How to Make Marinara Sauce Recipe
Making Classic Marinara Sauce Recipe At Home
This homemade marinara sauce recipe is almost tastes immeasurably better than even the best supermarket sauce — and it’s made with basic pantry ingredients. All the tricks to a bright red, lively-tasting sauce, made just as it is in the south of Italy (no butter, no onions) are in this recipe. Use a skillet instead of the usual saucepan: the water evaporates quickly, so the tomatoes are just cooked through as the sauce becomes thick.
Marinara sauce recipe ingredients
Yield: 3½ cups, enough for 1 pound of pasta
1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, certified D.O.P. if possible
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
7 garlic cloves, peeled and slivered
Small dried whole chile, or pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large fresh basil sprig, or ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, more to taste
Instructions to Prepare Marinara Sauce Recipe at Home
Step 1: Pour tomatoes into a large bowl and crush with your hands. Pour 1 cup water into can and slosh it around to get tomato juices. Reserve.
Step 2: In a large skillet (do not use a deep pot) over medium heat, heat the oil. When it is hot, add garlic.
Step 3: As soon as garlic is sizzling (do not let it brown), add the tomatoes, then the reserved tomato water. Add whole chile or red pepper flakes, oregano (if using) and salt. Stir.
Step 4: Place basil sprig, including stem, on the surface (like a flower). Let it wilt, then submerge in sauce. Simmer sauce until thickened and oil on surface is a deep orange, about 15 minutes. (If using oregano, taste sauce after 10 minutes of simmering, adding more salt and oregano as needed.) Discard basil and chile (if using).
After graduating from LeCordon Bleu at the top of his class Chef Randy dove head-first into a culinary career working in many top-tier restaurants including the Golden 1 Center Arena as a lead cook. He later owned and operated a mobile woodfired pizza concept where he championed whole and natural ingredients. Chef Randy is passionate about healthy food and developing relationships with local providers for true farm-to-fork food production.