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Home » Popular » Sauces, Dressings, & Dips » Easy Classic Marinara Sauce

Easy Classic Marinara Sauce

September 10, 20194 Comments

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Easy Classic Marinara Sauce

So simple, fast, and delicious, this marinara sauce is perfect for quick and easy pasta dinners, as a zesty pizza sauce, or even as a dip for mozzarella sticks and garlic bread.

With just a handful of simple ingredients, this marinara sauce is ready in about 15 minutes and knocks the socks off store-bought versions any day!

This post was updated on March 20, 2025.

Easy marinara sauce with simple ingredients - crushed tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil. Ready in just 15 minutes, it’s perfect for pasta, pizza, and more!

Table of Contents

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  • Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe
  • Ingredients for Easy Classic Marinara Sauce:
  • How to Make Easy Classic Marinara Sauce:
    • Storing Your Marinara Sauce
  • More Sauce Recipes You’ll Love!
  • Easy Classic Marinara Sauce
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Nutrition

Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe

Every home cook should have a few classic sauce recipes in their back pocket and this one has become a personal favorite!

I like to use crushed tomatoes from a can to save time, but if you’ve got a bounty in your garden that needs to be used up, this is a great recipe to do it. Even though we didn’t plant tomatoes this year, I have tons of basil, and love the fresh kick it adds to this marinara.

Easy marinara sauce with simple ingredients - crushed tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil. Ready in just 15 minutes, it’s perfect for pasta, pizza, and more!

Ingredients for Easy Classic Marinara Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter
  • 1/4 cup yellow onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  •  2 cloves garlic
  • 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil
  • sea salt, to taste
  • ground black pepper, to taste
  • red pepper flakes – optional, to taste

How to Make Easy Classic Marinara Sauce:

STEP ONE: Sauté the Onion and Garlic. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter. Once melted, add the diced onions and sauté for 2 minutes until softened.

STEP TWO: Season and Cook. Add salt and oregano. Continue cooking for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions start turning golden.

STEP THREE: Add Garlic. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.

STEP FOUR: Add Tomatoes and Sugar. Pour in crushed tomatoes and add sugar. Increase heat to medium-high for 1-2 minutes just to heat through. Reduce heat back to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

STEP FIVE: Finish and Serve. Remove from heat and stir in the olive oil and fresh basil. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Storing Your Marinara Sauce

  • Store marinara sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Just thaw and reheat when you’re ready to use it!
Easy marinara sauce with simple ingredients - crushed tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil. Ready in just 15 minutes, it’s perfect for pasta, pizza, and more!

More Sauce Recipes You’ll Love!

  • Chimichurri Sauce
  • Vegan Hollandaise Sauce 
  • 5 – Ingredient Tzatziki Sauce 
  • Green Chile Cheesy Sauce
  • Sour Cream Sauce

    Tried this recipe? Leave a star rating and share your experience in the comments below. Thanks for being part of our home cooking community!

Easy Classic Marinara Sauce - Only a handful of simple ingredients needed for this easy classic sauce - Ready in about 15 minutes - Knocks the socks off store bought marinara any day!

Easy Classic Marinara Sauce

Easy marinara sauce with simple ingredients – crushed tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil. Ready in just 15 minutes, it’s perfect for pasta, pizza, and more!
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: sauce, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: 30 minutes or less, Italian, make-ahead, quick and easy, sauce, tomatoes, vegan, vegetarian
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 3 .5 cups
Calories: 191kcal
Author: Holly Gray
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup yellow onion finely diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • red pepper flakes to taste

Instructions

  • Into a medium saucepan over medium heat, add butter. When butter is melted, add onions. Sauté 2 minutes, until onions are softened.
  • Add salt and oregano. Continue cooking 2 minutes more, stirring frequently, until onions are just beginning to turn golden in color.
  • Add garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.
  • Pour in crushed tomatoes and add sugar. Increase heat to medium high for 1-2 minutes, just enough to heat through. Reduce heat back down to low and simmer 10 minutes.
  • Remove from heat then stir in olive oil and basil.
  • Use salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to adjust seasoning to taste.

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 798mg | Potassium: 812mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 999IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @thiswifecooks or tag #thiswifecooks!

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Filed Under: Comfort Food, make-ahead, Pasta Night, Recently Updated, Sauces, Dressings, & Dips, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: comfort food, Italian, make-ahead, quick and easy, sauces, vegan, vegetarian

Previous Post: « Vegan Spinach Parmesan Fettuccine
Next Post: Whole Grain Mustard Mashed Potatoes »

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Hi, I’m Holly! I’m a busy wife and mom. I love cooking for my family and sharing creative and flavorful plant-based recipes.

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