Marinara Sauce

Name: Slow Cooked Marinara Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. olive oil; 2 cloves fresh garlic (finely chopped or minced See notes below); 2 canned tomatoes (2 x 400 grams each Puree in a food processor if you want a smooth sauce); 1 Tbsp. Tomato paste; 1/2 Tsp salt; 1/2 cup red wine; 1 cup water - one and a half cups if not using wine.; 1 Tsp salt and pepper; fresh basil leaves to garnish

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This is the most simple authentic Italian Marinara Sauce Recipe. A few ingredients, versatile and delicious! There is no secret to a great tomato sauce except to let the tomatoes simmer so although a marinara sauce can be made in 15 minutes, this is not the case here. For a much shorter version of marinara sauce take a look at this Easy Tomato Sauce With Parmigiano-Reggiano Rind.

We simmer until all the alcohol in the red wine has pretty much evaporated and the tomato almost caramelizes itself into a dramatically full body umami flavored sauce, it's the best!

Not sure if there is anything else that I've cooked more than a marinara sauce or as we say 'tomato sauce'.

I have always had a pot on slow simmer with tomatoes even when I didn't know what we were making for lunch that Sunday, it would be on.

When my children walked into the kitchen saying 'oh that smells nice what is it?' Just tomato sauce would be my response and that would be the beginning of a Sunday lasagna, Italian Meatballs Pasta Bake, Easy Italian Homemade Pizza Recipe or a spoonful on a crusty slice of bread.

And then add pasta.....look at this pasta and sauce. Nothing else. Pasta and fresh homemade sauce, how magnificent!

Why you will love this marinara sauce?

This sauce tastes delicious!
There is no prep, you get everything into a saucepan and let it do what it does best, simmer into a thick, rich marinara sauce
Very easy anyone can make it
Store bought bottled sauce cannot compare!
Sugar - free you get to control the ingredients
You can use canned or fresh tomatoes. With fresh you can roast them first and you can also leave them in boiling water to remove the skins and then cook, optional.
Extremely versatile

Marinara Sauce

Authentic generally means that the recipe is authentic to the country of origin, however within that country different areas, or in this case, regions have adapted their own way of making it. With my husband and the region native to him and how my mother in-law made it, is this recipe shared here today, without onions and garlic.

Need a pizza sauce recipe?

Although Marinara Sauce is primarily made with onions, garlic, tomatoes and herbs, would you believe that in-fact there are not many Italians who use onions in their marinara sauce? The garlic gets cooked in oil, tomatoes and herbs as we've done here (with a dash of red wine).

I am not sure what could be better than tomatoes and red wine in a marinara sauce! You decide if you want a chunky or smooth tomato sauce

What type of tomatoes to use?

Whichever tomatoes you have! They can be fresh or canned and you can also oven roast them first if you wish and then follow the same recipe card below.

Oven roasted tomatoes add so much flavor to a marinara sauce or to anything you use them for actually. Canned is just more convenient without having to get the oven on, there are some days that you need the food to quite literally cook itself, this is where this sauce comes in.

Ingredients

Tomatoes - Any tomatoes you have, canned or fresh. In this recipe we're using canned. Canned tomatoes are convenient, oven roasted tomatoes have lots of flavor so whatever works for you.

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Garlic - If you don't like seeing your garlic in the tomato sauce then mince it. However, if you mince it add it a couple seconds before the sauce or with the sauce because minced garlic burns quickly. My suggestion would be to use minced if your sauce is smooth and finely chopped if you're going with a more rustic textured sauce.

Tomato paste - This paste is the umami bomb so don't leave it out! It adds a complexity of flavors and vibrancy when added in at the beginning of cooking. Especially when mixed with spices and herbs.

Red wine or water - Not everyone likes wine in their sauce my husband included so when I have the odd occasion to add it I always do. If you prefer you can use only water you will still have an delicious tomato sauce. Red wine brings out lots of flavor but because it still contains alcohol it needs to be added towards the beginning of cooking. It needs time to burn off the alcohol that's why I add the water in at the same time 10 to 15 minutes into cooking.

Which wine to use?

Yes you can use any of your favorite wines but here's a word about a bad wine - the taste will be evident even in the sauce. If it's an extra special bottle of wine that's expensive rather save it to drink over a lovely dinner because it wont matter. All those lovely notes in your glass of red wine will be lost in the cooking process so keep it simple.

Tips & Suggestions

You can simply whizz the canned tomatoes in a food processor if too chunky.
For a more rustic textured tomato finish then I add just one can into the food processor and the other one I leave chunky.
When adding water into the empty cans to toss into the marinara sauce be careful not to add too much, you want a thick saucy sauce. Besides water is part of the ingredient list in the recipe card below.
If you want a rich flavorful sauce then red wine is a good choice. If you don't drink wine add ½ cup of water and let it simmer the same way.
Sugar is never added to an authentic Italian marinara sauce however feel free to add it if you prefer.

Because using herbs is always so fragrantly refreshing even for an anosmic home cook like myself. Yes I know, the house seems to fill with a beautiful sense of wonderful things cooking and that is good enough for me.

To finish the sauce off, add fresh basil for that authentic Italian sauce.