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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Cara’s Marinara Sauce with San Marzano tomatoes

    Published: Aug 29, 2019 · Modified: Feb 13, 2022 by Cara Kretz · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

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    San Marzano canned tomatoesMarinara is the basic tomato sauce for many Italian dishes. My version is quick to make and preserves the fresh and bright flavor of the tomatoes. The secret to making a great marinara is to use imported San Marzano tomatoes or freshly picked, ripe garden tomatoes. Canned San Marzano tomatoes from Italy are available year round. Be sure to look for the certified Italian ones, not the brands that are produced in the US. They are not the same.  This sauce cooks in 20 minutes. I usually make a big batch and jar the leftovers. It also freezes well. This picture is my Marinara with Bucatini (fat spaghetti) pasta and a Chicken Pecorino meatball.

    Marinara Bucatini and Chicken Pecorino MeatballMarinara on stoveMarinara Jar

    Cara's Marinara
    Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Cara’s Marinara Sauce with San Marzano tomatoes

    This quick marinara sauce is fresh, bright, sweet and spicy. The quality of the tomato is important. Use imported canned San Marzano tomatoes if you can, or fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes. Marinara is the base for other Sauces such as Sunday Gravy with meat, Red Clam sauce, and pizza sauce. Make it in large batches for freezing or storing in jars.
    Course Pasta
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Author Homemade Italian Cooking with Cara

    Ingredients

    • 5-6 cloves garlic chopped
    • 1 medium onion diced
    • 2 TB olive oil
    • 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
    • 3 cans San Marzano tomatoes
    • 2 tsp. kosher salt
    • 1 tsp. black pepper
    • 1 bunch fresh basil

    Instructions

    • Add the oil, garlic, onion, and red pepper to a large pan on the stove.
    • When the garlic starts to brown, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a simmer, while crushing the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. Add a sprig of fresh basil.
    • Cook the sauce for about 20 minutes or until the liquid is reduced a bit. The sauce can simmer on low on the stove until the pasta is ready or take off the stove and store in glass jars / ziplock bags until needed.
    « Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gordon Kouba

      May 08, 2017 at 9:18 pm

      5 stars
      The best!

      Reply
      • homemadeitaliancooking

        May 09, 2017 at 7:32 am

        Thank you Gordon! Coming from you it means a lot!

        Reply
    2. Ann

      May 21, 2015 at 11:52 am

      5 stars
      I love the simplicity of this sauce. It looks delicious.

      Reply
      • homemadeitaliancooking

        May 21, 2015 at 11:53 am

        Thanks Ann! Let me know if you try it.

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Classic Homemade Gnocchi - 3 ingredients! – Homemade Italian Cooking says:
      July 5, 2017 at 7:00 am

      […] cheese to get a slightly-crispy cheesy crust. The traditional way to serve them is to toss them in Marinara Sauce with fresh basil. Freshly grated parmesan cheese is a […]

      Reply
    2. The Best Italian Meatballs • Homemade Italian Cooking says:
      February 3, 2016 at 6:56 am

      […] meatball are simmered in Marinara Sauce and used as a meat side with your Sunday Pasta Dinner, or in a meatball sandwich! Sprinkle some […]

      Reply
    3. The Best Italian Meatballs • Homemade Italian Cooking says:
      February 3, 2016 at 6:56 am

      […] meatball are simmered in Marinara Sauce and used as a meat side with your Sunday Pasta Dinner, or in a meatball sandwich! Sprinkle some […]

      Reply
    4. Classic Eggplant Parmesan • Homemade Italian Cooking says:
      January 12, 2016 at 8:12 am

      […] and let the crispy-fried eggplant and sharp, salty parmesan be the star! When paired with my quick tomato and garlic marinara (yes, those are chunks of garlic), it is a near perfect dish! We had friends over last night who […]

      Reply
    5. Tomato Harvest: Canning Beefsteak Tomatoes • Homemade Italian Cooking says:
      October 2, 2015 at 8:44 am

      […] at the bright red jars in my pantry. I also love good imported canned San Marzano tomatoes (see my Marinara sauce recipe) but having my own canned local, organic tomatoes is very satisfying as well. At first it seems […]

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Cara Mia Cipolla. My goal is to pass on my recipes, tips and secrets and hopefully inspire others to become great home cooks. In addition to the blog, I also write cookbooks, teach cooking classes, and take on the occasional consulting project for other culinary businesses.

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