How to Make Your Own Marinara Sauce

One fabulous way to improve your home-cooked dishes is to make your own marinara sauce. You may currently get pre-made sauces to help save time, but they can be quite costly, especially when you’ll likely have all the ingredients in the home to make your own. Plus, it really doesn’t take that much longer to make; certainly, it’ll be done when the pasta finishes cooking anyway. This traditional Italian sauce may be used on a number of dishes and only requires a few simple ingredients, namely tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and herbs.

How marinara sauce began

Marinara sauce is thought to have been first created as long ago as the 16th century. It has its roots in the coastal regions of Italy, when sailors and fishermen created it as a straightforward and speedy sauce to cook using the readily available ingredients of tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil.

The Italian word “marinaro,” which meaning “mariner” or “sailor,” is considered to have inspired the name “marinara.”

A mainstay in Italian cooking, there are also numerous regional variations and recipes for marinara sauce. Because of its simplicity and flavour, its popularity has spread across the world and is one of the best known and best loved Italian flavours.

Ingredients for marinara sauce

You’ll need the following to prepare your own marinara sauce:

• 2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ cup of onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup of fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1tbsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped
• 1tbsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
• A pinch of salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

How to make marinara sauce

1. Grab a big pot and, over a medium heat, warm the olive oil.
2. Add the onions and garlic in together and cook them for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender and transparent.
3. Add to the pot the canned tomatoes and the liquid from the cans too. Use a wooden spoon to break the tomatoes into smaller pieces.
4. Add the salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and thyme.
5. Once the mixture is simmering, turn the heat down to low and keep cooking the sauce for 30 minutes, or until it has become slightly thicker. If you need it sooner, you can add a ½ teaspoon of sugar to speed up the cooking process (it helps to take the acidity out of the tomatoes that would cook out if left on longer).

If necessary, taste the sauce and season as desired.

Serve hot with meatballs, pasta, mix with minced beef for a bolognaise, or as desired.

Enjoy!