Best Italian Marinara Sauce Recipe

I share my Authentic Italian Marinara made from scratch with organic San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil, plus a short video that reveals the one simple technique most home cooks rarely try.

I never thought a simple sauce could surprise me until I opened a can of organic San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes and let them do their thing, with a few fresh basil leaves torn in at the end. This is one of those Authentic Italian Marinara moments that sounds obvious but takes patience and a couple sneaky little moves to make taste deep, not flat.

People always ask if it’s from an old family recipe, like it’s some secret handed down, and honestly sometimes it feels that way. I shot the whole thing so you can watch, Video Below!

This really is The Best Tomato Sauce I’ve made.

Ingredients

• San Marzano tomatoes: bright, slightly sweet, provide body, acidity and deep umami flavor
• Extra virgin olive oil: Adds silkiness and richness, helps carry flavors, healthy fats, heart friendly
• Garlic: Sharp, savory punch that sweetens with cooking, brings depth and aromatic warmth
• Yellow onion optional: gives mellow sweetness, adds body and balances tomato acidity
• Sea salt: Enhances all flavors, brings out tomato sweetness, crucial even in small amounts
• Fresh basil leaves: Bright herbal lift, adds fresh peppery sweetness, finish that makes sauce sing
• Tomato paste optional: Concentrated tomato richness, deepens color and umami, helps thicken quickly

Ingredient Quantities

• 1 (28 oz / 800 g) can organic San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves peeled
• 1 small yellow onion optional
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste optional
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar optional
• 8 to 10 fresh basil leaves

How to Make this

1. Pour 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil into a medium saucepan over medium heat, reserve the last tablespoon for finishing; add the 4 peeled garlic cloves (smash or thinly slice them) and the optional small diced yellow onion, sweat gently until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant, do not let it brown.

2. If you like a deeper tomato flavor add 1 tablespoon tomato paste now, stir and cook 30 to 60 seconds until it darkens a bit.

3. Add the entire 28 oz can of organic San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes with their juices; crush them with your hands as you drop them in or use a wooden spoon to break them up in the pot.

4. Stir in 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes if you want heat, and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar if the tomatoes taste too acidic.

5. Bring the sauce up to a gentle simmer over medium low heat, then lower the heat so it bubbles softly, not a rolling boil.

6. Let the sauce simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom so nothing sticks; simmer longer for a thicker, deeper tasting sauce.

7. For texture choose one: pulse briefly with an immersion blender for a smoother sauce, or crush remaining tomato pieces with a spoon for a rustic finish; taste and adjust salt or sugar.

8. Tear 8 to 10 fresh basil leaves and stir them in in the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking so they stay bright, or add them off heat for an even fresher basil punch.

9. Remove whole garlic cloves if you left them intact, drizzle the reserved 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over the sauce, give one last taste and fix seasoning; serve hot with pasta or cool and store in the fridge up to 4 days or freeze for longer.

Equipment Needed

1. Medium saucepan (about 2 to 3 quart)
2. Wooden spoon or silicone spatula for stirring and breaking up tomatoes
3. Sharp chef’s knife and cutting board for smashing garlic and dicing onion
4. Measuring spoons (tablespoon and teaspoon) for oil, salt, pepper, sugar
5. Can opener
6. Immersion blender or potato masher for a smoother or rustic finish (optional)
7. Slotted spoon or tongs to remove whole garlic cloves
8. Ladle and an airtight container for serving and storing leftovers

FAQ

Best Italian Marinara Sauce Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• 1 (28 oz) San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes: swap for a 28 oz can of good-quality crushed or whole plum (Roma) tomatoes, or 2 to 3 cups peeled fresh ripe Romas, or 24 oz tomato passata if you want a smoother sauce
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil: use light olive oil, grapeseed or avocado oil for neutral flavor, or 2 tablespoons butter for a richer, slightly sweeter finish
• 4 large garlic cloves: use about 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in a pinch, or 4 teaspoons roasted mashed garlic if you want a softer, sweeter garlic note
• 8 to 10 fresh basil leaves: substitute 1 teaspoon dried basil, or 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, or a few torn fresh oregano leaves for a different herbal profile

Pro Tips

1) Warm the garlic slowly in the oil so it flavors the sauce without tasting burned, then fish the cloves out if you want a mellow garlic hit instead of a punch, it makes the sauce cleaner without losing flavor.

2) If the sauce tastes flat try a tiny splash of good balsamic or a smidge of anchovy paste and a small knob of butter at the end, weird combos but they give savory depth fast.

3) Before draining pasta scoop out a cup of the cooking water, add a few tablespoons to the sauce and swirl with the reserved olive oil to make it cling to the pasta better, that starchy water is magic.

4) For more complexity roast or char some of the tomatoes briefly or simmer the sauce longer on very low heat, and if you like texture blend only half so you get both silky and chunky in the same jar.