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!
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!
How to Make Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce Video
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.
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).
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 a pasta and spaghetti sauce, but there are quite a few ways to use marinara (that aren’t pasta!)
- Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan
- Ratatouille
- Eggplant Parmesan Poppers
- Shakshuka
- Italian Style Seitan Meatballs
Got fresh tomatoes?
You can also use fresh tomatoes to make these favorites!
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
- 1 Tbsp honey 15 g
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 sprigs of parsley
Instructions
- 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.
- Herbs: Stir in basil, honey, salt, pepper, and parsley (stem and leaves intact). Continue simmering about 10 minutes. Carefully remove sprigs of parsley with a fork.
- Serve: You can serve it like this or puree it in a food processor/blender for a smoother sauce.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
Sami Bustos says
This is so good i just made it for me and my fiance we had a spur of the moment cheese stick craving and i decided to make a marinara and found your recipe it was soooo good and the honey….who knew!!
Thanks so much!!!
Sarah says
Oh gosh you’ve just passed your cheese stick craving onto me! So happy to hear your liked the recipe, Sami. It’s so easy right? 🙂
Morgan says
Can you can and freeze this recipe?
Sarah says
Hi, Morgan! I haven’t tried canning or freezing this marinara, but my thinking is that yes, you can. This post from The Kitchn gives a handy idea for freezing!
Ifrah says
Hi! I’m so sick of all those recipes having canned tomatoes. So I definitely wanna try this. Can I substitute dried basil for fresh and cilantro for parsely if I dont have them on hand?? Please do reply because I’m so into this recipe. TIA.
Sarah says
Hi Ifrah! Sorry for the delayed response. I haven’t tried making this with either substitution, but you should be able to substitute the fresh basil with about 2/3 tbsp of dried. Cilantro has a pretty distinct flavor and is a lot more citrusy than parsley, but it shouldn’t make an enormous difference. If you do end up making it with these substitutions I’d love to hear how it goes!
Cait M. says
What is the best way to store a few batches? Could I freeze it?
Sarah says
Hi, Cait! Yep you can freeze it 🙂 I just freeze it in cup sized portions so it’s easy to thaw the perfect amount.
Sarah says
Mine came out very watery. Is there a good way you recommend to thicken it a little?
Sarah says
Hey Sarah! You must have had some juicy tomatoes 🙂 Just keep stewing your tomatoes uncovered for a while, until it reaches a thickness to your liking. The excess water and moisture should evaporate out, just keep it cooking slow and steady!
Alexandria says
Just tried making this for the first time and my fiancé and 4 year old both informed me it smells amazing. I am going to use it tonight on our Chicken Parmesan and see if it tastes as good as it smells. I used fresh basil instead of dried and I also added in a couple of fresh Oregano leaves diced up since I saw it on another recipe and had already purchased it haha.
Sarah says
So happy the hear, Alexandria! The fresh basil and oregano were great ideas. Sauces like this are so flexible to throw in whatever you have and it tends to work! 😀
Alexandria says
The sauce was a huge hit and everyone has demanded I make more for our future dishes! Thank you so much for posting this awesome recipe
Sarah says
So awesome! You can try freezing it in portion sizes if you find yourself making it a lot 😀
Sumera says
HI. Can I use dried basil as its not easy to find fresh basil where I live.
Sarah says
Hi Sumera! I haven’t tried making this the substitution, but you should be able to substitute the fresh basil with about 2/3 tbsp of dried. Enjoy! 😀
Sandra says
The frozen pasta dinners have small amounts of pasta sauce in the packages it works good when cooking. So freeze it in ice cube trays and put that in freezer bags, and take out what you need when you make any pasta.
Sarah says
I do this all the time, especially with pesto! 🙂
Peter says
What are the best tomatoes to use? Thanks
Sarah says
Paste tomatoes (like Roma) are best for making sauces because they have less juice 😀
Kendra says
How long does this last in the fridge?
Sarah says
About 1 week 🙂
Ruth says
My neighbor gave me 60 roma tomatoes from his garden. I found your marinara and decided to try it. Great taste, I cooked it down about 2 hrs and blended it in my food processor. Came out beautiful, made 5 two cups containers, I froze them for handy dinner solutions.
Thanks
Sarah says
Hi Ruth! So happy you liked the marinara! Great idea to freeze them. I love freezing tasty sauces for ultra-quick dinner solutions. Sometimes I freeze them in an ice cube tray for even more convenience (especially for things like pesto)
Cheryll Dennis says
I am making this sauce right now. Finally have a garden with bountiful roma tomatoes so I looked for a sauce recipe with fresh romas. Also have fresh herbs in the garden so this is perfect. I’m sure it will be a 5-star sauce because it smells simply divine! You apparently posted this a couple of years ago, but I’m thankful to find it.
Sarah says
Indeed, it’s an old recipe but I’m happy you could find it to use up those fresh tomatoes and herbs! Bon appetite 😀
Pete says
Used all ingredients fresh out of my garden. Added fresh oregano with the basil, and sauteed 2 small shallots with the garlic at the onset. After adding the herbs, I added a 1/4 cup of 2015 DaVinci Chianti…this recipe has that “WOW” factor and will be served with some chicken, spinach, asiago cheese sausages over parsley-ed fettuccine and fresh parmesan cheese…and, of course, more Chianti!!
Sarah says
I’ll just refer people to your comment when they need some dinner inspiration because I can almost taste your delicious fettuccine dinner from here! Thanks so much for letting us know how it went, Pete. Love your marinara “upgrades” and pairings! 😀
Will Turner says
I had some San Marzano’s from a plant that didnt do very well, but I managed to salvage a nice bunch of tomatoes and just let them ripen on my butcher block… My Daughter suggested making a marinara.. I thought what the heck.. found several but something about yours seemed perfect.. Boy am I glad I did!! Amazing!! Everything from the garden.. The Basil was grown in a patio planter with some trinidad scorpion peppers and took on a little heat..lol.. a match made In heaven!! Thank You!!
Sarah says
Your version of this must have been amazing with all that fresh produce!! 😀
Katy says
can you give a measurement on tomatoes i have small home grown, so a cup measurement would be awesome
Sarah says
Hi Katy! I would guess about 3 heaping cups. I’m fixing to make this recipe again soon, I’ll be sure to let you know if it ends up being a different amount.
Nicole says
Can I substitute agave for honey?
Sarah says
Yes! 🙂
Heather says
Best marinara sauce I have ever tasted! I used fresh garden tomatoes and basil and oregano from my garden! My parents brought me a ton of tomatoes from their garden and I have been getting more from my garden as well as my favorite produce stand and have been chopping them and freezing them in bags until I get enough to make a big batch and I am gonna try to water bath can it!
Sarah says
Ahh, so happy to hear Heather!! It sounds like it would be amazing with all those fresh veggies and herbs. Would LOVE to hear how the canning goes 😀
Margo says
I made this today with Roma tomatoes from my neighbor. It is fantastic! I also added fresh oregano from my garden. Much tastier than canned tomatoes! I would love to have Peyte’s recipe (July 10, 2018 comment) for chicken, spinach, Asiago cheese, sausage over palsied fettuccine w/Parmesan cheese!?
Sarah says
So happy you liked it, Margo! Fresh tomatoes this time of the year are the BEST 😀
Deana Forman says
If using dried spices, what would be the amounts.
Thanks,
Sarah says
Great question, Deana! You can use 1/3 the amount of dry instead of fresh herbs. So 2 tsp of dried basil and about 1 Tbsp of dried parsley.
Blue says
Just a btw!!! This isn’t vegan if you add honey since that’s an animal byproduct. Love the recipe though.
Sarah says
Thanks for pointing that out, Blue! I’ve been meaning to get back through a recheck things like this, thanks for helping 🙂 Glad you liked it!
Paula says
This is the best sauce I have ever had, made my cabbage rolls really tasty!!!
Sarah says
YAY! So happy to hear, Paula! 😀
Laura Beth says
Delicious! Exacly what I was looking for! I added 1 small fresh red & green bell pepper & about a 1/3 of a yellow onion, also used oregano instead or parsley. Puréed, on angle hair spaghett., My 2 year old loved it! Thanks for sharing it!
Sarah says
So happy you liked it, Laura! 😀 Thanks for all the substitution tips!!
Paula says
This tomato sauce was delicious! I have never tried to make it from scratch but I received a whole bunch of tomatoes in my CSA so used your recipe. Really the best tomato sauce I have ever had! I used the maple syrup instead of honey. Will be making this again!
Sarah says
So happy to hear, Paula! 😀 This recipe always gets so popular this time of year with everyone drowning in bunches of fresh tomatoes!
Gillian says
Perfect! Added a splash of balsamic and used an immersiin blender. It is sooo good
Sarah says
Yum, great idea Gillian! 😀
Peggy says
I used whatever tomatoes I had from my veggie garden including cherries and grape. I also added finely diced green peppers as I had an overabundance of them this year.
My Ex’s family is from Italy and Aunt Lena, came here at 19/20 yrs old, one time told me that her family never used sugar to cut the acid of the tomatoes but used carrots for the sugar in them. I used baby carrots as they are the sweetest and put them in my Ninja and then in the pot, this adds a lot of extra nutrients into the sauce, which is great when you have kids that do not like veggies, I did not have the problem. Added several additional spices oregano, tarragon, sage( this is a strong spice so less is better), marjoram, rosemary and thyme.
Love the basic recipe as it is quick and easy as I did not blanch the tomatoes.
Sarah says
Using baby carrots is brilliant! Deeper color, more healthy, and better taste. Triple win! Happy this could be your base recipe for what sounds like a very delicious marinara! 😀
Donna Wetherell says
Can u tell me about how many cups of diced tomatoes I would need for this recipe?
Sarah says
Great question, Donna! You’ll need about 5 cups of diced tomatoes.
AlanahK says
Tried this recipe because even now in 2020 all recipes include canned tomatoes! This was AMAZING!!! No more canned sauce! Thank you
Sarah says
Yay! Enjoy! 😀
Phil D says
My family said that this was the best sauce I ever made. I used a lot more tomatoes to make more. Now I know what to do with all of the tomatoes that I am growing this year. I don’t want to go back to using a canned or jarred sauce. Thank you!
Sarah says
So happy to hear it! I’m already so excited for tomato season 😀
Alison Stukkie says
How much sauce does this recipe yield for a pound of pasta??
Sarah says
It yields about 2 cups, which will be good for about 1 pound of pasta 😀
Aubree says
Third time making this recipe. Love love love the simplicity and the flexibility the ingredients have! This has become a major staple in our meal rotation! I’ve added different vegetables that have become abundant in our fridge, Costco prices on produce are too good to pass up sometimes. Spinach and onion have made an appearance this time. I can’t wait to try mushrooms in it too! Solid recipe Sara!!! Thank you!!!
Sarah says
Aw, so happy to hear it! I love that you sneak some extra veggie power in there. Enjoy! 😀
Sara S. says
when do you add the salt
Sarah says
In step 2, when you stir in the basil and honey. 😀
CEDRIC DOTSON says
CAN YOU CAN IT IN GLASS JARS AND KEEP ON SHELF AND HOW LONG WILL IT KEEP.
Sarah says
I have not tested this recipe for canning so I can’t say for sure. Sorry about that!
Stephanie says
Can this recipe be canned? I am looking to make a bunch of sauce, because I have a billion tomatoes about to ripen, and i would like to put some up for later.
Sarah says
I haven’t tried canning this recipe, but I think it can be done. I would follow some of the tips here about canning marinara.
Diana says
I thought this was delicious!! So did the 4 teens I shared it with! Should have doubled it! Making another batch right now. Sooooo delicious! Passed on to friends! I think the honey adds a special touch! Plus I love fresh basil!
Sarah says
So happy to hear it, Diana! Enjoy! 😀
Alexia says
Haven’t made it yet but it sounds great!
Sarah says
Happy to hear it! Enjoy! 😀
Lisa Maria says
Thank you Sarah! I was looking for a recipe using all fresh ingredients and did not want to bother skinning tomatoes. I have some beauties from the garden. I think I’ll add some fresh zucchini to it as well. I wouldn’t have thought of honey but I have that in my cabinet. Heading to the kitchen right now!
Sarah says
Yay so happy to hear it! This late summer garden bounty is EXACTLY why I created this recipe! 😀
Carina says
Hi Sarah,
Would you be able to estimate how many lbs of tomatoes are needed for this recipe? My garden is producing different sizes 🙂
Very excited to try a recipe with fresh tomatoes.
Thank you!
Carina
Sarah says
About 1 to 1.5 lbs! So excited for you to try it! 😀
Carina says
Thanks for confirming the lb!
Immediately tried it out and it is DELICIOUS! Added diced onion with the garlic and used less honey since my tomatoes are already pretty sweet. Also added some chili flakes for some heat!
Will definitely repeat the recipe with store bought tomatoes once my plants are out!
Sarah says
YAY! So happy to hear it, Carina! 😀
Leslie says
Tomatoes vary in size greatly. Do you mean 5 Roma tomatoes? An approximate weight for the tomatoes would be helpful. 🙂
Sarah says
You can use roma tomatoes (or whatever you have on hand)! 1 to 1.5 lbs 😀
Rob Sellers says
Sarah,
I’m excited about your marinara sauce but have 1 (important?) question.
I will be using a blend of approx 10% jet star and and 90% heirloom which I know have a lot of water, which I don’t mind cooking down (more time for wine tasting!) I’ll also end up with a lot of seeds & am concerned that If I remove most of them, I’ll also loose a lot of the meat. Will leaving them in have a negative impact on the final product?
I have a garden full of Heirlooms, enough for 6-8 quarts of sauce so using another type really isn’t in the cards. Will greatly appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks
Sarah says
Hi Rob! Leaving the seeds in shouldn’t have much impact on the final product. They won’t influence the flavor, but could obviously change the texture. If you’re sensitive to textures like that in food then you might just strain them out through a mesh sieve.
Bonny says
Tasty! I have a bunch of tomatoes from my garden and was looking for sauces I could make and freeze. Beautiful.
Sarah says
So happy to hear it, Bonny! 😀
Renee says
Sarah how do you store fresh marinara?
Sarah says
You can either store it in the fridge for about a week, or you can freeze it 🙂 I just freeze it in cup sized portions so it’s easy to thaw the perfect amount.
Delin says
My neighbor left 10# of Roma tomatoes on my porch. I hated to waste them so I ran a Google search for something that looked palatable. I’m not a big “spaghetti sauce” fan, but this looked easy with simple ingredients I had on hand. Mind. Blown. This is delicious! I even tripled the batch and made it for visiting children and grandchildren…it was a huge hit! I am growing Roma tomatoes next year 😉
Sarah says
So happy to hear it, Delin! 😀 Enjoy!!
Diana E Davis says
I haven’t tried it yet, but I can’t wait. Can it be frozen if you make too much?
Sarah says
Yep you can freeze it 😀 I just freeze it in cup sized portions so it’s easy to thaw the perfect amount.
Cara says
This recipe is absolutely amazing! My brother has allergic reactions to store bought sauces and I wanted to make my own sauce anyways, I didn’t have canned tomatoes, this recipe was perfect. i added some water and cut the tomatoes before hand to have a smoother sauce. Everyone in my family loved it! I made it for school too 🙂 I’m 13, and this prooves anyone can make this sauce!!
Sarah says
This makes me so happy to hear, Cara! I’m glad you and your family enjoyed it! Happy cooking 😀
RORider says
Just a heads up type of comment re: quantity changes. While the basic amount changes if you change the servings from 2 to 4, for example, the number changes but the amount in parentheses doesn’t, so be careful.
Example, change from 2 to 4 servings and tomatoes changes from 5 to 10, but the (1 to 1.5 lbs. diced) remains the same. Same for oil-change 2 to 4 and it remains as 15 ml instead of changing to 30 ml.
Could easily be confusion as to why a recipe didn’t quite turn out if the cook only noticed the unchanged amount reference.
Sarah says
Thanks so much for pointing that out!
Marcel says
When I read the recipe I thought it was going to be just okay because it looks so simple, but this came out delicious! When my mom tried it she said it’s way better than store bought one. I used a bit more honey that suggested here and did process in a food processor at the end. It was I credibly good, I will definitely cook it more often.
Sarah says
So happy to hear it, Marcel! 😀 Enjoy!
Diane says
Hii
How many tomatoes doesone need for 1 serving of pasta?
Sarah says
About half the recipe (2 to 3 tomatoes) 🙂
dawn says
I will be making this soon….looks delish!!! My husband and I try to eat as natural as we can and while jar sauces are good (we have one we like to use), I would love to be able to make my own. Is it possible to put this in a crockpot and cook that way? I work long hours and it seems like I never have enough time when I get home to do much. The crockpot is my go to for those long days.
Sarah says
I haven’t tried this in a crockpot but think it would work well! 😀