Made with canned tomatoes, olive oil, and a generous handful of garlic, this easy homemade marinara sauce simmers into a rich, restaurant-quality sauce in 30-minutes with just 5-ingredients. A Rao’s-inspired pantry staple for weeknight pasta, pizza, and lasagna nights!

Cooked marinara sauce in a saute pan with a wooden spoon.

5 star review

“Fresh, bright, delicious and easy! A new go-to.”

– Sarah
See All Reviews »

My Go-To Rao’s Copycat Marinara Sauce

This easy homemade marinara sauce is the recipe I make whenever I need a quick, restaurant-quality red sauce that tastes just like it came from an Italian grandmother’s kitchen! The secret’s in the simplicity: a 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes (San Marzano if you’ve got ’em), a small handful of garlic, dried oregano, a generous glug of olive oil, and a yellow onion. Thirty minutes of unattended simmering is all it takes to turn that pantry list into a thick, deeply flavored sauce.

San Marzano tomatoes are the real difference-maker here, as their lower acidity and sweeter, richer flavor produce a noticeably better sauce than standard canned tomatoes, with no added sugar required to balance the acidity. The other thing that matters is letting the sauce simmer the full 30 minutes uncovered, as shorter simmer times produce a thinner, more raw-tasting sauce.

Use this marinara sauce over pasta with my slow cooker meatballs for an easy meatball dinner, or spoon it generously into my meatball casserole for a hearty crowd-pleaser. It also works for chicken parm, eggplant parm bake, lasagna, baked ziti, and homemade pizza nights! Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to a week and freeze beautifully for 3 months in jars or freezer bags, which makes the double batch one of the smartest pantry-staple investments you can make on a Sunday afternoon.

Welcome to My Kitchen, Let’s Make an Easy Pasta Sauce!

Jump to Recipe Instructions
Ingredients for marinara sauce including whole tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, and spices in bowls.
Gather ingredients.
Overhead shot of two white hands chopping the end off of an onion on a cutting board.
Cut off ends of onion.
Overhead shot of two white hands chopping on onion in half on a cutting board.
Slice onion in half.
Overhead shot of two white hands chopping on onion into slices on a cutting board.
Thinly slice the onion.
Overhead shot of two white hands dicing on onion on a cutting board.
Finely dice the onion.
One white hand squeezing a whole tomato over a bowl with whole tomatoes in juice.
Squeeze the whole tomatoes into a bowl to a crushed consistency.
Diced onions in olive oil in a saute pan with spices and garlic.
Saute diced onions with garlic and spices.
Tomatoes and basil in a saute pan.
Add crushed tomatoes and basil.
A wooden spoon with a scoop of chunky marinara sauce.
Cook and serve or store.
Marinara sauce in a saute pan with thinly sliced basil.

Testing Tips for My 5-Ingredient Marinara Sauce

  • For an arrabbiata-style (spicy) version, stir in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes with the dried oregano at the start. The heat layers in gently during the simmer and pairs beautifully with the sweet San Marzano tomatoes, especially when serving over a sharper pasta like penne or rigatoni.
  • For the most restaurant-quality pasta nights, reserve 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water before draining and toss it with the sauce and cooked pasta in a hot pan over low heat. Trust me, this makes all the difference in a restaurant-quality pasta night at home!
  • Stir a small handful of torn fresh basil leaves into the sauce during the last 2 minutes of simmering for a bright, herbaceous finish. The basil softens just enough to release its oils without losing its color, and the addition makes a big difference in the freshness of the final sauce.
A clear mason jar with marinara sauce.
Marinara sauce in a saute pan with thinly sliced basil.
5 stars (6 ratings)

Homemade Marinara Sauce (Easy Recipe)

Developed and tested by A woman with long blonde hair, smiling, holds and pours a bottle of oil in a modern kitchen setting.Robyn Conley Downs
Servings: 5
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Easy homemade marinara sauce recipe from scratch with canned tomatoes. A quick 5-ingredient, 30-minute Rao's copycat for pasta, pizza, and more!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ cup yellow onion, finely-diced (about ½ medium or 1 small)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely-minced
  • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
  • 1 (28-ounce) can of whole tomatoes with juices (San Marzano if possible)
  • 6 leaves fresh basil leaves, torn

Equipment

  • Medium Pot

Instructions 

  • Pour the whole tomatoes along with the juices into a medium bowl. Using clean hands, squeeze the tomatoes until they are all crushed into small pieces. Set aside.
  • Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, the onion, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook the onions until translucent but not browned, about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add the garlic, oregano, and pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes (with their juice), the remaining ¾ teaspoon of salt, and half of the torn basil leaves.
  • Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove the cooked basil leaves, and use immediately or allow to cool and store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Serve with remaining fresh basil, thinly sliced.

Notes

  • For a chunky, rustic sauce, hand-crush the canned whole tomatoes with clean hands before adding them to the pot (a satisfying step kids love helping with!). For a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender directly in the pot at the end of cooking, or pulse in a regular blender to your preferred texture.
  • If your sauce tastes too acidic at the end, add a tiny pinch of baking soda (1/8 teaspoon) or sugar (1/2 teaspoon) and stir well to neutralize and balance the acid.
Course: Dressings & Sauces
Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 8), Calories: 86kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 0.4g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 367mg, Potassium: 40mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 8IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 0.3mg
Nutrition disclaimer
Did you make this recipe?If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!

Share + Save this Recipe