Marinara sauce is one of my top favorite foods, like for real. You will have a very hard time convincing me to order a pizza without marinara sauce. I eat this stuff by the spoonful! I wish I could say that this recipe is an original, but I haven’t been able to come up with a better marinara sauce on my own. So I’m sticking with this method from Smitten Kitchen’s Lazy Pizza Dough and Favorite Margarita Pizza post. And I figured it was about time I shared this amazing recipe for my absolute favorite marinara sauce.
This is my go-to marinara sauce recipe. I mostly use it for homemade pizzas but it tends to find it’s way onto spaghetti squash, into goulashes, and even works with eggs. I love this recipe because you can leave it simple or doctor it up with herbs and spices.
Depending on your preferences, possible add-ins to this recipe are fresh garlic or garlic powder, red pepper flakes, or Italian seasoning. I also sometimes add fresh herbs if I have them on hand, basil being my favorite. But fresh oregano and parsley are delicious too.
The secret to this recipe is starting with canned whole tomatoes. I know, canned tomatoes…. but trust me here. You drain the tomato juice and only use the tomatoes for the marinara sauce. It makes for a much more hearty sauce. And then I add tomato paste, an entire six ounce can of tomato paste. The whole thing is made in the food processor or blender, just add in your seasonings and some olive oil.
Sometimes I heat the marinara in a sauce pan over low heat to bring the flavors together, but it’s not necessary. The marinara is ready to use right out of the food processor. I love it so much I usually start eating it right out of the food processor! Enjoy!
The absolute best marinara sauce. This recipe comes together quickly in a food processor. Made with drained canned whole tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, and seasonings.
- 1 28-oz can Whole Tomatoes
- 1 6-oz can Tomato Paste
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes , optional
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- Basil
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Garlic cloves
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Open can of whole tomatoes and pour into a colander over a large bowl to drain. You can reserve the tomato juice for another use or just drink it! Let the tomatoes drain really well. Sometimes I even break the whole tomatoes apart with a spatula to drain any liquid that's inside the tomatoes.
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Once whole tomatoes are thoroughly drained, place them in a food processor or blender.
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Add in tomato paste and pulse a few times to puree the whole tomatoes and blend with tomato paste.
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Then add in olive oil, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning (or fresh herbs), and garlic. Pulse until well blended. Taste the marinara sauce and add more seasonings as desired.
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Optional is to simmer sauce over low heat for at least 20 minutes to help develop flavors.
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Use marinara sauce for pizza, spaghetti, dipping sauce, etc.
I’m with you Emily, I absolutely must have red sauce on my pizza. I just love all that tomato-y goodness with bread and cheese. Using it to dress up some spaghetti squash sounds lovely too.
Yes! Red sauce is the best!