I know it’s super easy just to open up a jar of store-bought Marinara Sauce and pour it over your pasta, and sometimes that’s all the energy we have (no shame), but hear me out. This easy marinara sauce recipe is surprisingly simple, super inexpensive, and you get to control the ingredients (great for those watching their sugar or sodium intake). Plus, homemade marinara sauce is very freezer-friendly, so you can make a double batch now and save the other half for the nights when you have no energy. It heats through in minutes and you’re good to go with zero effort!
All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious.
“Very delicious and I have made several times. I appreciate how you break it down and simplify all your recipes. I have done this recipe in my slow cooker and on the stove top and it always turns out wonderfully! Thank you for sharing!!”
Hope
Marinara sauce, in its most simple form, is just puréed tomatoes (or passata) and a small amount of herbs and spices. I’ve added a couple more ingredients here to satisfy my American palate, but the recipe remains very simple. The texture is very uniform without large chunks, which allows it to coat pasta evenly. I often use it as a sauce for pasta, but it can also be used in many other dishes or as a dipping sauce.
Budget-Friendly Tip!
This homemade marinara sauce recipe is written using canned crushed tomatoes, which offer both convenience and a low price. While you most definitely can make marinara sauce using fresh tomatoes, that would require several more steps and a reformulation of the recipe to account for the extra water and flavor differences.
When choosing the canned crushed tomatoes for this recipe, keep in mind that there can be quite a drastic flavor difference between brands. If budget is your main concern, this recipe makes a GREAT sauce even when using generic-brand canned tomatoes. But, even when you opt for a more expensive canned tomato, this recipe is still very easy and budget-friendly, making it a great option for special occasions like date nights!
Easy Marinara Sauce
Servings 8 (½ cup each)Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion ($0.70)
- 2 cloves garlic* ($0.08)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.44)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.18)
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes** ($1.67)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1 tsp brown sugar, optional ($0.02)
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste ($0.03)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to a sauce pot and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the tomato paste and continue to stir and cook for 3-5 minutes more, or until the tomato paste takes on a slightly darker color. This caramelizes the sugars in the tomato paste to give it a slightly sweeter and less acidic flavor.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, brown sugar, and salt to the pot. Stir to combine and dissolve any tomato paste from the bottom of the pot.
- Allow the sauce to come to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and allow the sauce to simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After simmering for 30 minutes, taste the sauce and adjust the salt, sugar, or other seasonings to your liking. If the sauce is too acidic for your liking, you can let it simmer longer (about one hour) or add more sugar. Serve hot or refrigerate until ready to eat.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
How to Make Marinara Sauce Step-by-Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and 2 Tbsp olive oil to a sauce pot and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
Add 2 Tbsp of tomato paste to the pot and continue to stir and cook for 3-5 minutes more, or until the tomato paste takes on a slightly darker color. This caramelizes the sugars in the tomato paste, adding a natural sweetness.
Finally, add one 28oz. can of crushed tomatoes, ½ tsp dried basil, ½ tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp brown sugar, and 1 tsp salt. Stir to combine and dissolve any tomato paste from the bottom of the pot. Allow the sauce to come to a gentle simmer.
Once simmering, turn the heat down to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and let the sauce simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Leaving a lid on the pot but slightly ajar can help prevent splatter.
After simmering for 30 minutes, give the marinara sauce a taste and adjust the salt or other herbs to your liking. If it’s still too acidic for your taste, you can either simmer it longer (around 1 hour total), or add more sugar.
How to Use Marinara Sauce
We all know that marinara sauce is great on pasta, but you can use it for other recipes, as well! Here are some other ways to use this easy homemade marinara sauce:
- Use it on pizza for a lighter tomato flavor. It’s particularly great on Margherita pizzas.
- Serve it with homemade meatballs and spaghetti.
- Use it as a dipping sauce for no knead focaccia bread or breadsticks.
- Combine it with other sauces like pesto or alfredo sauce to make a new pasta or dipping sauce.
- Add it to sandwiches, like meatball subs.
- Use it as a sauce for chicken parmesan or bolognese!
- Use it as a base for soup by adding more seasoning, broth, and other items like pasta, meatballs, or vegetables.
How to Store And Reheat
As mentioned, this marinara sauce recipe freezes beautifully. After cooking the marinara sauce, transfer it to the refrigerator until completely chilled. The sauce will stay good in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or you can transfer it to the freezer for longer storage. Just make sure the sauce is in a freezer-safe container, label and date it, and then freeze for up to three months. To reheat, simply transfer the frozen sauce to a saucepot and heat over medium-low, stirring often, until heated through.
More Pasta Sauce Recipes
Our Easy Marinara Sauce recipe was originally published 12/13/09. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 3/9/25.
Hi, could you please send me the original recipe?
Just emailed it!
Would you please email the original version?
Just emailed it!
I am requesting the old recipe for marinara sauce also could you please email to me?
Just sent it to you!
I thought I had the previous marinara recipe but I can’t find it. Could you please email me also?
This is such an easy recipe, great to have on hand, and easy to freeze for future use!
Can you email the old recipe to me also, please?
Just sent it to you!
Would you please email me the original recipe. Thank you. I just love your recipes.
Could you please email me the old version of this recipe. Thank you
Just emailed it to you!
Would you please email me the old recipe? Thank you so much. I use a lot of your recipes, they have all been great!
this recipe is beyond phenomenal. my fake friends won’t make it with me again so i am going to burn them alive and cook them in the soup. anyway, i would sell my soul for a lifetime supply of this soup. xoxo
I’d like the old recipe please!
Just sent!
Is there a version of the old recipe (the version with balsamic vinegar)?
Just emailed it to you!
Came here to ask the same thing!
Great as always. Do you still have the recipe with balsamic vinegar?
It’s been archived but I can email it to you! :)
Please do!
Any chance I can get the old recipe? Thanks!
Just emailed it!
I want to try this new recipe, but can you please send me the old one as well? I liked the incorporation of the balsamic vinegar. Thanks!
Sent!
I always make a big batch of sauce and freeze it in smaller batches. How much does this recipe make? Does it change the taste if I double it?
It should end up making about 4 cups of sauce! You should be fine to double it with no issues.
Oh no, I came to check my measurements in the middle of cooking a big batch and this recipe has been updated! Any chance of a link to the old one too?
Sent!