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+ servings
a large grey saucepan filled with tomato sauce topped with chopped parsley
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5 from 11 votes

Homemade Marinara Sauce

A quick-cooking marinara sauce full of flavors from garlic and onion, and San Marzano tomatoes. This sauce is wonderful to make in bulk and freeze extras for later.
Course Sauce
Cuisine Italian
Keyword easy homemade marinara sauce, easy homemade pasta sauce, homemade pasta sauce with diced tomatoes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 cups
Calories 110kcal
Author Eileen Kelly

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add olive oil. Stir in onion and carrots. Saute for about 5 minutes to begin to soften the vegetables.
  • Mix in the garlic, Italian seasoning, ground fennel, salt, and pepper. Stir for about 1 minute to blend flavors.
  • Pour in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and bay leaf.
  • Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot with a lid and let the sauce simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove and discard the bay leaf.
  • If a smooth sauce is desired, use an immersion blender to puree the ingredients.
  • Taste for seasoning, reseason if needed. If desired, sprinkle with fresh basil or parsley. Serve over pasta, chicken, with meatballs, etc.

Notes

Be sure to check the Expert Tips and FAQs above with important tips and questions that can help make a delicious recipe. 
  • Note 1: Add the seasoning with the onions allowing the dried seasoning to develop flavor.
Variations:
    • If you do not have Italian seasoning available, use dried basil, oregano, and parsley, about ½ teaspoon of each. Again, if you only have one or two of these dried spices,  use them and adjust the seasoning, to taste. 
    • If tomato paste is unavailable, add some pasta water to your sauce for thickening.
    • A teaspoon of cornstarch and water can be used to thicken marinara. I make a triple batch and freeze the sauce in 1-quart freezer bags to use for the month.  Awesome meal prep to use in other meals like pasta, eggplant, and spaghetti squash.
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
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Nutrition

Serving: 12servings | Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 566mg | Potassium: 863mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 2000IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 4mg