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.
Jump to:
Ingredients needed
You’ll need-
- 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.
- In a sauce pan heat extra virgin olive oil.
- Sauté minced garlic and diced onions for 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 with constant stirring.
- 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.
Useful tips for best homemade marinara sauce recipe
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Always taste and add seasoning as you go to suit your taste preferences.
FAQS
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Garden fresh tomato bruschetta
Don’t forget to Subscribe to CurryTrail Recipes below to get our newest recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
LOVE THIS RECIPE? KEEP IN TOUCH AND DON’T MISS OUT ON ANY OF CURRYTRAIL RECIPES! FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, TWITTER.
HAVE YOU TRIED ONE OF MY RECIPES? I’D LOVE TO SEE WHAT YOU’VE MADE! TAKE A PICTURE AND USE THE HASHTAG #CURRYTRAIL ON INSTAGRAM SO I CAN SEE! I’LL DO A HAPPY DANCE IF YOU TRY MY RECIPE AND SHARE IT WITH US!
📋 RECIPE: Spicy Homemade Marinara Sauce
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Always taste and add seasoning as you go to suit your taste preferences.
Leave A Reply!