Having a go-to recipe for marinara sauce can save you lots of money, and it’s way more delicious than most of the jarred stuff you find at the store! Marinara sauce is so versatile, and when made from scratch with quality ingredients, it can elevate any pasta dish to new heights. Don’t get me wrong- using store-bought marinara sauce is a great shortcut when you don’t have anything homemade on hand and you don’t have time to make it. I always recommend Rao’s (which is pricey, but worth it). But with a little planning ahead, you can make a batch of this marinara sauce and freeze it in portions- it makes the equivalent of about 4 jars of store-bought sauce! That’s four meals you can get out of this batch of homemade marinara.
Tips for making the best homemade marinara sauce
After trying a few recipes over the years, I’ve learned a few secrets to making the ultimate marinara sauce. Here they are (in order of importance):
How to make homemade marinara
Storing and Freezing the Sauce
This recipe may take a little while to cook, but I have so much sauce to use this upcoming week, which is going to make busy work-night dinners a breeze. This recipe makes enough sauce for approximately three meals. I divide mine into mason jars and store in the refrigerator or the freezer, and defrost when necessary. Make sure your jars aren’t filled completely, as the liquid will expand in the freezer. You can also freeze it in freezer bags, which can make it easy to store if they are flattened out.
Tips and Tricks
If you think your sauce is too thin, leave the lid ajar for a while. The steam will escape and the sauce will thicken up. Or, you can always add some tomato paste to the mixture. If the sauce is too thick, add just a little bit of water, or more wine!For an extra rich taste, stir in 2-4 tablespoons of butter at the end and let it melt into the sauce.If you use dried herbs, add them with the garlic. This will allow their flavors to bloom before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Recipes that use marinara sauce
You can keep it simple and serve the homemade marinara sauce over spaghetti or another pasta, try one of these recipes:
Spoon the marinara over low-carb instant pot spaghetti squashStuffed portobello mushroomsRoasted eggplant parmesan stacksBaked GnocchiEasy Pasta BologneseBaked Eggs with Potatoes, Spinach, and MarinaraChicken Parmesan SlidersVegetarian LasagnaQuick and Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs
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