Spaghetti Marinara Recipe

Marinara sauce is an Italian tomato based sauce with a balanced sweet, tangy, and savory flavor. For an easy meal, simply toss this sauce with spaghetti, or use it to make a variety of other recipes.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Marinara Recipe, Marinara Sauce, Spaghetti Marinara, Spaghetti Marinara Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 116kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

Marinara Sauce:

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 large cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
28 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, with juices
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, but recommended)
2 sprigs fresh basil plus more for garnish (optional, but recommended)

Serving Options:

Spaghetti cooked to al dente (or any kind of pasta you like)
Zucchini noodles

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a 5-quart pot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the garlic. Turn the heat down to low and cook until the garlic is fragrant and starting to brown a little, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.
Add the remaining ingredients and cook it down. Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes. Use a spoon or potato masher to crush the tomatoes a bit. Stir in the basil sprigs. Bring to a boil, and then cover the pot but leave the lid ajar. Turn the heat down to simmer, and cook 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce is done when it’s thickened and the oil has separated from the tomato. (See photo in the post above for reference.)
Enjoy. Remove the cooked basil springs and discard. Serve with any type of pasta you like, or use it in recipes that call for marinara sauce or tomato sauce.

Notes

Net Carbs: 7 grams per serving (1/4 cup)
Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 2 cups of marinara sauce, or 8 (1/4-cup) servings.
Nutritional Information: The nutrition information was calculated for the sauce only, without the serving options.
Marinara Sauce Storage: After cooling, store this sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Special Diet Friendly: This marinara sauce is gluten free and vegan, and you can make it paleo by omitting the sugar or using a paleo-friendly sweetener (such as coconut sugar or honey) instead.

Nutrition