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Home > Dips & Sauces > Spicy Homemade Marinara Sauce

Spicy Homemade Marinara Sauce

Last updated July 21, 2021. Originally posted July 20, 2021 By Jyothi Rajesh Leave a Comment

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easy marinara sauce in bowl with text overlay

Spicy homemade marinara sauce is super simple sauce that is bursting with rich hearty tomato flavors. Making pasta sauce at home can’t get easier than this. Ditch the jarred stuff homemade is the way to go.

spicy tomato marinara sauce in bowl
Jump to:
  • Homemade marinara sauce recipe
  • Ingredients needed
  • How to make marinara sauce
  • Useful tips for best homemade marinara sauce recipe
  • FAQS
  • 📋 RECIPE: Spicy Homemade Marinara Sauce

Homemade marinara sauce recipe

1. Its quick easy and delicious!

2. This simple tomato-based sauce called marinara sauce finds it’s use in so many ways.

3. Slow cook few basic ingredients like fresh garden tomatoes (or canned tomatoes), garlic, onion, red pepper flakes and basil leaves to make the most delicious pasta sauce ever! You can’t mess it up.

4. The sauce can be made in less than 30 minutes.

5. Homemade marinara sauce is bursting with rich hearty flavors of tomato.

6. Make all the way from scratch using best quality fresh garden tomatoes during the season. Good canned tomatoes works great as well.

7. One of the best ways to preserve garden fresh tomatoes all year long is by using it in marinara sauce recipe.

8. This recipe is a keeper! This sauce has so many uses. You can use it for pasta or pizza, we love it on both. It also serves great as dipping sauce!

9. Load up your spaghetti with this rich sauce for quick weekday dinner.

Ingredients needed

You’ll need-

all ingredients for marinara sauce on white board
  • 2 tablespoon EVOO
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 small yellow or white onion
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional, highly recommended)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 can good quality crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoon fresh basil leaves

Ingredients additions & substitutions

Canned tomatoes can be substituted with fresh ripe tomatoes. To get the best taste, blanch ripe tomatoes in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, remove from water and allow to cool down for few minutes. Peel skin off and chop it as small as you like.

Yellow (Italian) onions are best, you can also use white onions like I did.

Love garlic flavors? Feel free to increase the amount of garlic according to YOUR taste preference.

Red chili flakes is optional but I highly recommend it. It adds heat to the sauce that helps balance the tart flavors from tomatoes.

How to make marinara sauce

It can’t get easier than this. Using good quality canned tomatoes is the key factor to get best tasting sauce. Garden fresh tomatoes can be used as well. Blanch, peel the skin and dice tomatoes first or roast it in oven then crush it.

step by step picture collage of homemade marinara sauce
  1. In a sauce pan heat extra virgin olive oil.
  2. Sauté minced garlic and diced onions for a minute or until onions are translucent.
  3. Stir in red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste and dried oregano with onions and garlic.
  4. Add canned crushed tomatoes to the pan, stir well.
  5. Simmer heat, cover pot partially with lid and slow cook tomatoes for 15 minutes with constant stirring.
  6. Turn off heat, stir fresh chopped basil leaves to the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
  7. Optional step – stir in 1 teaspoon of granulated white sugar to the sauce to cut acidity of tomatoes.
  8. Viola, simple and best homemade marinara sauce is ready to serve.
  9. Use it anywhere where you need a red sauce – for pastas, pizzas, as dipping sauce.
  10. Load up your spaghetti with this rich sauce for quick weekday dinner.
marinara sauce cooked in pan

Useful tips for best homemade marinara sauce recipe

  1. Use good quality crushed tinned tomatoes. It’s the hero of the dish and can’t compromise it. Homemade marinara sauce taste will depend on the quality of canned tomatoes you use.
  2. We like it chunky! Don’t like it chunky? Use a blender to puree crushed tomatoes from can and then use pureed tomatoes to make marinara sauce.
  3. Garden fresh tomatoes can be used to make homemade sauce. Extra prep work is needed if using fresh tomatoes. Blanch, peel the skin and dice tomatoes first or roast it in oven then crush it.
  4. Red pepper flakes are optional but I highly recommend it. It adds little kick to the sauce which makes it tastier. If you can’t handle even little bit of heat, skip red pepper flakes from the recipe.
  5. You see those browned garlic in the step-by-step picture collage? It wasn’t browned accidentally. Somehow browned garlic adds a difference depth of flavor to the sauce and I’m a huge fan of browned garlic flavors.
  6. Always taste and add seasoning as you go to suit your taste preferences.
spicy tomato marinara sauce in bowl

FAQS

What is marinara sauce?

A simple tomato-based sauce called marinara sauce is basically slow tomatoes with garlic, onion, red pepper flakes and basil leaves. It finds its use in so many ways especially with all types of pasta. It can also be used in pizza.

Can I use fresh tomatoes to make marinara sauce?

Yes. Garden fresh ripe tomatoes can be used to make homemade sauce. Extra prep work is needed if using fresh tomatoes. You have to blanch, peel the skin and dice tomatoes first or roast it in oven then crush it.

My marinara sauce isn’t thick! How to fix it?

Canned tomatoes contain juices in it. If you find too much liquid in canned tomatoes, discard most of the liquid before adding the tomatoes to sauce pan. The canned crushed tomatoes I used were perfect with very little liquid in it and my marinara sauce was thickened enough.
If marinara sauce hasn’t thickened, there are many ways by which you can thicken it-
1. Simmer cook for longer time until the liquids are evaporated.
2. Add little bit of pasta cooked water to the sauce while simmering. Pasta cooked water
contains starch and will help thicken the sauce.
3. You can also add ½ teaspoon of corn starch to the sauce, stir well and allow cooking
for a minute to two until it thickens. You won’t be able to taste the small amount of
corn starch.
4. Or simply stir 2 teaspoon of tomato paste to the sauce and allow it to cook for few
minutes. Tomato paste will make the sauce acidic, balance it out with ¼ to ½
teaspoon sugar.

How to use marinara sauce?

This sauce has so many uses. You can use it for pasta or pizza, we love it on both. It also serves great as dipping sauce with cheesy cauliflower breadsticks. Dip homemade soft pretzel bites  in this spicy marinara sauce, it’s heavenly!
Load up your spaghetti with this rich sauce for quick weekday dinner.pasta with roasted cherry tomato sauce

Can homemade marinara sauce be used for pizza?

Yes, it can be used for spreading over pizza. If I’m using it as pizza sauce, I usually cook it further more to make it thicker, spreadable consistency.

Can I freeze marinara sauce?

Yes. This sauce freezes well, so make a big batch and store it away.
To freeze – allow marinara sauce to cool completely, transfer to freezer-friendly zip lock bags or freezer containers with lid and pop in freezer. This sauce can be kept frozen for up-to 3 months.

close up of marinara style tomato sauce

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Marinated tomatoes

Garden fresh tomato bruschetta

Tomato salad

Roasted cherry tomatoes

Roasted tomato basil soup

Sun dried tomatoes

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canned tomato used in marinara style sauce
spicy tomato marinara sauce in bowl
5 from 2 votes

📋 RECIPE: Spicy Homemade Marinara Sauce

Jyothi Rajesh
Homemade spicy marinara sauce is super simple sauce that is bursting with rich hearty tomato flavors. Making pasta sauce at home can’t get easier than this. Ditch the jarred stuff homemade is the way to go. It can’t get simpler than this.
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Course condiments, sauce
Cuisine Italian
Servings 3 cups
Calories 192

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoon EVOO
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 small yellow or white onion
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes optional, highly recommended
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 28 oz can good quality crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoon fresh basil leaves

Instructions
 

  • In a sauce pan heat extra virgin olive oil.
  • Sauté minced garlic and fine diced onions for about a minute or until onions are translucent.
  • Stir in red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste and dried oregano with onions and garlic.
  • Add canned crushed tomatoes to the pan, stir well.
  • Simmer heat, cover pot partially with lid and slow cook tomatoes for 15 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally.
  • Turn off heat, stir fresh chopped basil leaves to the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
  • Optional step – stir in 1 teaspoon of granulated white sugar to the sauce to cut acidity of tomatoes.
  • Viola, simple and best homemade marinara sauce is ready to serve.
  • Use it anywhere where you need a red sauce – for pastas, pizzas, as dipping sauce.
  • Load up your spaghetti with this rich sauce for quick weekday dinner.

Video

Notes

  1. Use good quality crushed tinned tomatoes. It’s the hero of the dish and can’t compromise it. Homemade marinara sauce taste will depend on the quality of canned tomatoes you use.
  2. We like it chunky! If you like “zero chunk” marinara sauce, you can use a blender to puree crushed tomatoes from can and then use pureed tomatoes to make marinara sauce.
  3. Garden fresh tomatoes can be used to make homemade sauce. Extra prep work is needed if using fresh tomatoes. You have to blanch, peel the skin and dice tomatoes first or roast it in oven then crush it.
  4. Red pepper flakes are optional but highly recommended. It adds little kick to the sauce which makes it tastier. If you can’t handle even little bit of heat, skip red pepper flakes from the recipe.
  5. You see those browned garlic in the step-by-step picture collage? Oh it wasn’t browned accidentally but I did it on purpose. Somehow browned garlic adds a difference depth of flavor to the sauce and I’m a huge fan of browned garlic flavors.
  6. Always taste and add seasoning as you go to suit your taste preferences.
 
Recipe yields approximately 3 cups. Nutrition values mentioned are for 1 cup.
Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 192kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 5gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 363mgPotassium: 870mgFiber: 6gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 849IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 121mgIron: 4mg
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Jyothi - Author of Curry Trail.

Welcome, I'm Jyothi

My food philosophy is simple, fresh and full of flavors! I love ‘spicy’ food. In fact so much so that I can skip dessert for extra spicy savory food!

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