This easy marinara sauce recipe is thick and rich, made with just a few pantry staple ingredients. It comes together in under 30 minutes and is the best addition to so many meals, such as meatballs, pizza and of course chicken parmigiana! Best of all, this recipe is completely dairy free, vegan and gluten free. You’ll never want to buy store bought sauce again!
Marinara sauce is a rich tomato sauce usually made with garlic, herbs and often a splash of wine. While there are many variations with the origins of the sauce in Italian-American cuisine, this recipe is my simple take, and is one that I personally find really easy and incredibly delicious. I make this at least once a month!
In Australia, marinara is often confused with our dish of spaghetti marinara which is a seafood mix cooked through a rich tomato sauce and tossed through spaghetti. It’s a dish I grew up with and was often found in the homes of many Australian families thanks to the easy ‘marinara mix’ packets of seafood you can get at the local supermarket.
And while this marinara sauce can certainly be used to make a seafood marinara, on its own, it’s a very versatile sauce that can form the base of many meals and is a great recipe to be able to simply add a tonne more flavour than any store bought sauce could possibly provide.
Key Ingredients
I love this simple marinara recipe as the ingredient list is short and you probably have most of it in the pantry already.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Dairy free butter – traditionally olive oil is used and you can certainly use that here instead but I found with the dairy free butter the end result just had that extra richness that I think makes it extra delicious.
- Garlic – this is the key to the flavour of this sauce, it may seem like a lot but trust me, it’s going to make this sauce amazing.
- Passata – this is the secret to how easy this sauce is. Passata is smooth, puréed tomatoes sold in jars in most Australian supermarkets. Look for one with just tomatoes and salt on the label. In the US, look for strained tomatoes (sometimes labelled tomato passata), as American tomato purée is usually cooked and much thicker.
- Red wine – this is optional, but I find it gives the sauce just that bit extra richness. I use any that I have on hand so it’s usually a Grenache as that’s my favourite to drink, but a shiraz would be perfect.
- Dried herbs – I use a mix of oregano, parsley and basil. You can swap any of them for fresh herbs, or use a mix of both depending on what you have. I usually do a mix as I tend to always have fresh parsley avaliable.
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Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Melt the dairy free butter in a small or medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic, turn the heat down to low and stir for about a minute until fragrant. Keep an eye on it, as you don’t want it to burn.
Step 2: Pour in the passata, then add the red wine (if using) and the dried herbs. Give everything a good stir to combine.
Step 3: Let the sauce gently simmer for about 20 minutes, giving it a stir every now and then so nothing sticks. If it starts to spit and splatter, it’s just a little too hot, so turn it down.
Step 4: The sauce is ready when it has thickened slightly and the tomatoes taste sweet rather than sharp. Give it a taste, then use it straight away or transfer it to a glass jar for storing.
👉 Tip! Taste the sauce before you take it off the heat. If it still tastes a little bitter, let it simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, as a longer simmer brings out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes and means we don’t need to add sugar.
Storage Instructions
Let the sauce cool, then store it in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.
It also freezes really well. Freeze it in portions in airtight containers for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of water if it’s a little thick.
Serving Suggestions
This sauce is so versatile. Here are just some of my favourite ways to use it:
- Pasta – toss it through your favourite pasta, or use it in this one pot creamy tomato chicken pasta.
- Pizza – spread it over this homemade pizza dough and skip the takeaway, or use it on this easy prosciutto pizza or ham and pineapple pizza.
- Meatballs – serve it alongside these baked beef meatballs for dunking, or in a meatball sandwich.
- Chicken parmigiana – spread it over a cooked chicken schnitzel, top with dairy free cheese and bake.
- Seafood marinara – add some fish, calamari, prawns (shrimp) and mussels to the simmering sauce and let the seafood cook through. Serve with pasta or crusty bread.
- Garlic bread – use it as a dipping sauce for this festive garlic bread wreath.
Recipe FAQs
Marinara is a simple, quick-cooked tomato sauce made with garlic and herbs. Jarred pasta sauces (or spaghetti sauces) often include extra vegetables, added sugar or even meat or cheese.
A classic marinara is usually dairy free, but some store bought sauces include cheese or butter, so it’s always worth checking the label. This homemade version is completely dairy free, as well as vegan and gluten free.
Yes. Your sauce will be chunkier and may need a few extra minutes to simmer. If you’d like it smooth, blitz it with a stick blender (immersion blender) once it’s cooked.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More easy sauce recipes:
Easy Enchilada Sauce
Lemony Garlic Sauce
Chimichurri
Easy Peanut Satay Sauce
Easy Marinara Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 60 grams (¼ cup) dairy free butter
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 x 700 gram jar (24 oz) passata (tomato puree)
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) red wine optional
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
- Melt the 60 grams dairy free butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the 4 cloves garlic, then turn the heat down to low and stir for about 1 minute until fragrant, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Add the 1 x 700 gram jar passata, 80 ml red wine (if using), 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried parsley and 1 teaspoon dried basil and stir to combine.
- Gently simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and no longer tastes sharp or bitter.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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