You'll love this Marinara sauce! This is great with fried eggplant or meatballs. I'm sure you could add ground meat if you wanted to make a meat sauce.
Because of a special diet I can't use canned tomatoes or paste so I just subbed the same amount of fresh diced tomatoes. There was enough juice from the tomatoes to make it just right. Also, I used 4 cloves of garlic because of personal taste. The addition of fresh basil and oregeno made this dish exceptional.
Read MoreThere wasn't much sauce - it was mainly chunks of tomato and onion. It tasted fine - it just needed to be saucier.
Read MoreBecause of a special diet I can't use canned tomatoes or paste so I just subbed the same amount of fresh diced tomatoes. There was enough juice from the tomatoes to make it just right. Also, I used 4 cloves of garlic because of personal taste. The addition of fresh basil and oregeno made this dish exceptional.
There may be better recipes out there for marinara sauce, but I gave this 5 stars just because I made it exactly as the recipe stated and it was tasty--plus it was super easy and quick and the ingredients are all things you tend to have on hand.
Husband says not to bother buying sauce any more after eating this. Changes: added some black pepper, Italian seasonings, parsley, & basil. Used a (drained) can of diced tomatoes w/ garlic & mushrooms. Could use diced tomatoes w/ jalapeno for more of a kick.
This was delicious. My changes: 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp salt, then I pureed the sauce (my kids like it better that way). I doubt I will buy marinara at the store anymore.
This is a really good basic recipe. Personally, I use canned whole tomatoes (the closest thing you can get to fresh tom's, imo) that I split with my fingers, remove the seeds (which only make the sauce bitter), then roughly chop. Depending on what I'm using it for, I use a hand blender to puree the sauce until it is as smooth/chunky as required (smooth for marinara dipping sauce, chunky for pizza sauce, chunkier for pasta sauce etc). Something else I do (I saw this on tv) is to save the dry rinds from Parmesan, and add those to the sauce. Remove them when you're done, and you've got a lovely subtle flavor. Anyway, I'm looking forward to having this later for dinner with 'Sicilian Meat Roll.' Thanks, Betsy!
I have been making this sauce for years, except we prefer basil instead of oregano. In a pinch or for a quick sauce, use dried minced onion and garlic salt. And for a more elaborate sauce, add this recipe to any jar of spagetti sauce. Don't be afraid to experiment with different ingredients to find what tastes best to you.
This was great! Simple and tasty. I prefer a smoother sauce so I blended the onion, garlic and diced tomatos in the food processor then added that to the rest of the ingredients. Wonderful!
Great basic sauce. I didn't have an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, so I used a 6 oz. can of tomato paste and added 4 ounces of water. Let it simmer, covered, for quite a while, until dinner was ready. Added a little fresh basil and no salt. Had this with Fast and Friendly Meatballs, from this site, whole wheat angel hair, and steamed broccoli.
There wasn't much sauce - it was mainly chunks of tomato and onion. It tasted fine - it just needed to be saucier.
This recipe is delicious! I added some sauteed mushrooms and green peppers to the sauce to add something a little extra. I love this sauce. It's so easy to make and change to your liking.
This is such a great base recipe to have in your recipe box. Why buy jarred sauce ever again? I loved it the first time I tried it, as is, but I've tweaked it to my taste the last couple of times I've made this delicious sauce. I tripled the amount of sugar, as I like my sauce a little sweeter. I also added 1/2 tsp of basil. Then, I let the sauce simmer away for about an hour on low temp. Wonderful, mouth-watering stuff to pour over pasta.
Good and basic recipe. The addition of basil is a must. I also like to simmer a bit longer but depending on the dish there are times that this short cooking time is perfect.
good but I had to make a lot of changes to make it to my liking. Very good though! I will still use this recipe but just keep my changes :)
I loved the taste with the Meatball Nirvana recipe! My boyfriend and I had meatball marinara subs for dinner and he went crazy for them :) I think next time I will blend it though for the subs and use the sauce for dipping breadsticks. Thank you for the recipe!
This recipe was so easy and delicious!!! I only used half of a sweet onion and that was perfect for my taste. I made this sauce to go with another recipe from this site, which called jarred sauce. It is called 'Sausage and Peppers for a Dozen'. You would have to double this sauce recipe to go along with it. I halved the sausage recipe and it worked great. Thank you so much for this simple and yummy recipe!!!
I made a double batch of this to freeze for future use - use about 2/3 cup chopped Vidalia onion, 3 cloves garlic, subbed tomato puree for the sauce. I still only used a scant tsp sugar, but used 2 tsp oregano and added 1 tsp dried basil. I simmered everything for closer to 45 minutes. Came out really good - I'm rating it 4 stars only because we like more garlic and herbs, and I think it would be a little too plain for us without those adjustments, but even as is it's a nice basic marinara.
Nice flavour - I added fresh basil and oregano to the sauce. I used 6 roma tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes and added 1- 14 oz can of tomato sauce to the pot. Followed all other directions to a "t" and let simmer away on low all afternoon. Does not make a lot of sauce in one batch, so if looking to feed more than 4 people, you will want to increase ingredients accordingly.
I love this recipe. I've fixed it twice now and I love it. Instead of adding the sugar, I add a couple of carrots and stalks of celery, cut into large chunks so I can remove them after the sauce has finished cooking. Also, if I have it, instead of adding the salt, I add the rind from a wedge of good parmesan and it gives SOOO much great flavor. I like that it's chunky, but you could also take a hand blender to it to smooth it out. Also, just for my personal taste, I grate three cloves of fresh garlic in and use a mix of basil and oregano. You should try this and hopefully you'll love it as much as I do.
This was so quick and easy it was unbelievable! I added a little green pepper and mushroom, then cooked Italian sausage on the side to serve with it ... amazing!!
Wow! So simple and so tasty! You cannot mess this one up and you can add or subtract any ingredient to taste and texture.
a nice recipe when you want a no- fuss quick sauce that doesn't require many ingredients. i used this recipe for lasagna and it worked great. i subbed italian seasoning for the oregano
Great recipe. I added 1/2 cup red wine, and my friends thought it was an old family recipe that had cooked all day!
I am giving this 5 stars becuase it was so easy and so tasty. I pretty much followed the recipe except I added some fresh basil and pepper. Good flavors. I will make again.
With some tweaks this is awesome sauce. I used 1/2 an onion; crushed rather than diced tomatoes; added fresh chopped basil to taste (for me I like a lot); 1 red bell pepper finely chopped and sauteed with garlic and onion.
This was excellent! I doubled the recipe and upped the garlic cloves to 4! Also used crushed tomatoes because that is what I had on hand. I sort of screwed up on the seasoning because I used 1 tsp. of each: basil and oregano (should have been 1/2 tsp.) but, everyone said that it was delicious so will probably do it the same way next time. I served this over fresh cheese tortellini. It was delicious!
So easy to make and tastes great. My husband doesn't love chunks of tomatoes, so I usually put the diced tomatoes and blend very lightly to smooth them out a bit (or I just tomato puree). We like to add meatballs too!
Wow - everyone, unfortunately, did not care for this. Only used a small yellow onion and all you could taste was onion. Haven't ever rated a recipe below 3 stars - but wow.
This is good gravy! I have made it twice now. I recommend using 1/2 as much onion as called for, and adding fresh "sweet basil".
Just finished making the sauce for dinner. It smelled terrific ( fresh oregano and basil from my garden). Can't stop dipping into it. Excellent and easy recipe. A definite keeper.
I was skeptical at first that a recipe so simple could taste so yummy, but this was great! I added a little bit of crushed red pepper and about a teaspoon of dried basil to the sauce and I served it over broiled polenta slices--I took it to a dinner party and they were all asking for seconds! I plan on making this again!
This is a great base recipe for a marinara sauce. You can easily add to it peppers, carrots, etc. by lightly suateeing them first. Sweet onions are the best, if available. My one onion was way too huge I realized once I added the tomatoes, so I simply added another can of diced tomatoes and another can of sauce. I used about 6 cloves of garlic, chopped, added crushed red pepper and Italion seasoning, more sugar, and Tony Cachere's, and my dad was literally wiping his plate clean! I did let it simmer for about an hour, too. Served it with angel hair, parmesan breaded chicken breasts and garlic bread...delicious! And easy!
Very nice, simple recipe. It's a great base that allows for additions to accommodate your tastes. I added a few more spices (parsley, crushed red pepper, bay leaf), omitted the onion, and sauteed some fresh mushrooms with the garlic at the beginning. I did let it simmer for over an hour because I had the time to do so and I think the longer sauces simmer, the better they taste. This was really great served over penne pasta. Thank you :)
Hey CALEIGHSMOM, just wanted to let you know, you made my New Year's Eve! My friend and I who dont have a clue about cooking wanted to challenge ourselves by making marinara sauce from scratch for a change. Thanks to your recipe, the end result was delicious! We did make a few changes according to our tastes by doubling the salt and oregano as well as adding some tomato paste and black pepper, which made the flavours really intense! This was the best marinara sauce ive ever had...im never gonna be able to eat the stuff from the jar again!
Good recipe using items I always have in. I used this sauce to go with meatballs. I added some dried basil and italian seasoning. My daughters and myself loved it, my husband thought it tasted a little sour. So if I make it again I thnk I'll add a bit more sugar. Many Thanks
Good basic recipe for marinara sauce. I forgot to add the sugar but it tasted just fine without. I used Italian style diced tomatoes so I didn't need the oregano, plus I don't really like it. I did add some dry parsley instead. Also, I added some cruched red peppers to the oil while it was heating up for some spice and used about 5 cloves of garlic. Thanks for the recipe!
This is a great recipe!! My son kept asking for pasta so I thought I would give this a try. I added canned mushrooms and bell pepper, I had some on hand that I wanted to use before it went bad. It was so delicious. It didn't take long to make and my toddlers ate it up. Thanks for the great recipe.
Awesome sauce! Very easy to prepare and everything you need are basic stock items.
Forget the can and jar garbage. Learn this recipe and forget about it! Haven't bought a pre-made sauce in almost a year! Flexible enough to make this your own.
When it had been cooking for 15 minutes and didn't have much flavor, I sauteed two more cloves of garlic, plus added a 3/4 tsp of Italian seasoning. Even after the addition, we had to put on a ton of Parmesan cheese to make it taste good. We're vegetarian so didn't have meatballs--perhaps that was the problem. It may taste good with meat, but didn't care for it as written.
I really liked this recipe as I was in a hurry and found no canned spaghetti sauce in the cupboard. I followed the recipe except for using 1 teaspoon italian seasoning in place of oregano. Now that I've tried this I prefer it to any canned sauce. It's so simple and you can make it all in one pan.
This was easy and yummy! I loved the chunks. My husband said it was better than a restaurant.
Used 28oz diced tomatoes (purred in blender) 12oz tomato paste 8iz water 1 T sugar and served with "meatball nirvana " and "jimbos garlic knots" from this site. Sooo good!!
I increased the garlic to an insane amount. We really like garlic. I used organic peeled tomatoes and tomato sauce. I also increased the oregano to a teaspoon and a half, abouts. I didn't really measure. This is good, but not our most favorite.
Tasty. Nothing amazing, but a good basic recipe. I added a lot of Itallian seasoning and about a teaspoon more salt. I also pured about 3/4 of the sauce in my Cuisinart. I think this gave it a better texture.
I had never made my own sauce... thought I'd give it a shot since this one looked pretty simple. It's really sooo much better than jarred and not a lot of extra work. I've made it twice now!
First time using a recipe with marinara sauce and i didn't want to use store bought. This was very easy and so good my 8 year old son was snacking on it while I cooked!
It wasn't the best sauce I've had, but it is a very good one especially since it was so easy. I would probably use it again.
This is a great recipe if you need something quick. My brother was making calamari and forgot to buy some dipping sauce so I whipped up this recipe. I only simmered it for 5 minutes and it still turned out yummy.
What a great simple recipe to doctor up to your taste preferences. I just used this to make a delicious spaghetti sauce. I added some chopped up Italian breakfast sausage and let it simmer for about 45 minutes before pouring it over some cooked spaghetti. I really can't think of a dish that's this good and cheap to make at the same time. This is a keeper!
I made this in a pinch when i could not find my other sauce recipe and it was sooo yummy and easy. This is one of the few recipes i did not change a thing too! please try you will love it.
This is so easy! I just went to the pantry and whipped it up. I did use italian seasoning instead of just the oregano. Turned out great:)
I have not purchased jarred sauce since I tried this recipe 4-months ago. I don't enjoy cooking, but this recipe is so quick and easy that anyone can do it. Best of all, it tastes like you actually know how to cook! Thanks for the recipe.
I love this marinara! It's so easy! I double the garlic and the sugar. This is a snap to make. I like to serve this as an accompaniment for the Zucchini Patties from this site.
Can't beat this for fast and easy. I added some basil and a bay leaf and simmered for an hour or so because I was making it for the next day and was in no rush. I used about half the olive oil. Finally, I diced up and added a small quantify of smoked ham I had in the freezer for a little extra flavor. Served over some whole wheat penne pasta this is is a pretty healthy and very tasty dish.
Nice and easy and very tasty....doubled the recipe and used a 28 oz. can of crushed and a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes.....also used dried basil instead of oregano. Used this chunky suace with Awesome Eggplant Rollatine from this site. Thanks!
very tasty and so easy!! I cooked a bag of frozen 5-cheese ravioli to serve with it and everyone loved it..even my picky eater. I'll definitely make it again, thanks!!
so good you need to double make with chicken cacciatore skillet as the spaghetti sauce. Then have spaghetti the next meal.
This is really pretty tasty. It is a little thin for my taste but nothing a can of tomato paste cant fix! I used this over a stuffed manicotti recipe and was an amazing combination!
Yum! Made this sauce to use for eggplant parmesan and it was really awesome! I had to double it for the dish and used every bit of it for one medium sized eggplant. I used 6 garlic cloves, but that's because we are garlic lovers :) I'll be making this sauce from now on instead of buying the canned & jarred stuff since I always have the ingredients on hand. Thanks for a great recipe!!!
I serve this with the Zucchini Patties recipe from this site for dipping. It is perfect!
This was delicious. I used 6oz of tomato paste and 4oz water instead of the tomato sauce. We served it over the "Parmesan Chicken" recipe from this site.
I used dried Italian seasoning instead of just oregano. I impressed my stepmother with my cooking abilities with this recipe.
Great Marinara Sauce, easy to make and tastes delicious. I added some portabella mushrooms and some parsley. This really made my whole wheat pasta taste that much better! Can't wait to make it again!
We love it. I've used it for everything from lasanga to stuffed zucchini. I like to put in diffrent herbs depending on my mood. I've also added 1/4lb ground beef and 1/2 lb hot italian turkey sausage to make a fabulous meat sauce for spagetti. It also freezes wonderfully if you want to double your batch and throw it in the freezer for another night.
This is the greatest basic recipe I have ever tried and the only one I will use from now on. It is good on pasta, rice or any casserole requiring a tomato based sauce
Very simple, tasty recipe. I can't say I loved it, but I may make again with added seasonings. Thanks!
Used only half the onion and added basil. I liked it well enough for a quick tomato sauce in a pinch. My 10 yr old son loves spaghetti sauce, but says he didn't like this as much as Ragu. =(
This just replaced my Mom's spaghetti sauce recipe as the family favorite - sorry Mom. Served with meatballs for dinner tonight - it was awesome. My hunt for the perfect marinara sauce is over...and it's easy.
Really good. I used a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce, added 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning. Served with the Nirvana Meatballs and spaghetti (I cooked the meatballs in the sauce; meatball recipe is on this site) - excellent meal. My daughter asked that we have this every Wednesday, and dub the day "Spaghetti Wednesday".
I'm from an Italian family and this is a great basic, flavorful recipe. Very quick to make. Simmer longer for more of a rich flavor. better the next day.
First time was a success. Served this over the Garlic Cheese Chicken Rollups found elsewhere on this site. This sauce was a perfect complement to the chicken. Added another dash of oregano just for a stonger taste and increased the sugar by another 1/2 tsp to flavor the sauce. I don't like sweet marinara sauces and this is nowhere close to that. Definitely a keeper in the recipe box.
this is a really nice, simple sauce that i've made several times, i've used it in lasagna, eggplant parm, and as a dipping sauce and was complimented every time. my only complaint is that it is very, very chunky, so next time i'm going to add another can of tomato sauce and see if its a little thinner. other than that though very tasty! i like to let it simmer for 45 mins or longer to really meld the flavors.
Incredibly easy, good consistency but I prefer more herbs. I loved that it wasn't sweet like jarred sauces! This worked great for me in a pinch!
"exactly the type of Marinara I was looking for" My Husband loves it and so do I. Quick, easy and delicious! Thank you
I was out of fresh onion and garlic, so I used minced versions of both. I didn't have a can of diced tomatoes, but I had a can of stewed. I also replaced white sugar with brown sugar (I don't use white sugar for health reasons.) The salt was replaced with garlic salt. This was a solid sauce. Nothing spectacular, but not bad, either.
so easy and so good. i made this to use in fabolous zucchini grinders from this site. great didn't change a thing.
Unbelievable how easy this was and absolutely delicious! Added bay leaf and ground pepper for some more flavor. Quck, easy, deliocious!
Very good sauce added a pinch of crushed chilies for heat and fresh basil since I have lots in my garden. Used this sauce with home made meatballs.
Super easy and yummy! I only had a 16 oz can of tomato sauce so used it all and it worked just fine. So much better and almost as quick as using the quality jarred from the store!
Hi made just a few tweaks and everyone loved it. Added 1/2 lb Italian sausage and 1/2 lb gr beef to onion. Then drained and added 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes and 8 oz tomato paste and parsley and Italian seasoning instead of oregano with rest of ingredients. Doubled the sugar. Even with this doubled version not much leftover:)
