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easy marinara sauce

Easy Marinara Sauce

This Easy Marinara Sauce Recipe uses pantry ingredients, comes together quickly, and you can use it in all of your favorite Italian recipes. This marinara sauce is perfect for Sunday dinner or during the busy work week. The best part is you can make a double or triple batch to freeze for future dinners!
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Course: dinner, dinner recipe
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: easy marinara sauce, marinara sauce, marinara sauce recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 137kcal

Equipment

  • large skillet or sauce pot
  • Silicone or wooden spoon

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup finely diced or chopped white onion
  • 4-6 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
  • 2 15-ounce cans of diced tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes add more if you want a spicier sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • a couple of sprigs of fresh basil chopped (optional)

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it’s fragrant and translucent. Stir in the garlic with the onions and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute.
  • Pour in the wine and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the liquid reduces by half.
  • Carefully stir in the tomatoes and bring the sauce to a boil.
  • Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 30 - 45 minutes or until the sauce turns a rich dark red.
  • Remove from the heat. If you’re using, stir in the fresh basil. Salt and pepper to taste

Notes

Storage Tips
To prepare this sauce for the week, first, let it cool to room temperature. Then put into an airtight container and refrigerator for up to 4 days. Next, heat up on the stove or in the microwave.
There are a couple of ways to freeze the sauce. First, you need to let it cool to room temperature. Then either -
  1. Pour the sauce into airtight containers and freeze. If you use this method, make sure to leave about 1-inch from the top to allow for expansion.
  2. Freeze into blocks using silicone trays like Souper Cubes. After the sauce is frozen, remove the blocks from the tray and then put them into a freezer bag and freeze.
  3. Portion out the sauce into small or large freezer bags. Roll the bags out flat and flash freeze on a baking sheet or lay flat in the freezer. After the sauce is frozen, place the bags wherever they fit in the freezer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 263mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g