Easy marinara sauce made from scratch. Perfect to serve over pasta or chicken dishes.
One of the best and most delicious pasta sauce recipes is a simple marinara sauce, which can be served over a large variety of pasta (fettuccine, linguine, short and long pasta, etc.). Perhaps, most often it is served over spaghetti as a meatless spaghetti sauce or spaghetti marinara.
So, what is a marinara sauce? Marinara sauce is a basic tomato sauce, made with tomatoes, garlic, onions, and herbs (usually basil), some red pepper flakes, and a little bit of red wine. Marinara sauce is meant to be very simple. There is no need to over-think this sauce. There is no need to over-complicate it with more ingredients. The deliciousness of this sauce comes from its simplicity.
Because this sauce is so simple, your kids will love it! Just boil some spaghetti or linguine, mix it in with some marinara, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese - and this dish will be a favorite with kids and adults alike!
The marinara sauce takes only 30 minutes to make and is so convenient because you're using the most basic items from your pantry!
Although this basic tomato sauce IS MEANT to be used as is, it can also serve as a great starting base for a large variety of more complicated sauces, involving more herbs, more flavor, other veggies (such as mushrooms, red bell peppers, etc.), even meat. But, today we are enjoying a simple and basic marinara:
Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion , chopped
- 5 cloves garlic , chopped
- 28 oz whole plum tomatoes , from the can
- 1 tablespoon basil
- ¼ cup red wine
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat, add onion, garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and basil and wine and cook the sauce on medium-low heat, while it simmers covered, for about 30 minutes.
- Place the sauce in food processor and process until puree consistency.
- Return the sauce to the same pan, re-heat gently and add salt and pepper to taste.
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Such an exceptional recipe for a weeknight dinner! The fragrant sauce simmers away while the pasta is prepared, just blissful!
Mmm a simple marinara sauce is the best!
This pasta is beautiful. Such a simple, stunningly perfect marinara sauce!!
I love how bright and cheerful the food always look here, Julia. : ) And you can't go wrong with a good, classic marinara sauce recipe. It's like the little black dress every woman needs. ; )
Marinara sauce is a favourite. Love the bright colour of those clicks, Julia.
I am not even a huge fan of pasta - but your photos always have me drooling! Thanks for sharing this easy marinara sauce recipe, Julia!
I LOVE pasta sauce and marinara tops the list! This looks delicious! How do you get your colors so vibrant? Beautiful
That's a good one to have it at hand! Thanks for sharing! 🙂 ela
You photo so prettily!
Yum! So easy and delicious. Love that you added the wine. Such an important ingredient providing depth of flavor. Gorgeous photos as always, my friend! Thanks for sharing. Pinned!