Marinara Sauce Recipe | Sauced

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated August 30, 2018
20110814-166086-marinara.jpg

When working on this marinara recipe, I realized I had probably never made marinara the same way twice. I've done versions that are no more than tomatoes, garlic, and onion; others have me scouring the cupboards for every ingredient I can possibly find to throw in and see what cooks up.

This isn't a "master recipe" for marinara since the sauce can be so varied, but what I came up with here has a great balance. The tomatoes stay dominant but other flavors—small amounts of carrot, celery, as well as the ubiquitous onion and garlic—add nice undertones, as do the additional seasonings like crushed red pepper, oregano, and basil. The red pepper offers just the slightest kick, a fitting flavor to pair with the acidity of the tomatoes.

I was incredibly happy with this sauce, though it'll be hard to break my habit of marinara sauces being a creation of the moment.

Recipe Details

Marinara Sauce Recipe | Sauced

Active 30 mins
Total 60 mins
Serves 12 servings
Makes 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients

  • Two 28-ounce cans good quality whole tomatoes, crushed by hand

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced

  • 1 small carrot, finely shredded

  • 1 celery stalk, finely chopped

  • 4 medium cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a medium sauce pan until shimmering. Add onions and cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add in carrot and celery and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

  2. Add in tomatoes, oregano, and crushed red pepper, stir to combine, and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  3. Remove from heat, stir in basil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Use immediately or let cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze up to 6 months.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
74Calories
5gFat
8gCarbs
2gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories74
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g6%
Saturated Fat 1g3%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 222mg10%
Total Carbohydrate 8g3%
Dietary Fiber 2g7%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 20mg98%
Calcium 23mg2%
Iron 1mg3%
Potassium 365mg8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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