My Italian roots make me love a good, slow-cooked tomato sauce with fresh herbs that simmers for hours, but sometimes you need a great version that’s also quick. This quick and easy marinara sauce makes use of a lot of staple pantry items with very little prep and comes together in 30 minutes or less.
What is Marinara Sauce?
At its core, the definition for a marinara sauce is a sauce that is made of tomatoes, garlic, onion, and spices. People tend to associate pastas and tomato sauces with Italy, but tomatoes didn’t exist in Europe until Spain started bringing them back from the “New World” in the 16th Century. The earliest recipe for a tomato sauce came from Naples, in the Italian cookbook Lo Scalco alla Moderna (The Modern Steward), written by Italian chef Antonio Latini in 1692.

Enough of the history listen though. All you need to really know is that at its core, marinara is a Southern Italian tomato sauce made with simple ingredients. As most sauces, it has a ton of variations but has become a staple in many Italian American dishes, including my own baked rigatoni with Italian sausage and meatballs.
Ingredients for Marinara Sauce
As I mentioned above, the ingredients for marinara are simple, and most are staple pantry items you may already have on hand, especially if you do a lot of home cooking.
Tomatoes – I use both canned crushed tomato and tomato paste in this recipe. You could use fresh tomatoes as well, but that takes away from the “quick and easy” part of the recipe.
Onions and Garlic – gives the sauce a little more texture and a nice boost to the flavor.
Olive Oil – a decent extra virgin olive oil adds flavor and is used to cook the onions and garlic as well as blooming your seasonings.
Seasonings – I use a decent amount of seasoning in this, but most you should already have on hand. A mix of oregano, basil, black pepper, crushed red pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and bay leaves really boost the flavor of the sauce.
Salt and Sugar – a mix of both helps cut through the natural acidity and bitterness in the tomato sauce.
How to Make Marinara Sauce
The process is simple and all I use to make the sauce, other than a knife to cut the onion and garlic, is a saucepan and a wooden spoon.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When it’s heated up, add the diced onion, and cook until softened and translucent, about 6-7 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and the oregano, basil, black and red pepper and stir until fragrant, about a minute more.
Pour in the crushed tomato and stir to combine with the oil, then add the rest of the ingredients. Let it simmer and stir frequently until well combined. Taste the sauce and add more salt or sugar if needed. If you’re happy with it, cover the pot and turn the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally for another 20 minutes or so. Then you’re ready to go with the sauce.
Ways to Use or Store Marinara Sauce
Once cooked, the sauce is ready to be used in a recipe, or you can cook it ahead.
Once the sauce has cooled completely, you can store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container or jar for 3-4 days. You could also store it in the freezer for up to 3 months before the flavors begin to fade.
Pasta – the sauce goes great with spaghetti or any other type of pasta. I use this same sauce in my recipe for baked rigatoni with Italian sausages and meatballs, as well as my sausage and pepper pasta.
Parmigiana – marinara can also work great in recipes like chicken or veal parmesan.
Over Meatballs – a great choice of sauce to serve over a bowl of meatballs, or in a meatball sub.
Pizza – works as a good pizza sauce as well, though a few alterations make it pop even more.
Dip – also a great dipping sauce for fried or baked mozzarella sticks, focaccia, chicken tenders, calamari etc.
📋 Recipe
Quick and Easy Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 bay leaves
Directions
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. While it’s heating up, dice the onion and mince the garlic. When the olive oil is ready, add the diced onion and stir to coat in the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened and translucent, but before it turns brown, about 6-7 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and the oregano, basil, black pepper and crushed red pepper and stir to combine. Cook until fragrant, about a minute more.
- Pour in the can of crushed tomato and stir to combine with the olive oil. The sauce will look very oily at first, just keep stirring constantly for a minute or two until it begins to smooth out, then add the rest of the ingredients. Let it simmer and stir frequently until well combined.
- Taste the sauce and add more salt or sugar if needed (I normally use about 2 teaspoons of each). If you’re happy with it, cover the pot and turn the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally for another 20 minutes or so. Then your sauce is ready for the recipe you’re using it in.
Equipment Used
- Ninja Cookware
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