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
Lee says
This was awesome! I doubled it and made it with my early girl and campari tomatoes from my garden. I usually have to tweak recipes but didn’t need a single tweak on this!
Sharon Webb says
made this and loved it
Rachel says
So freaking delicious! Used tomatoes, garlic and basil from my garden. I didn’t have fresh parsley but used dried, and added sprigs of oregano since it’s growing in my garden as well. It is literally the best pasta sauce I have ever had! I am trying this on pizza tomorrow, yum yum!
Sheila says
I had never made spaghetti sauce before, my grandmother was full Italian though and marinara + noodles has very much been a big part of my life. Unfortunately it was intimidating for me to try and make it. I cook with my kids, each week we find new home made recipes to make and they get to pick. I suggested spaghetti sauce to my youngest (7) she sautéed the garlic, cut the tomatoes, simmered them and cooked it almost on her own (just a little help stirring and mincing garlic from me) and it was the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. I have given up jar sauce, I seriously don’t want it ever again. We doubled the recipe and unfortunately had to substitute the fresh basil for dried (we lost the basil on the way home from the store, 7 year old thought sauce was ruined, it was an ordeal) but made and followed every other step according to the recipe. It’s amazing, seriously.
Sarah says
YAY! I’m so happy to read this, Sheila! 😀
Claudette says
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. I’m glad I doubled it! I served it as a side to a calzone. It was perfect!
Sarah says
YAY! So happy to hear it, Claudette! 😀
Stephen says
Can this recipe be canned? Or, have you canned it before? What were the results?
Sarah says
I have not canned this one before, but presume it could be done! 😀
Kathleen says
So tasty. I used the sauce on flat bread. Yummy