We use just five ingredients for our authentic Italian marinara sauce (and that includes oil and salt)! Minimal ingredients are the key to authenticity, but feel free to add your favorites to make it your own.
Today is all about making an authentic Italian marinara sauce with a super fresh tomato flavor, velvety texture, and richness from high-quality olive oil.
Aside from being delicious, having a batch of marinara ready to go opens up a world of possibilities. You can make pasta dishes, eggplant parmesan, chicken parmesan, pizza, and more.
Since authentic Italian marinara sauce uses just 5 ingredients, quality ingredients are crucial. Now is the time to head to the farmers' market to buy tomatoes, nurture one of the living basil plants you can get at grocery stores so you can harvest at home, and increase your olive oil budget.
That said, canned tomatoes can absolutely be used when you can't get your hands on fresh summer tomatoes. A 28-ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes are not only a good substitute, but they'll rival fresh in flavor and allows skipping the step of blanching and peeling the fresh tomatoes.
Here are my top reasons for keeping a jar of homemade marinara sauce on hand at all times:
- It's easy to make: Making authentic Italian marinara sauce may sound like a very involved process that calls for hours in the kitchen, but it's really very simple! All you need are high quality ingredients and about 45 minutes (and most of that time is hands off).
- Well-developed flavors: The sauce simmers for a while to give the flavors time to develop, specifically the flavors from the tomatoes. The water cooks off, and the umami notes become more concentrated. The garlic and basil bring even more flavor, and you can also had onions and/or herbs if you like.
- Great make-ahead: It's one of those sauces you want to make in advance because when you do, you're just one step closer to many delicious dishes. The best part is, once you take the time to source the ingredients and make the sauce, all you have to do is store the marinara in jars and refrigerate.
- Freezes really well: Speaking of making it ahead of time, you can also pop it into the freezer and use it to make an easy dinner on nights when you just don't feel like cooking. We make a double batch and freeze it in our Souper Cubes, which is perfect for anyone living alone or if you have a family who eat on different schedules.
- Option to can: To preserve your marinara sauce for up to a year, sterilize your jars, add a tablespoon of citric acid to each, fill, then process in boiling water for 30-45 minutes. If you're going to can the marinara, consider tripling the recipe.
For serving, we like to just toss this sauce with pasta and serve it with stuffed garlic bread and a wedge salad. If we're serving a crowd, we'll also serve it with a soup or two, such as this 6-ingredient Italian Sausage Stew or Italian Minestrone.
Ingredients
These are the ingredient suggestions from an Italian chef (whose cooking class I was fortunate enough to attend years ago while visiting in Italy), which is where I learned the recipe!
- Tomato: Tomatoes are the main ingredient here; therefore, it's important to choose wisely. Like every recipe that calls for fresh tomatoes, if you can get your hands on freshly picked local tomatoes in the summertime, they'll always be best. Tomatoes from the store that are still on the vine will also work, although our next-best suggestion to summer tomatoes would be a can of San Marzano.
- Garlic: It's not marinara if it doesn't have garlic (okay, technically it still can be but I stand by its necessity). I didn't realize this, but apparently, garlic has a much shorter shelf life than I thought, but the fresher the garlic, the less you need. One indicator of garlic a little past its prime is green sprouting at the center of a bulb.
- Basil: With basil, you may want to consider buying a plant to keep on your windowsill. You can get one for $3-5 at the grocery store. The living basil in containers is fine too. You know, the ones with the soil and roots at the bottom? All you have to do is bring it home, transfer it to a small pot with more soil, and keep it on your windowsill. Don't forget to water it, which I'm notorious for!
Find the complete ingredient list with amounts in the recipe card below.
Instructions
- Score the tomatoes: Use a paring knife to cut a shallow "X" in each tomato. Cut through the skin, not the flesh. Many advise making this cut at the bottom of each tomato; however, as you can see in the photo, the stem end works as well.
- Blanch: Bring a pot of water to a boil, then, once boiling, add 2-3 tomatoes at a time. Leave for 30 seconds, then carefully remove them and transfer to a large bowl. A mesh skimmer strainer works well for this. Unlike other recipes suggest, do not transfer them to an ice water bath. Remember the Italian chef I mentioned earlier? Well, they advise not to shock the tomatoes in ice water since the tomatoes will absorb more water, which will, in turn, water down the sauce.
- Remove the skin and puree: Once the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, use the score marks to peel off the skin (they will come off with ease). After you've peeled the tomatoes, process them with garlic, basil, oil, and salt until smooth. If it has some texture, that is completely fine.
- Simmer: Pour the sauce into a saucepan, bring it to a simmer over medium heat, and leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The flavors will become more concentrated during this time, and the sauce will thicken.
- Store: Cool your authentic Italian marinara sauce to room temperature, then store in airtight containers until ready to use.
Variations, Substitutions, and Cooking Tips
- Use canned tomatoes: If you want to make authentic Italian marinara sauce but tomatoes are out of season, canned tomatoes are an option. Use San Marzano tomatoes from the Agro Sarnese Nocerino area of Southern Italy for the best results. They are by far the best canned tomatoes you can buy.
- Spice it up: Although it's not in traditional recipes, a pinch of chili flakes adds a subtle heat. Add them when it's time to finish the sauce for some spice.
- For onion lovers: Add about a quarter of an onion to the blender, but be careful not to add too much. You can also slice or chop it and saute it for a few minutes to mellow it out before blending.
- Add more herbs: Add a little fresh oregano in addition to the basil.
- Leave it a little chunky: Reserve a couple of the tomatoes and chop them finely, then add them to the sauce once it's been pureed in the blender.
And there you have it: a super simple, but completely authentic Italian Marinara sauce that's ready for dinner or your freezer!
More Delicious Sauce Recipes
Authentic Italian Marinara Sauce
Authentic marinara sauce is simply minimal, fresh ingredients that transform into a flavorful sauce. These are the ingredients we prefer, but feel free to add onion and/or herbs if you like.
Ingredients
- 8-10 tomatoes on the vine
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ cup packed fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes and score twice, forming two very shallow perpendicular lines, lengthwise (see images for an example).
- Once the water is boiling, add the tomatoes, about 2-3 at a time, into the water and let sit for about 30 seconds, then remove and place in a large bowl.
- Let cool for about a minute, then use your fingers to peel off the skin.
- Place the peeled tomatoes into a food processor and add the garlic, olive oil, salt, and basil and pulse together until it's completely smooth (this may take a few minutes).
- Once blended, add the mixture back into a large sauce pan and bring to a simmer.
- Cook for about 20-30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
Notes
- Keep refrigerated for up to one week.
- High-quality canned tomatoes can be substituted for fresh (San Marzano are best).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 12Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 374mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.
She is also a professional food photographer who specializes in editorial, portrait food photography and styling.
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