My simple marinara sauce combines canned tomatoes, garlic, basil, and olive oil and can be ready in the time it takes to boil your pasta. It’s easy to make and better than anything you’ll ever buy in a jar!
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Editor’s Note: Originally Published on April 20, 2020. Updated with full process shots and expanded info.
Just say no to jarred sauce!
I’m often asked if there are any jarred sauces I’d recommend. The short answer is a resounding “no”! Not only will jarred sauce never taste as good as homemade marinara, but making your own marinara sauce requires little effort and yields maximum gains.
In about 15 minutes you can have a beautiful plate of penne with marinara sauce (or any pasta of your choosing) that tastes a million times better than any jarred sauce.
And the best part is that marinara sauce requires just a few staple ingredients, like garlic and canned tomatoes.
Marinara sauce is great with any pasta or in other dishes like eggplant rollatini, polpette di pane, or as a dipping sauce for garlic knots and fried zucchini.
This is the marinara sauce recipe you’ll want to bookmark and return to time and time again when you just want something good and easy!
How to make it
Note: This is a quick tomato sauce. If you’re looking for a longer-cooked sauce, check out our roasted cherry tomato sauce. For an all-day slow-cooked, brick-colored sauce, our Sunday sauce recipe will be sure to hit the spot.
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- For these pictures, I used crushed canned tomatoes. If using whole canned tomatoes, hand crush or blender pulse 1 28-ounce can of San Marzano or high-quality plum tomatoes and set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil (2 tablespoons of kosher salt per gallon of water). Slice 6 cloves of garlic and in a large pan over medium-low heat, saute the garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil.
- Once the garlic turns lightly golden (about 2 minutes) add 3 ounces of tomato paste and cook the paste for 5-7 minutes stirring frequently.
- After the 5-7 minutes are up, add the optional crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Next, add about 2 ounces of water to loosen the paste and give it a stir. Add your pasta to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute less than al dente.
- Add the crushed plum tomatoes and cook for 5-10 minutes, simmering. Taste test and adjust salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper levels.
- Remove about half the sauce at this point to prevent oversaucing the pasta.
- Add the pasta and allow it to cook for a minute longer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until al dente.
- If necessary, add a bit more sauce back to get the sauce level just right. Add a few ounces of pasta water to loosen, if required, but you probably won’t need it.
- Hand-tear about a 1/4 cup of packed basil leaves (use more or less to personal taste) and add to the pasta right before serving. Serve your penne marinara with grated cheese and crusty Italian bread. Enjoy!
Top tips
- The tomatoes. Since there are so few ingredients used in marinara sauce, I recommend using the best quality tomatoes your budget allows, such as San Marzano tomatoes. If you’re using whole canned tomatoes, be sure to hand crush or lightly pulse the tomatoes. Overblending will add oxygen to the tomatoes and turn them orange. You can also use good-quality crushed tomatoes such as Mutti or Sclafani brands.
- The paste. Tomato paste will add more depth to this quick marinara sauce. That being said, you can omit the paste entirely. If you skip the paste, the sauce will be looser so you may need to cook a little longer to thicken it.
- The herbs. The only herb I use in a quick marinara is fresh basil. If you don’t have fresh basil, you can omit it entirely. I do not recommend replacing it with dried basil, dried oregano, or anything labeled “Italian seasoning”.
- Pasta water and pasta. As with all our pasta recipes, I recommend reserving pasta water in case you need to loosen up/reconstitute your marinara sauce. I love penne with marinara sauce so I used it for this recipe but you can definitely use any pasta shape you’d like!
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More simple pasta recipes
Because of its ease of preparation, marinara sauce is ideal for weeknights. Here are a few more simple weeknight pastas that require little time but yield maximum flavor!
If you’ve enjoyed this Easy Marinara Sauce recipe, give it a 5-star rating.
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Easy Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes hand crushed or blender pulsed
- 3 ounces (85g) tomato paste
- 6 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil about 10 leaves, hand torn
- 1/4 cup (60g) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound (454g) pasta of your choice
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes optional
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt plus more to taste
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Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- Heat a large pan to medium heat with the olive oil and garlic. Once the garlic turns lightly golden (about 2 minutes), add the tomato paste and cook for ~5 minutes, stirring frequently. If using, add a 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes towards the end of cooking the paste.
- Add a touch of water (about 2 ounces) to loosen the paste and give it a stir. Add the plum tomatoes.
- Cook for 5-10 minutes, simmering. At this time, cook the pasta to 1 minute less than al dente.
- Taste teste and adjust salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper levels before tossing with the pasta.
- Remove half the sauce and add the pasta to the pan, cooking for 1 minute on medium- low heat or until al dente. If necessary, add a bit more sauce to get the sauce level just right. Add a couple ounces of pasta water to loosen if required.
- Hand tear basil leaves and add to the pasta right before serving. Serve with grated cheese and crusty Italian bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- Be sure to either hand crush or lightly pulse your tomatoes to retain their bright red color. Blending will add oxygen to the tomatoes and turn them orange. Alternatively, you can use canned crushed tomatoes.
- Watch your garlic closely to ensure it doesn’t burn. Cook on low to medium-low heat – you want the color to be lightly golden.
- Cook your pasta a bit less than al dente and reserve some pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce a bit.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on April 20, 2020. It was completely updated on August 5, 2022.
Easy. quick and great tasting recipe!
Hi Susan, thanks for the comment and so happy you enjoyed!
Hi Jim and Tara, I was so happy when your recipe landed on my FB feed and I discovered you. YUMMO!!! The best thing I learned was to use and cook correctly tomato paste. What a delicious difference it has made in the flavor of my sauce.
You are an excellent teacher and I giggle when you tell novices “leave it out if you don’t want to use it”.
And now James, what a handsome and thoughtful young man, his ratings are spot on and it is so much fun to watch him enjoy his serving.
See you on the next video 👍🎶
Hi Eva, we so appreciate this comment and are happy to have you here! Thanks for the kind words and for watching and reading our recipes!
Great marinara sauce. Same as I always make. Love your videos!
Hi Marie, thanks for the comment and happy you enjoyed the recipe!
I do my marinara sauce the same way
But I like to watch this video because of the joy I get seeing you interact with your children.
Hi Flordeliza, thanks for the comment and so happy you enjoyed the video!
He is so good at explaining each step,what products to use and any alternatives. Really like watching him cook and all his recipes.
I appreciate the comment, thank you!
Jim, all of your recipes are fantastic! I just look up everything on here first now! It’s also really nice to see you interact with your lovely family in some of the videos!
My questions is: if I need to make a lot of sauce and use 2, 3, even 4 cans of tomatoes, by how much do you recommend increasing the garlic, tomato paste, and oil? Do I just keep doubling those ingredients for every extra can or is that too much?
Hi Amy, thanks for the comment and so happy you like the recipes! In the recipe card there’s actually a sliding scale that will allow you to adjust the servings and will increase the ingredient amounts accordingly. But in general, yes if you’re doubling the amount of tomatoes being used you can also double the amount of garlic, tomato paste, pasta, etc.
I follow you a great deal and have learned a lot. Thank you.
Thanks for the comment, Myra! So happy you’re enjoying the recipes!
My go to guy!!!!
Thank you, Pat!
I found your site by accidentand I am just saying that since discovering your site it is the only one I will use. I love that the site doesn’t make me wade thru tons of unnecessary information and then never to find the recipe! You make it so easy and THANK YOU! Keep up the great work.
Hi Mary Ann, I’m so happy you’re enjoying the site and the recipes. Thank you for the comment!
Excellent thank you for this great an easy Marinara.
Thank you, Debbie! I’m happy you liked the marinara.
This was so simple, easy, and delicious. My new go-to quick marinara recipe!
Hi Michelle, thanks for the comment and I’m happy to hear you found a new go-to!
Just like how my mother taught me to make marinara sauce. The Best!
Thanks for the comment, Dave!
I made this marinara today and it was delicious. I used canned crushed tomatoes and added a tiny bit of sugar. I will definitely be making this again. I have also made your Meatballs and Sunday sauce. It was excellent! I’ve printed out quite a few of your recipes and am looking forward to making them.
Hi Vicki, thanks for the comment! I’m happy you’re enjoying the recipes!
I’m going to make this for dinner tonight. There will inevitably be leftovers. What is the best way to store pasta with sauce recipes? I don’t generally put the pasta and sauce in the same dish, but I will be with this one. Any help you can give to preserve the quality of the dish would be very beneficial!
Love your channel and have made several other of your recipes.
Hi Janis, thanks for the comment and I’m happy you’re enjoying the recipes! The pasta with marinara sauce can be saved for about 3 days in a container with a lid or covered with foil/plastic wrap. When you reheat it you may need to add a little water if it’s too dry. Enjoy!
My go to sauce for a quickens delicious meal. Excellent!
Thank you so much for the comment and I’m glad you liked it!
He is excellent. Wonderful recipes. He makes it doable for people like me. I enjoy his humble attitude and interactions with his children. A sincere and wonderful chef!
Hi Bev. I really appreciate that.
Hello Jim,I’ve just wanted to thank you for all the help you have given me in the kitchen this far.I especially have to thank you for the marinara recipe,I’ve been trying to make a good marinara for over 30 years now and it always tasted like metal or a metallic taste and I always threw it out!!!People would tell me to add sugar!!!That didn’t help.I just made your recipe and it has been the best that I’ve ever made..I just have 1 question can I put fresh Basil in it at the end or do I have to tear it onto the top of the pasta??Thank you for making me a better cook!
Hi Michele. Really glad you’re enjoying the recipes. You can absolutely put it in at the end instead of on top of the plated pasta. Either way is fine.
I have cooked just about everything on your channel. EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING! My Uncle from Italy passed away over 45 years ago, he use to make all these type dishes for us. He did not write down any of his recipes, to pass down to the family. I thank you so much for bringing back such wonderful memories, and thank you for the fantastic tasting food I now serve on my dinner table. My family asked how I got Uncle Frank’s recipes. They all think I cook as good as he did. Also thanks for making me look like such a good cook!
From One of your biggest fans.
Hi Karen, I’m glad you’re enjoying all the recipes and that they are bringing you back. I’m happy to hear that your family puts them up there with your Uncle’s recipes who I bet was a great cook. Thanks for being a fan!
Delicious and super easy!
Thanks very much!
Love EVERYTHING YOU MAKE. THANK YOU!!!!
Thanks! Appreciate you watching and commenting on my YouTube and Facebook too!