?
Beth
Are these regular (plain) canned tomatoes, or the Italian flavored canned tomatoes? Also, how much canned (versus the tube) tomato paste would you recommend?
Judith
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?
Troy
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 👍
Louella
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.
Kelly
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!
Justin
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.
Mary Kavaler
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
Doris
I love this sauce! There’s only two of us so I have to cut the recipe down a lot, but still delicious. My go to sauce for spaghetti.