• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Living Lou

Simple, fresh and flavorful recipes.

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Contact
    • Work with me
    • Press & Media
    • Send me a Message
  • About

Home » easy » 20 Minute Homemade Marinara Sauce

20 Minute Homemade Marinara Sauce

Published: Jan 11, 2016 · Modified: Jul 22, 2020 by Louisa Clements · This post may contain affiliate links

This post may contain affiliate links

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
Jump to Recipe
25 minutes 29 Comments

Make a restaurant worthy homemade marinara sauce in just twenty minutes with passata, tomato paste, onion, garlic and basil.

Homemade marinara sauce in a glass jar.

I’ve been on the hunt for the ultimate homemade marinara sauce recipe forever. I wanted to perfect a homemade version of marinara sauce similar to the way I perfected my recipe for homemade pizza sauce. 

For the sake of convenience I’ll use store bought marinara sauce from time to time, but I also wanted a recipe in my back pocket to add to easy pasta recipes.

This recipe has been years in the making and along the way, I’ve learned that there are a couple of important elements to making the perfect marinara sauce.

A scoop being taken out of cheesy sausage and pepper pasta

Try marinara sauce in baked rigatoni with sausage and peppers.

What ingredients do you need for an easy homemade marinara sauce? 

The first secret has to do with the depth of flavour. I use a combination of tomato paste and passata to get a rich tomato flavour for this sauce. The passata and tomato paste are simmered for twenty minutes to give this sauce an intense tomato flavour.

What is passata? 

Passata is a tomato puree made of strained tomatoes. It’s typically used in Italian and European cooking. It has a more intense and ‘clean’ tomato flavour.

It also comes in tall glass jars which avoids that “tinny” aftertaste often found in canned tomato products.

High angle of marinara sauce in a jar with fresh basil and a wooden spoon.

The next secret to the perfect homemade marinara sauce comes from the balance of acidity and sweetness. Tomatoes are inherently acidic which means that they require sugar and salt to create balance.

Should you add sugar to tomato sauce? 

There are many schools of thought when it comes to homemade tomato sauce. I find that marinara sauce needs to be slightly sweeter than your typical tomato sauce, so I stir my sugar in at the end of the cooking process and taste and adjust as necessary.

Always taste your marinara sauce before adding any sugar; sometimes tomatoes can be sweeter than others. 

Beef meatballs in slow cooker with tomato sauce and basil.

Try slow cooker meatballs in tomato sauce.

Finally the flavour agents for this sauce are simple; onion and garlic. But not in the way they are typically prepared for tomato sauce.

I was inspired by Marcella Hazan’s method for tomato sauce where she simmers a halved onion in her sauce then discards it at the end. This allows the onion to impart subtle flavour into the sauce without it altering the texture or flavour the same way a finely chopped or diced onion would.

Should I use fresh basil or dried basil?

The final secret that I will share with you today is to stir in fresh basil at the end. Basil is a delicate herb which means it should be stirred in at the end of the cooking process or eaten raw and sprinkled on top as a garnish.  

This recipe makes two cups of sauce, but it can easily be doubled to make more.

20 Minute Homemade Marinara Sauce

Author: Louisa Clements
3.97 from 28 votes
Make a restaurant worthy homemade marinara sauce in just twenty minutes with passata, tomato paste, onion, garlic and basil.
Pin Print
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
servings icon
Servings: 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 680ml bottle of passata
  • 1 onion, halved and peeled
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

Instructions

  • Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and tomato paste, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the tomato paste turns a deep red and starts to caramelize. Add passata, onion, garlic and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Discard onion and garlic. Stir in sugar and basil.
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + rating and let me know what you think!
Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, easy, gluten free, quick recipes, vegan, vegetarian
Nutrition Facts
20 Minute Homemade Marinara Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 112 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 711mg31%
Potassium 261mg7%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 297IU6%
Vitamin C 9mg11%
Calcium 27mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any specific dietary concerns, please consult with your healthcare practitioner.

Give my homemade marinara sauce a try and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Rate this recipe: ☆☆☆☆☆

Comments

  1. Fred Prager

    December 10, 2022 at 2:41 am

    As an aside I would ask if the finished sauce can be frozen for later use. It would appear that most tomato based sauces can be. If so I would think the basil should be added when you reheat the sauce, yes? I have used Passata for ages in Lasagna and as a base but have been looking for a simple Marinara recipe and this fits the bill. Thanks!
    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      December 20, 2022 at 12:07 am

      Hi Fred, yes you could definitely freeze this, just leave the basil out and then add it after reheating. I hope you enjoy it!
      Reply
  2. Marie Thomson

    November 05, 2020 at 4:45 pm

    this was a perfect quick recipe, the only small change i made was to use dried chopped onion (that i didn't even soften with a bit of hot water) that i added as directed then followed the recipe exactly as written. the outcome was so tasty; no longer will i buy jarred sauce as this was SO EASY there is not reason not to make it myself.
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      November 11, 2020 at 11:29 am

      I'm so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Marie! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, it is much appreciated! :)
      Reply
  3. Leona

    July 10, 2020 at 9:34 am

    Can I use tomato paste instead of the marinara
    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      July 11, 2020 at 11:09 pm

      Hi Leona, I wouldn't recommend using tomato paste instead of passata, but you could try using a can of crushed tomatoes instead. I Hope you enjoy!
      Reply
  4. Shirley Clements

    May 31, 2020 at 4:37 pm

    I love your marinara sauce!
    ★★★★★
    Reply
  5. Alison

    January 04, 2020 at 7:22 pm

    What do you mean by ‘discard’ the onions and garlic? Do you strain the cause through a sieve?
    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      January 22, 2020 at 9:16 am

      Hi Alison, I just take them out with tongs because they are easy enough to find in the marinara sauce.
      Reply
    • Sipergirl

      June 07, 2022 at 9:46 am

      Leave the onions and garlic unchopped and you can pull them right out at the end
      Reply
  6. Sarah

    September 18, 2019 at 9:48 am

    I have never made marinara sauce, but it's something I would like to try. This recipe looks simple enough and I bet the flavor is amazing. Going to give it a try!
    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      September 22, 2019 at 1:46 pm

      Thanks Sarah! I hope you enjoy!
      Reply
  7. Faye

    August 20, 2018 at 6:53 pm

    This is such a simple sauce that is so so good! I’m glad I stumbled across it, it’s been less than 2 weeks and I’ve already made it twice.
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Lou

      August 26, 2018 at 4:09 pm

      Faye, I'm thrilled you enjoy it! It's so simple and delicious--thanks for letting me know!
      Reply
  8. Shirley

    October 31, 2016 at 3:11 pm

    I love your Homemade 20 minute Marinara Sauce recipe! I had never heard about Passata sauce, before so I went out & bought it! Adds an awesome flavour to a sauce!
    Reply
    • Lou

      November 02, 2016 at 7:21 pm

      So glad you discovered passata! It's my favourite to use in sauces! :)
      Reply
  9. Food Mumbai

    January 28, 2016 at 2:34 am

    Easy recipe to prepare at home to some extent.... Thanks a lot Meaghan to introduce this quickly made sauce to us... Best wishes from Food Mumbai Blog
    Reply
  10. Meaghan

    January 15, 2016 at 4:44 pm

    Love love this recipe! Will definitely try this to add flavor to passata.. Instead of my shameful, rushed tossing a jar of passata with pasta for quick dinner.
    Reply
    • Lou

      January 19, 2016 at 9:32 am

      Thank you Meaghan! You'll be surprised by how easy it is to add a burst of flavour with just a few ingredients and only in 20 minutes :)
      Reply
  11. Amanda C

    January 15, 2016 at 11:57 am

    I love how the best Italian food is always ore simple and deconstructed than you would guess. That is always a sign of a 'true' dish! Also, great shot!
    Reply
    • Lou

      January 19, 2016 at 9:32 am

      Thanks, Amanda!
      Reply
  12. Taylor

    January 15, 2016 at 11:33 am

    I make tomato sauce like this all the time, it's become my go-to! So much better than the jarred stuff ;)
    Reply
    • Lou

      January 19, 2016 at 9:32 am

      Yes, so much better than the jarred stuffed. Thanks, Taylor!
      Reply
  13. Priya

    January 12, 2016 at 9:45 pm

    Love the technique you share here.
    Reply
    • Lou

      January 15, 2016 at 11:23 am

      Thanks Priya, let me know if you give it a try!
      Reply
      • nileshni ram

        November 20, 2020 at 9:13 pm

        Trying this today.
        Reply
        • Louisa Clements

          November 24, 2020 at 9:38 pm

          I hope you enjoy! Let me know how it turns out.
          Reply
    • Marc Renshaw

      January 02, 2019 at 11:57 am

      I thought you always cook the garlic and onion off first
      Reply
      • Lou

        January 13, 2019 at 5:16 pm

        Hi Marc, not for this recipe, the onion and garlic permeate the sauce, it's based on Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce method!
        Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Lou!

Hi, I'm Louisa Clements & welcome to Living Lou. I've been creating simple, fresh & flavorful recipes for the modern kitchen for 12 years.
Learn More

Let’s connect

Living Lou

Copyright © 2023 Living Lou | Privacy

  • Home
  • All Recipes
  • Contact
  • About

Footer