Marinara Sauce

Cuisine: Italian

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 1

A very few sauces play as well in dishes like the classic marinara sauce. Originated in Southern Italy, the sauce is a meatless sauce made with tomatoes and seasonings. The sauce adds more depth and flavor to dishes and can be easily made with pantry ingredients.

Olive oil
Fresh tomatoes
Tomato paste
Shallots
Chili flakes
Fresh basil leaves
Oregano (dried or fresh)
Garlic cloves

Simplicity is thy name, Marinara!

Blend two pounds of fresh tomatoes (for a single serving) in a food processor after peeling the skin. Alternatively, you can choose canned San Marzano tomatoes. You can choose to grate the tomatoes or crush them with your hands. Keep aside.
In a medium saucepan, sauté some shallots in some generous amount of olive oil over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant.
Add the blended tomatoes, tomato paste, chili flakes, and ½ tsp oregano. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer partly covered for 15 minutes. Adjust the consistency, depending on whether you want to use it as a pasta sauce or a dip.
Add some fresh basil leaves in the end and turn off the heat.
Serve hot with pasta such as spaghetti, ziti, or linguini.

Chef Tip: Marinara can beautifully transform into sauces like arrabbiata or puttanesca with other ingredients.

Perfect for busy weekdays, the marinara sauce goes beautifully with meatballs, pasta, lasagna, shakshuka, chicken parm, and pizza. Load up your pasta with this homemade marinara sauce that’s flavorful, aromatic, comforting. You’ll be so glad you did!

Quick Bites

Fun Fact

There is a folk theory about the origin of marinara which is slightly romantic.
It suggests that the wives of the sailors hustled and prepared marinara sauce when they could catch a glimpse of the ships returning on the horizon so that their men who stayed offshore for days could have a hot meal as soon as they stepped in the house. Mushy much?

Historical Fact

The marinara sauce originated in the southern coastal towns of Italy. Since tomatoes are New World food, the invention of marinara sauce could not be plausible before the 15th century.
The earliest mention of marinara sauce was in Antonio Latini's 1692 cookbook, Lo scalco alla moderna.

Nutrition Fact

A typical serving of 100 grams of marinara sauce contains 51 calories, 1.5g of fat, 1.4g of proteins, and 8g of carbohydrates.
Researches have found that eating tomatoes might decrease hypertension and lower the chances of cardiovascular diseases in diabetics.