Homemade Marinara Sauce (Easy Recipe)

Easy homemade marinara sauce recipe from scratch with canned tomatoes. A quick 5-ingredient, 30-minute Rao's copycat for pasta, pizza, and more!

Course Dressings & Sauces

Cuisine Italian

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword marinara, sauce

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 86

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.

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.