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Sauces · Italian-American

Marinara Sauce

Garlic, a little onion, whole canned tomatoes and fresh basil. A big pot in about 40 minutes.

Hands-on
15 min
Hands-off
25 min
Total
40 min
Makes
1.4 litres (about 6 cups)
Serves
8

5 min prep + 35 min cook. About 15 minutes of hands-on work (chopping, the 5-minute saute, bringing it to the boil), then a 25-30 minute uncovered simmer where you only stir now and then. Total = 15 min active + 25 min simmering; allow 5 minutes more if your sauce needs the longer simmer.

  • easy
  • vegan
  • vegetarian
  • gluten-free
  • dairy-free
  • pasta-night
  • make-ahead
  • freezer-friendly
  • pantry

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Marinara Sauce
Amount
Units

Ingredients

You need: large, deep bowl · large saucepan or pot (it has to hold three cans of tomatoes) · wooden spoon · sharp knife and board

Contains: none of the 9 major allergens in the listed ingredients

Method

  1. Open up the tomatoes

    Tip the 3 cans of tomatoes (2.4 kg / three 28 oz cans) into a large, deep bowl. Break them up roughly with your hands or chop them, then pour off and discard about half of the juice.

    Otto tried this firstOtto squeezes a whole tomato in a shallow bowl and paints the kitchen red. A deep bowl is the trick.

  2. Saute the onion and garlic

    Heat the 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion (1/4 medium onion) and the 4 sliced garlic cloves and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.

    Ready when: The onion and garlic are lightly browned. Keep stirring so the garlic doesn't go dark.

  3. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil

    Add the tomatoes with the juice you kept, the 3 thyme sprigs and the chopped basil from the small bunch. Bring it to a boil. Stand back a little, because the sauce can spit.

    Ready when: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface.

  4. Simmer until thick

    Turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered, for about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then so nothing catches on the bottom.

    Ready when: The sauce has thickened: a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a trail that fills in slowly, not a watery puddle.

    Otto tried this firstOtto turns the heat to high to speed things up and the bottom catches. A gentle simmer and the odd stir are enough.

  5. Season and serve

    Pick out and discard the thyme sprigs. Stir in the 2 tsp kosher salt, add black pepper to taste, and serve over pasta.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
Make it ahead and refrigerate it (see storage). Reheat it gently while the pasta cooks.
Storage
Cool it and refrigerate within 2 hours in a covered container. Use it within 3 days. For longer, freeze it and use it within 2 months.
Reheat
Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until it bubbles and is steaming hot all the way through: 74°C (165°F) on a thermometer.

If something goes wrong

  • Sauce is thin and watery Why: It hasn't simmered long enough, or too much juice went in.
    Keep simmering uncovered, stirring now and then, until it thickens. Go by the look of the sauce, not a fixed time.
  • Sauce tastes sharp or too salty Why: Canned tomatoes vary a lot in acidity and saltiness.
    Season at the very end. If it tastes sharp, stir in sugar a little at a time, up to 1 to 2 tsp. Add salt only after tasting.

Good to know

  • Breaking the tomatoes by hand gives a chunky sauce. For a smoother sauce, pulse it briefly with an immersion blender once it has simmered.
  • Taste before you add all the salt: some brands of canned tomatoes are already quite salty.

Safety

  • Hot oil and spitting tomato sauce can burn. Use a long wooden spoon, and an adult should handle the pot. Kids can do the tomato-crushing in the bowl.
  • Don't leave the sauce out for more than 2 hours after cooking. Leftover sauce goes in the fridge.
  • Reheat leftovers until steaming hot, 74°C / 165°F.