My Hearty Marinara Sauce is full of chunky tomatoes, onions, fresh garlic, and basil. Its fresh and vibrant taste pairs well with pasta, or any Italian meal.
It is also a delicious ingredient in meatless lasagna, chicken parm, and casserole recipes that call for canned tomatoes or tomato sauce.
This is one of my most loved sauces to make for an Italian dinner night. It is one of the sauces my mom made from scratch with our own home-canned tomatoes and I remember learning to make it from her when I was about 12.
She got the recipe when she was in high school from neighbors who were Italian, and she was always proud to say it was the real deal in an Italian sauce.
Jump to:
I no longer can tomatoes, so I use a good-quality canned tomato to get a tomato flavor as close as possible to mom's sauce. I also use the freshest garlic, basil, and onions to get the deep, rich flavor and hearty texture that I remember well.
Why This Is The Best Hearty Marinara Sauce!
Traditional marinara sauce is a tomato-based pasta sauce that contains onions, garlic, and basil. It is typically pureed after it has been cooked to make a very smooth sauce.
Hearty Marinara Sauce is made with the same ingredients as traditional marinara, but the onions and tomatoes are more roughly chopped and the sauce is not pureed after it has been cooked. This makes a hearty, chunky sauce that is delicious.
This hearty marinara sauce is similar to my mom's Italian Meat Sauce, just without the meat. Rather than being smooth like jarred marinara sauce, this sauce is hearty with chunks of tomatoes and onions. It seems more like a meal when mixed with your favorite pasta or layered in pasta bakes.
This recipe makes a large batch of sauce, so there is plenty for dinner tonight and also to pack away and freeze for days when time is short for a good home-cooked meal.
So, let's cook!
Why Should I Make My Own Marinara Sauce?
One word. Sugar.
Most commercial pasta sauces sold at the grocery store contain a significant amount of sugar. When you make your own marinara sauce you can control the amount of sugar.
This particular recipe has no added sugar because I prefer to use San Marzano tomatoes that tend to naturally have a milder, sweeter flavor.
However, if you can't find cans of San Marzano tomatoes, you can make this sauce using any canned whole Roma or plum tomatoes, or canned diced tomatoes. You can also use fresh, peeled, and chopped plum tomatoes.
Ingredient Notes
Here's what you need to make a Hearty Marinara Sauce:
- Olive Oil - Any extra virgin cold-press olive oil will work in this recipe.
- Onions - Yellow onions are best for this sauce. They are mild and slightly sweet.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic is always best. Avoid canned or peeled whole garlic.
- Fresh Basil - Fresh basil leaves are what make this sauce a marinara. The smell and flavor of fresh herbs is hard to describe. But to me, basil has a sweet and almost licorice aroma.
- Dried Oregano - Dried oregano has an earthy aroma and taste and pairs very well with basil in Mediterranean dishes. I choose to use dried oregano because the flavor is much more concentrated than using fresh.
- Canned Whole Tomatoes - San Marzano is my favorite canned tomato to use for this sauce. Their acidity is mild and they have a naturally sweet flavor.
- Tomato Sauce - Tomato sauce adds volume to the sauce without diluting the flavor of the tomatoes. You can use your favorite brand. I like Contadina and also Hunts.
- Tomato Paste - Tomato paste adds another layer of rich tomato flavor. Again use your favorite brand. I prefer Contadina every time I cook because I like the flavor.
- Fine Sea Salt - The sauce will need some salt added to help bring out the flavor of the ingredients. This recipe says to add ½ teaspoon. But you can add more or less to suit your taste.
- Lemon Juice - Acidity brightens the flavors of many foods. I like adding lemon juice after the sauce has cooked to lift the flavor of the sauce. This is another ingredient you can add more or less than I list in the recipe to adjust to your taste.
Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.
How To Make Hearty Marinara Sauce
Using a cutting board and knife, dice the onions small. Press or mince the garlic. Cut the fresh basil using the chiffonade method of rolling several leaves together and then thinly slicing the basil. Roughly chop the tomatoes and add them back to the sauce that came in the can. Set all aside.
Heat a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the diced onion. Cook the onion until transparent.
Add the garlic, basil, oregano, and salt, and continue to cook and stir until the garlic and herbs are fragrant.
Add the can of tomato paste, the can of tomato sauce, and the chopped tomatoes. After each addition, stir well before adding the next ingredient.
Cover and bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Add the lemon juice to the sauce. Taste and add additional salt, if needed. The sauce is ready now to be served or stored. To store, cool to room temperature (about 1 hour) place in covered containers, and refrigerate promptly.
My Top Tips
♡ To save time you can chop the tomatoes while the onion and other aromatics are cooking.
♡ Although many other recipes state this sauce can be simmered for only 30 minutes, a full hour will yield a richer, deeper flavor.
Ways to Use Hearty Marinara Sauce
- Pasta - This sauce is perfect to serve over or mixed with pasta. Great choices are penne, linguine, spaghetti, and any filled pasta like ravioli and tortellini.
- Baked Pasta Dishes - Delicious in pasta bakes like lasagna and baked ziti.
- Parmigiana Dishes - Eggplant or chicken parmigiana are both yummy with this sauce.
- Fish- Bake fillets of red snapper, sea bass, and other fish on a layer of this sauce in a baking dish.
- Dipping Sauce - Fantastic with fried mozzarella sticks, fried ravioli, and pizza.
- Pizza - Use this marinara as a pizza sauce.
- Meatballs - After browning meatballs add them to this sauce to fully cook them. Then serve them with your favorite pasta or make a meatball sub sandwich.
Variations
- Red Wine - Add ½ Cup of Red Wine to the cooked onions to deglaze the pan. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes before continuing with adding the herbs, seasonings, and garlic.
- Capers - If you are a fan of the flowery, lemon, and green olive flavor of capers, add them to the sauce before it simmers. Capers also add a salty punch, so omit additional salt until the end of simmering the sauce, when you taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Olives - Add pitted black or green olives to the sauce after you have added everything to the pot. Simmer the sauce per the directions and you have a puttanesca-style sauce.
- Rosemary - Rosemary is another herb that pairs well with basil and oregano and is found in many Italian recipes. Add up to 2 teaspoons of chopped rosemary leaves when you add the other herbs.
- Red Pepper Flakes - If you like a bit of spicy heat add red pepper flakes when you add the herbs. Add a small amount like ½ teaspoon to add a little heat to the sauce.
Make-Ahead & Storage
You can make this sauce in advance and store it in sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To save space spoon the sauce into zippered plastic storage bags, press out the air, seal, and store the bags of sauce flat.
♡ Did you love this Hearty Marinara Sauce recipe? Please leave a star rating and a comment below!
📖 Recipe
Hearty Marinara Sauce
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Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 3 Cups Onions, Diced Small and Thin
- 4 Cloves Garlic, Peeled, Pressed or Minced
- ½ Cup Fresh Basil Leaves, Cut Chiffonade
- 3 Tablespoons Dried Oregano
- 6 Ounces Tomato Paste, 1 Small Can
- 28 Ounces Tomato Sauce, 1 Large Cans
- 56 Ounces San Marzano Canned Whole Tomatoes, 2 Large Cans
- ½ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Using a cutting board and knife, dice the onions small. Press or mince the garlic. Cut the fresh basil using the chiffonade method of rolling several leaves together and then thinly slicing the basil. Roughly chop the tomatoes and add them back to the sauce that came in the can. Set all aside.
- Heat a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the diced onion. Cook the onion until transparent.2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Add the garlic, basil, oregano, and salt, and continue to cook and stir until the garlic and herbs are fragrant.4 Cloves Garlic, ½ Cup Fresh Basil Leaves, 3 Tablespoons Dried Oregano, ½ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- Add the can of tomato paste, the can of tomato sauce, and the chopped tomatoes. After each addition, stir well before adding the next ingredient.56 Ounces San Marzano Canned Whole Tomatoes, 28 Ounces Tomato Sauce, 6 Ounces Tomato Paste
- Cover and bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- Add the lemon juice to the sauce. Taste and add additional salt, if needed. The sauce is ready now to be served or stored. To store, cool to room temperature (about 1 hour) place in covered containers, and refrigerate promptly.
Notes
Nutrition
Per 1 serving. All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.
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Karen says
Yuuummmmmmyyyyyyy!
Jan Nunes says
Hi Karen,
Thank you! I hope you get a chance to try my mom's "Italian Meat Sauce" too.
Have a wonderful day! ~Jan
Leslie says
Do you deseed the tomatoes?
Jan Nunes says
Hi Leslie, Thank you for your question!
Because this is a rustic sauce, I do not seed the tomatoes. However, if you want to make a smooth sauce I would recommend seeding the tomatoes to give the sauce a better texture.
Have a wonderful day! ~Jan 😊