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Home · Recipes · Condiments, Sauces, and Marinades · Weeknight Italian Marinara Sauce Recipe

Published: Jul 6, 2018 by Kelly Anthony · 19 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

Weeknight Italian Marinara Sauce Recipe

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The best weeknight recipe for Italian marinara sauce. Made easy with a quick simmer of canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, and more!

An overhead shot of italian marinara sauce in a clear glass har. Sitting next to the jar is a whole onion.

DINNER IS BETTER WHEN EVERYONE'S ON BOARD

Spaghetti with Italian marinara sauce is a universally accepted dinner by children across the globe, and a dish both Italian and American mom's serve up with ease. Cause let's face it: Life with littles is way easier when we don't have to listen to them gripe over our dinnertime selections.

Growing up, my mom made us spaghetti dinner on a weekly basis, and these days, it's a dinner I know I can serve up to my own picky little eaters with zero complaints echoing from the background. Less complaining and more eating. Yes, please.

Dinner is just better when everyone is on board, isn't it?

The marinara my working mom topped our spaghetti with was always store-bought, and it was only at grandmother's place that we were given the gold -- the good stuff, if you will. It was a homemade Italian marinara sauce that would knock your socks off, and there wasn't a jar on the planet that could compare.

A close up shot of italian marinara sauce in a clear glass jar.

Now, I've heard how the old-school Italians do marinara -- simmering away for a day and even allowing it to sit overnight to just keep-on, keeping-on building flavor. That's all fine and grand, and if you have a day and a night to dedicate to sauce, more power to ya. But over here in this kitchen, we gotta get dinner on the table just a lit-tle bit quicker than that.

My grandmother managed to knock out a pretty stellar marinara in less than an hour, and that's exactly what we are going to do here today.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE ITALIAN MARINARA SAUCE

Italian marinara sauce is easy to make from scratch. You'll need a red bell pepper, a yellow onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, seasoning, and fresh herbs (if you'd like). Let's start with the most important part -- the tomatoes.

USE CANNED TOMATOES

All canned tomatoes were not created equal, and some boast much more flavor than others. If you are a foodie at heart, you know good and well that San Marzanos are the creme de la creme in the tomato world when it comes to marinara sauce. The base of our sauce will consist mainly of crushed San Marzanos. Crushed tomatoes will give your sauce more body (than say a can of whole tomatoes) in less time.

In addition to crushed San Marzanos, we'll be pulling in one more type of canned tomatoes, and this, my friend, is our secret weapon to making the best weeknight Italian marinara sauce this side of the Atlantic ocean.

Fire roasted tomatoes impart a massive amount of flavor in a very small amount of time, and they take this homemade marinara from "pretty good" to "the best you've ever had." Use crushed if you can find them, but diced works just fine for this recipe as well.

START WITH FRESH INGREDIENTS

So we've all heard the saying "fresh is best," but as we just learned, when it comes to making a weeknight dinner featuring a homemade Italian marinara sauce, canned tomatoes are the way to go. To get the best of both worlds, we're going to spruce up those canned tomatoes using fresh ingredients.

Savory, aromatic ingredients like diced red bell pepper, yellow onion, and lots of fragrant minced garlic are used to start our marinara sauce off in the right direction. Then, in goes the crushed San Marzanos, the fire roasted tomatoes, and it's time for a little spice.

SPICE IT UP

The spices you need for an exceptional homemade marinara sauce are simple, and you likely already have them in your spice cabinet. Kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and granulated sugar are all you need. Sugar not only balances out the savory aspect of the sauce but also helps to offset any metallic taste from the canned tomatoes.

Many Italian marinara sauce recipes will actually call for carrots to sweeten the sauce. However, this is a simple weeknight marinara sauce, and I guarantee, you will not be missing the carrots.

LET IT SIMMER. BUT, WHY?

Once all of the ingredients have come together, it's time let it all simmer and allow those flavors to meld into one another. Simmering also helps to cook out any residual metallic flavor from the canned tomatoes, deepens the overall flavor, and thickens the sauce. About 25-30 minutes of simmering is really all you need for a great homemade marinara sauce.

Note, a simmer is different than a boil. You do not want to allow your sauce to burn on the bottom, and you may want to consider using an enameled cast iron Dutch oven for cooking your marinara sauce. They are an even conductor of heat and are far less likely to burn on the bottom than a stainless steel saucepan.

ADD SOME FRESH HERBS

When it comes to herbs, the fresh is best mentality remains. Toward the end of the cook time, feel free to throw in herbs like basil and/or oregano. You can either mince them or throw in a few sprigs and fish them out before serving.

A meatball covered in marinara sauce resting on a wood spoon being held over a pot of sauce.

PUREE...OR DON'T. YOUR CHOICE.

If you prefer a smooth marinara, you can either ladle the sauce into a blender or use an immersion blender. The immersion blender is less work and my go-to choice for a perfectly smooth marinara sauce.

ADD SOME MEAT AND SIMMER SOME MORE

Once your marinara has reached completion, feel free to add a pound of seasoned ground beef or some of these Easy Baked Meatballs to your sauce.

If you're adding meat to the marinara, be sure to let the meat simmer in there for an additional 15-20 minutes so those flavors have time to meld.

Mmmmmmm...can you hear the children clapping yet?

A white plate full of spaghetti and meatballs sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan.

PUT AWAY THE JARS. FOR GOOD.

Oh yes, the children will indeed be singing your praises for this one. Actually husbands too. You know what? Why don't you go ahead and pat yourself on the back while you're at it. Because this is one heck of a weeknight dinner, and you just threw it together in less than an hour.

Time to put away the jars, ladies. With a weeknight marinara this good, we certainly won't be needing them anymore. Please, enjoy.

5 MORE RECIPES WITH MARINARA SAUCE YOU'LL LOVE

  • Homemade Chicken Parmesan features a crispy crust made of panko bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese. Topped with marinara and fresh Mozzarella.
  • Baked Spaghetti Casserole is made of spaghetti noodles coated in parmesan and butter, an easy marinara meat sauce, savory cottage cheese, and a topping of stretchy mozzarella, and baked until bubbly!
  • Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders features chicken strips, panko breadcrumbs, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Don’t forget marinara sauce on the side for dipping!
  • Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs from scratch! Featuring homemade meatballs baked in the oven.
  • Stuffed Shells are loaded with Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese, topped off with marinara and cheese, and baked for a crowd-pleasing casserole!
Italian Marinara Sauce Recipe
Print Recipe
5 from 13 votes

Weeknight Italian Marinara Sauce

An easy recipe for homemade Italian marinara sauce you whip up quickly for weeknight dinners!
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Total Time35 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Italian Marinara Sauce
Servings: 8
Calories: 61kcal
Author: Kelly Anthony

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 red bell pepper seeded and finely diced
  • 1 yellow onion finely diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 (28 ounce) can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced or crushed fire roasted tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Generous pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons freshly minced basil (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons freshly minced oregano (optional)

Instructions

  • Add the olive oil to an enameled cast iron Dutch oven or a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the pepper and onion, and sauté 5-8 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
  • Add the canned tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and allow to come to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 25-30 minutes with the lid ajar, stirring often. If using fresh herbs, add them after about 20 minutes of simmering.
  • If desired, puree using an immersion blender or a blender with the feed tube removed and a dish towel covering its place. 

If Adding Meat:

  • Add 1 pound of seasoned, cooked ground beef or a batch of Easy Baked Meatballs, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Serve over spaghetti noodles or spaghetti squash, and enjoy.

Nutrition

Calories: 61kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 728mg | Potassium: 62mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 500IU | Vitamin C: 20.4mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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Comments

  1. Jenni says

    July 12, 2018 at 11:59 am

    Love this! Marinara is one of those things that I KNOW I should make from scratch because its easy and way better, but I am usually lazy and just crack open a jar. Gonna stop doing that and use this awesome guide. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kelly Anthony says

      July 12, 2018 at 8:08 pm

      Happiest of days! Thanks, Jenni!!! It really is SO SIMPLE! And you can even double the batch and freeze half of it for a few months down the road!

      Reply
  2. kim says

    July 15, 2018 at 9:19 pm

    This looks fantastic and I know my whole family would love it! Can't wait to give it a try!

    Reply
    • Kelly Anthony says

      July 16, 2018 at 7:40 pm

      Thanks so much, Kim!

      Reply
  3. Renee Gardner says

    July 15, 2018 at 10:57 pm

    There is nothing like homemade marinara! I agree that when you are making sauce, nothing beats the consistency of canned tomatoes. I've never tried the fire roasted ones, but I'm definitely trying them next time!

    Reply
    • Kelly Anthony says

      July 16, 2018 at 7:40 pm

      You'll love them! Thanks, Renee!

      Reply
  4. Dahn says

    July 15, 2018 at 11:05 pm

    Homemade marinara is the BEST!! My tomato plants should be producing ripe fruit next month and they are going in some marinara. Thanks for the post.

    Reply
    • Kelly Anthony says

      July 16, 2018 at 7:39 pm

      We had a ton this summer! One of our favorite veggies to grow 🙂

      Reply
  5. Deborah says

    July 15, 2018 at 11:13 pm

    Oh yum, I love a good marinara. and I especially love that this is vegan. The color is amazing too! So bright and ruby red. Thanks for sharing, can't wait to try.

    Reply
  6. Pam Greer says

    July 15, 2018 at 11:31 pm

    Now you've got me absolutely craving some spaghetti and meatballs!! I love a good homemade marinara and it's been way too long since I've had any!

    Reply
    • Kelly Anthony says

      July 16, 2018 at 4:35 pm

      It's our favorite! Me and MY girls 🙂 We eat it all the time!

      Reply
  7. Sara says

    July 16, 2018 at 1:57 am

    This sounds wonderful and easy too. I noticed you said to use tinned tomatoes, but I have an abundance of fresh tomatoes in my garden. Can I use those instead? Anything I might need to do differently?

    Reply
    • Kelly Anthony says

      July 16, 2018 at 4:37 pm

      Yes! So the water content in fresh tomatoes is fairly high, so I would definitely seed them. I also run my fresh tomatoes through a food mill before adding them to the saucepan. Here is a recipe for marinara with fresh tomatoes! Very similar in flavor, but the process is slightly more laborious. https://www.theanthonykitchen.com/scratch-made-marinara-recipe/ Either way, enjoy!

      Reply
  8. Dana says

    July 16, 2018 at 9:05 pm

    Spaghetti was always on our menu when I was growing up, too! You're right. It's universally accepted by just about everyone. (As it should be, because YUM.) This is such a great "weeknight wonder" type of recipe and everyone needs those up their sleeves.

    Reply
    • Kelly Anthony says

      July 19, 2018 at 9:07 pm

      Thank you so much, Dana! Totally agree 🙂

      Reply
  9. Caroline @ Pinch Me, I'm Eating! says

    July 26, 2018 at 10:43 pm

    This looks and sounds soooo good! I have to admit, I do default to a jar on a busy night where I just want to throw two things in a pot and zone out on the couch while it simmers. But this doesn't seem that much more time consuming, honestly! Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply
    • Kelly Anthony says

      July 28, 2018 at 11:35 am

      It gets quicker and quicker every time you make it! Thanks, Caroline!

      Reply
  10. Monica | Nourish + Fete says

    August 01, 2018 at 4:24 am

    This looks delicious! I totally agree, I'm all about the low and slow method when time permits, but with kids and work and life, it pays to be able to make a fantastic sauce fast!! And of course marinara is the best of the best. Great recipe. 🙂

    Reply
    • Kelly Anthony says

      August 01, 2018 at 11:32 pm

      Thank you, Monica! Couldn't agree more 🙂

      Reply
5 from 13 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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I’m Kelly Anthony — a baker, home chef, and mom with a passion for food and an adoration for entertaining.

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