Best Homemade Marinara Sauce

Best Homemade Marinara Sauce is an easy Italian tomato based sauce made with simple ingredients easily available in your pantry.  Juicy and fresh tomatoes and onions are simmered with the flavors of garlic and Italian spices for a thick flavorful sauce which goes perfect with any Italian dish - pasta, eggplant parmesan or even over pizzas.

Our family has been long time lovers of Italian food, be it pizzas, calzones, pastas (like spaghetti, lasagna etc.), minestrone soups, macaroni bake; the list goes on. So you will always find either marinara sauce or pizza sauce bottles in our refrigerator.

Vegetable pizzas (with yeast or without yeast but with yogurt) are enjoyed at least once a week and almost always, leftover pizza dough becomes vegetarian calzones the next day!!! My husband loves pastas, especially spaghetti with marinara sauce.

Basic marinara sauce has only tomatoes and onions with garlic and herbs. Along with fresh tomatoes, some ready made tomato puree makes for better thickness and consistency. I love lots of vegetables like mushrooms and bell peppers in my homemade sauce for the texture, flavor and nutrition!! You can choose to omit it and make the basic sauce.

For added heat and if you are brave enough, add crushed chilli flakes and green chillies/jalapenos (we love it hot, so of course, more the merrier!). Sometimes, I dare to add a splash of my homemade chilli-garlic paste for extra spice and flavor.

A small amount of sugar is needed to cut through the acidity of the tomatoes and give a balanced taste. After marrying all the ingredients, simmer away to allow all the flavors to blend through to a thickness you like. Homemade marinara sauce is so versatile, I am sure, once you taste your own homemade sauce, you will make large batches, bottle them and store them to relish with just about any Italian dish, maybe even in sandwiches!!

Mention of sandwiches brings me to another use for this wonderful sauce.  My mother does not prefer any pasta, so on the days we have pasta, I make a simple but yummy sandwich with just bread, cheese slices and classic homemade marinara sauce, grilled on a slow griddle with butter to a golden brown, crispy sandwich oozing with Italian flavors and ooey-gooey cheese!! Be sure to try this the next time you make this sauce.

Now that you know how easy it is to make, jump right in, make a large batch today and surprise your family with an Italian meal of pasta, pizza or even just sandwiches tonight!!

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Best Homemade Marinara Sauce

Homemade marinara sauce is an easy Italian tomato based sauce made with simple ingredients easily available in your pantry. Juicy and fresh tomatoes and onions are simmered with the flavors of garlic and Italian spices for a thick flavorful sauce which goes perfect with any Italain dish - pasta, eggplant parmesan or even over pizzas.

Ingredients

• 4 large tomatoes
• 3 to 4 green chillies/jalapenos
• 2 cups of readymade tomato puree
• ½ cup red onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or grated
• ¼ cup of finely chopped bell pepper/capsicum
• ½ cup of finely chopped mushrooms
• ½ teaspoon crushed red chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Wash tomatoes, chop them roughly and blend along with green chillies to a fine paste. Keep aside.
2. Finely chop onions, bell pepper and mushrooms.
3. Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan.
4. Once the oil is hot, add chopped onions. Sauté on medium high heat till the onions are soft and slightly browned.
5. Add chopped garlic and fry again for a few seconds.
6. Stir in chopped mushrooms and bell pepper and sauté again for about 1 to 2 minutes.
7. Add the pureed tomatoes and green chillies along with readymade tomato puree.
8. Add the Italian seasoning, chilly flakes, black pepper, salt to taste and sugar and mix well.
9. Bring to a boil on high and once it starts to boil, lower the heat and simmer on medium low for about 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce reduces and becomes slightly thick.
10. Once you get the consistency you want, remove from heat, cool, bottle and refrigerate.
11. Homemade marinara sauce can be served with any pasta, lasagna rolls, over pizzas, eggplant parmesan or as a dip with spicy eggplant bites.

Notes

Adding mushrooms and bell peppers is my standard recipe. You can choose to omit it.

For additional flavor, add a bay leaf or some fresh basil leaves.

Add chillies and black pepper according to your taste.

It keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks or in the freezer for about 3 months.

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How to make Homemade Marinara Sauce with step-by-step method:

• Wash tomatoes, chop them roughly and blend along with green chillies to a fine paste. Keep aside.
• Finely chop onions, bell pepper and mushrooms.
• Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan.
• Once the oil is hot, add chopped onions.  Sauté on medium high heat till the onions are soft and slightly browned.

• Add chopped garlic and fry again for a few seconds.

• Stir in chopped mushrooms and bell pepper and sauté again for about 1 to 2 minutes.

• Add the pureed tomatoes and green chillies along with readymade tomato puree.
• Add the Italian seasoning, chilly flakes, black pepper, salt to taste and sugar and mix well.

• Bring to a boil on high and once it starts to boil, lower the heat and simmer on medium low for about 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce reduces and becomes slightly thick. Adjust salt and sugar to get a balanced flavor.
• Once you get the consistency you want, remove from heat, cool, bottle and refrigerate.

• Homemade marinara sauce can be served with any pasta, lasagna rolls, over pizzas, eggplant parmesan or as a dip with spicy eggplant bites.
• Enjoy!!!!!

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