Authentic Italian San Marzano Marinara (Quick Recipe) (2024)

5 from 11 votes

Making a delicious homemade tomato sauce (homemade marinara) does not need to be complicated. This has been my tried and true red sauce for years and it doesn't disappoint.

It is made with simple ingredients and is so full of flavor.

You can use this San Marzano marinara sauce on pasta, pizza, as a dip, or in any recipe that needs a marinara sauce. Customize this sauce to make it your own.

Some people will swear that a homemade marinara needs to be cooked for at least an hour (my Italian family included). When you follow the steps in making this homemade San Marzano sauce, you will see that 30 minutes is all you need.

What You Will Need

All simple ingredients to make this quick sauce. Here is what you need (full recipe below):

• San Marzano whole canned tomatoes: Any brand of San Marzano tomatoes will work. If you cannot find them, there is a new variety of San Marzano tomatoes grown in the U.S. called San Merican that uses the same SM abbreviation as San Marzano. They are a great substitute.
• Onion.
• Garlic.
• Red pepper flakes: You do not get any heat from the red pepper flakes, it just adds depth of flavor.
• Olive Oil: I prefer extra virgin olive oil for its fruity flavor.
• Dried Oregano AND Fresh Basil: Fresh basil is very important to make a great-tasting sauce and you do not need much of it. Try to find this if you can. The dried oregano in the recipe blends in better with the sauce versus fresh oregano which would be clumpy.

How To Make (step-by-step-photos)

Serving Ideas

• This is the marinara sauce I use to dip garlic crostini in.
• I also use this sauce on top of Italian Baked Zucchini, my Italian baked meatballs or my Olive Oil and Garlic Pasta. I actually freeze this sauce with my Italian meatballs for an easy meal later on.
• Use it as a side to zucchini pancakes.

If you like the idea of freezing some of this sauce with meatballs, you can read my post on how to cook frozen meatballs.

This easy San Marzano sauce can be used in any recipe that calls for a marinara sauce.

Tips

• Use a good brand of Italian tomatoes like San Marzano DOP tomatoes.
• Try to only use fresh basil.
• For the smoothest sauce, try to make sure you mash the tomatoes down well when you add them to the pan.
• Tomato sauce freezes well. You can read below in the recipe section for the best way to freeze it.
• If. the sauce is too acidic, add a pinch of sugar.

Faqs

More Italian Recipes

• Pasta with Pancetta and Mushrooms
• Pasta Genovese
• Pork Chops in Tomato Sauce
• Pork Bolognese
• Bolognese (Ragu)
• Pizzelle Recipe
• Ham Pasta
• White Wine Garlic Butter Sauce for Pasta
• Ravioli and Asparagus

📖 Recipe