I’ve been preparing this sauce for a long time, and it’s labeled “Ten Minute Tomato Sauce,” though I know it by heart. It’s quick and simple, and it tastes sweet, clean, and tangy. In the time it takes to make the pasta, you can have a spaghetti meal. This sauce is pure simplicity, and with only four ingredients—olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, and basil—everything should be of high quality. If you know how to create this sauce, weeknights will be much less hectic. Meals from the pantry are the best!
Is Marinara Sauce and Tomato Sauce the Same Thing?
While traditional Italian tomato-based pasta sauce (sugo di pomodoro) is sometimes cooked for hours and may include onions, celery, carrots, or meat, marinara sauce is a light, fresh-tasting, tomato-forward sauce that cooks in approximately 10 minutes and is slightly chunky. Take the taste test: prepare this sauce and compare it to the sauce in the jar in your refrigerator. Wow, this one is far superior! It’s a win-win situation, and you’ll save a lot of money in the process.
Homemade Marinara Sauce Tips and Tricks
- Make use of high-quality tomatoes. Not all canned tomatoes are the same. San Marzano tomatoes are a variety of plum tomatoes grown in the San Marzano region of Italy, not a brand. These tomatoes have thick flesh, but brands vary. If they were canned when ripe, they should break apart readily and have a thick, not watery, packing juice. If you can’t get San Marzano tomatoes, experiment with other brands until you discover one that you like and stick with it.
- Squish the tomatoes with your hands. Squeeze the tomatoes in a bowl with your hands before adding them to the skillet. If the tomatoes were canned while they were slightly unripe and in a thin sauce, they may be more difficult to break up when cold, but they will soften and yield to a potato masher or fork after a few minutes of cooking.
- Use a large skillet or pot. To ensure that the sauce thickens fast and cooks evenly, use a skillet or large pot. That’s why it tastes so good and retains its vibrant red color.
- Begin with a chilly pan. When I’m making marinara sauce, I break my practice of heating the oil first before adding anything to the pan. Add the garlic to the oil before heating the pan to allow the garlic to slowly cook and flavor the oil. When garlic comes into contact with hot oil, it burns quickly and tastes harsh. Add the tomatoes as soon as it starts to sizzle.
- Add a couple of sprigs of fresh basil. Even in the dead of winter, a sprig or two of basil may be found, and it greatly improves the sauce. If fresh basil was not available, a pinch of dried oregano would suffice.
Marinara Sauce Applications
- Pasta: Long pasta, such as spaghetti and linguine, works well with smooth sauces, while shorter pasta, such as orecchiette, fusilli, and cavatappi, works well with chunkier sauces. However, there are no hard and fast laws. Whatever pasta you have in your cupboard is suitable for serving with the sauce. Grated Parmesan is an added bonus!
- Marinara sauce goes well with fish, shrimp, or roasted chicken breasts.
- Stir leftover sauce into soup or sautéed vegetables like zucchini or eggplant.