This homemade marinara sauce is made ultra-simply from scratch with fresh tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. No cans here, just delicious, fresh from the garden tomato sauce! With over 200 five-star reviews, it’s a foolproof summer classic.
When I first set out to make my own marinara sauce, I went to the grocery and gathered up what I thought should go into a homemade marinara – fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, parsley. When I got home I thought, “eh, better just check to see what the interwebs say about making marinara”.
Well the interwebs say canned tomatoes. Almost always canned tomatoes. Canned stewed tomatoes and tomato paste and canned crushed tomato and all of these sodium-filled cans of tomatoes.
But it’s summer and tomatoes are growing and I have a basket of beautiful ones sitting right here in front of me. So screw the cans. Today we’re making a fresh tomato homemade marinara sauce!
And we’re gonna leave the skin on too! Most recipes will have you blanch the tomato to remove the skin, but I didn’t find it to be all that necessary. AND the skin has healthy insoluble fiber. Double win.
Reader rating
“This is THE marinara sauce! When it was finished cooking and cooled, I tasted it and could not believe how delicious! When one of my daughters arrived for dinner I asked her to taste it just to be sure. She did but said nothing. I asked if it was all right. She said she was just savoring the flavor and didn’t want to interrupt that. Together we decided to leave it chunky rather than purée. It was just right. Other guests said it was the best marinara they had ever eaten.” —Claudette
How to make marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes
To make this simple marinara sauce, heat a touch of oil in a pot, add some garlic, throw in diced fresh tomatoes and let that all simmer. Not only is cooking going to break these tomatoes down into a smooth sauce and remove those sour tones, but it’s also going to increase the concentration of lycopene, one of the most potent antioxidants!
Once you’ve cooked down the tomatoes into your desired thickness and consistency, add in your flavor makers: basil, parsley, and honey.
What are the best tomatoes for marinara sauce?
You can use almost any tomato to make marinara sauce from scratch, but the best ones will be the paste tomatoes. These are meatier and have less water content, meaning you need to cook them for less time to get to that nice, thick sauce. Look for Roma or San Marzano tomatoes (and learn about the different types of tomatoes here).
What’s the best texture for marinara?
This marinara sauce is naturally chunky, but you can easily make it into a smooth and silky marinara with a quick blitz in the blender. I prefer to use a handheld immersion blender to puree it right in the pot, but you could also transfer it (carefully – hot!) to a countertop blender.
Ways to use this Homemade Marinara Sauce
Marinara sauce is a type of tomato sauce that’s more light and acidic than, say a pizza sauce. It’s great as pasta and spaghetti sauce, but there are quite a few ways to use marinara (that aren’t pasta!)
Or use it on a pizza, like our Chickpea Pizza or Veggie Pizza!
Got fresh tomatoes?
You can also use fresh tomatoes to make these favorites!
Seasonal Produce Tip
They say what grows together goes together, so why not use the fresh cucumber growing in your garden to make this easy tzatziki sauce? Serve it as a dip with veggies as a side or appetizer for this marinara!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil 15 mL
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 5 fresh tomatoes 1 to 1.5 lbs, diced
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp Italian parsley flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp honey 15 g
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
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Cook tomatoes: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and allow to simmer uncovered until tomatoes have mostly broken down, about 25 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning.
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Herbs: Stir in remaining ingredients. Continue simmering about 10 minutes.
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Serve: You can serve it like this or puree it in a food processor/blender for a smoother sauce.
Traci says
Can you freeze this with Maple syrup in it ? I am making a large pot and want to freeze alot of it for the winter storage 🙂
Sarah Bond says
Yes that should be fine! 😀
Lana says
Can I can this sauce
Sarah Bond says
We haven’t tested this recipe for canning, sorry about that!
Kim says
This is the best marinara sauce! I thought I was eating in my favorite Italian restaurant. I’ve tried other marinara sauces and they never turned out. This was foolproof and scrumptious!
Sarah Bond says
I’m so happy to hear it, Kim! Enjoy! 😀
Karen S says
To die for!!!!! Thank you for posting!
Sophie says
First time cooking a marinara sauce, total success! Thanks for this simple and tasty recipe!
Traci says
Can you add fresh peppers to this and still freeze ? I froze the last batch and it was amazing-but without peppers in it.
Sarah Bond says
Yes that should be fine! 😀
Dawn says
Delicious! Question though: in the recipe it says 3 whole parsley sprigs then remove: but the video looks like all chopped herbs. I made the first time with whole sprigs but feel like chopped would be easier. Is there is any real difference in flavor
Sarah Bond says
Thanks so much for pointing this out, Dawn! I’ve corrected the recipe, it’s best to just add in all the parsley at the same time as the basil 😀
claude says
Superb RECIPE, simple and very tasty,
I’ve added a few vegetables (leeks, carrots, celery..),
and used celery leaves instead of basil/parsley.
A BIG THANK YOU..!
Michael Desrosiers says
As a Chef the only caution that I would like to offer is not to use an immersion blender or a countertop one at that.
The reason I say this is that it whips a lot of air into the mix and
as a result it will impart a lighter almost orange color instead of the desired deep red.
If I am going the homemade route nothing beats a food mill!
Just my opinion
Sarah Bond says
Thanks for the tip, Michael! 🙂
Clover says
This was very tasty and not hard to make. I don’t cook a lot of pasta but wanted a healthier sauce than the store bought versions (this is lower sodium for sure). One question, is it necessary to remove the seeds? I did but next time I might try leaving them in and use a different type of tomato than I used this time if something less watery is available at that time. If you have to use a watery type of tomato though I think removing the seeds seems like a good idea.
Sarah Bond says
I don’t usually remove the seeds because they’re so small, but you certainly could if the texture bothers you!
Janani Parthasarathy says
It’s so simple thank you, but my fresh tomatoes always turn into pink or light colour compared to bright red is it okay? How to fix the colour?
Sarah Bond says
That’s okay! It may darken a bit as you cook it and the tomato concentrates a bit. But really, tomatoes can vary so much the color may just be lighter with the ones you’re using 😀