Why We Love this Classic Marinara Sauce Recipe
What is it about robust, tangy, and not-too-sweet Marinara Sauce that makes it so tantalizing? It’s vibrant and perky. It tastes of fresh herbs and vegetables. It’s perfect for dipping and tossing with pasta. In short, it makes everything it graces so much more appealing! There are certainly times I’m in a hurry and grab a jar of pre-made marinara sauce at the grocery store. We all do it… Yet the best marinara is always the potful you craft in your own kitchen. Especially if you remember a few key tips! Keep reading for the easy steps for how to make the absolute best tomato sauce from scratch with only one pot and simple pantry staple ingredients.
Ingredients You Need
Onion – peeled and chopped Garlic – finely minced Carrots – peeled and shredded Dried thyme – for a deep, earthy flavor Butter – I prefer unsalted butter, so you have full control over the amount of seasoning Crushed tomatoes – fire roasted canned tomatoes have the most flavor Tomato sauce – choose a quality sauce for the best taste Fresh basil – roughly chopped
How to Make Marinara Sauce from Scratch
Ways to Use Homemade Marinara Sauce
Toss this herby and rich tomato spaghetti sauce with noodles, and use it to make any and all of your favorite pasta dishes. It’s perfect for making classic Italian-style recipes, like:
Homemade Sausage Lasagna Veal Parmesan Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole Margherita Baked Polenta Crockpot Ravioli Lasagna Casserole Manicotti Recipe with Meat Italian Sausage Meatballs or Plant-Based Vegan Meatballs No Boil Chicken Parmesan Pasta
It’s also a fabulous sauce for dipping all kinds of appetizers and snacks! Serve a ramekin of marinara with yummy savory goodies, like:
Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks Homemade Stromboli Air Fryer Toasted Ravioli Air Fryer Breaded Mushrooms 1-Hour Garlic Knots
Best Recipe Tips
Give Your Onions Some Alone Time. Most stove-top marinara sauce recipes that involve onions ask you to sauté the onions for only 3-5 minutes to soften before moving onto the next step. With marinara, it’s best to sauté the onions for triple the time, to make sure they are extremely silky and sweet, before adding the tomatoes. In fact, it you cook them long enough, they will almost melt into the sauce. Just make sure the heat is low, so they don’t brown and turn bitter. Butter is Better. Olive oil is a more traditional choice for sautéing onions and garlic for marinara. Yet I find butter provides a richer, more appealing quality that elevates and softens the tomatoes, instead of overpowering them. The Right Amount of Sweetness. In the past I have been known to add a little sugar to my marinara if the tomatoes aren’t naturally sweet enough. This isn’t a bad thing. However, adding finely shredded carrots to the marinara often has the same effect, while creating an additional layer of flavor. Start with carrots for sweetness, and only add a touch of sugar at the end if the tomatoes prove to be very acidic. Yes, You Can Use Cans. It might come as a surprise, but I truly believe that canned fire roasted tomatoes produce a better marinara than fresh tomatoes. First of all, canned tomatoes are stewed and canned at the height of freshness. If you’re making marinara in the winter, grocery store tomatoes are not going to provide the same flavor and sweetness as summer tomatoes at their peak. Second, tomatoes have a much deeper, richer flavor once stewed. The concentrated tangy flavor is the base of a really good marinara. You’d have to simmer fresh tomatoes for hours to create the same kind of flavor. Less is More. Instead of filling your pot with countless vegetables and herbs in hopes of creating a sauce with depth, focus on fewer well-selected ingredients. I like to stick with good tomatoes, good fat for richness, and just a handful of specific ingredients that offer the biggest bang for the buck. That way, the sauce tastes fresh and pure, not weighty.
If you keep these tips in mind, you can create a bold, zesty marinara sauce in less than an hour that puts any store-bought sauce to shame!
Looking for More Scratch-Made Staple Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
Homemade Cocktail Sauce Creamy Pesto Sauce How to Make Tzatziki Sauce Garlic Butter Sauce Cheese Sauce for Broccoli
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