Delicious restaurant-quality marinara sauce made from fresh tomatoes, and done in 30 minutes. Made with just 4 ingredients (plus salt).
Recipe by Yup, it's Vegan on August 26, 2016
Prep time: PT5M
Cook time: PT25M
Total time: PT30M
Rating
5 stars (8 reviews)
Keywords
30-minute marinara, fresh tomato marinara
Ingredients
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic (minced)
4.5 lb fresh tomatoes (stem pieces removed (72 oz./2040 g.) (any variety; see notes))
1 large sprig fresh basil
3/4 tsp salt (scant (or to taste))
Categories
basics
condiments
sauces
Cuisine
gluten-free
paleo
vegan
vegetarian
Steps
Roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to a food processor. (Don't worry about peeling or seeding them). Pulse the food processor until the tomatoes are broken down into a salsa-like texture (very small chunks). If you want your sauce to be completely smooth, rather than a bit chunky, see my tips in the recipe notes.
In the widest pan you have (avoid using a saucepan; see notes), warm the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the garlic and cook for about 60 seconds, just until it becomes fragrant and sizzles a little bit.
Add the chopped tomato mixture and a generous pinch of salt; stir. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Do not cover.
Take a sharp knife to score the stem of the basil sprig in a few places, without cutting all the way through. Place the basil sprig on top of the sauce and press it down.
Continue cooking the sauce uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 20 more minutes, or until thickened to your desired texture. You may notice that the marinara sauce looks pink at first, then eventually turns a brighter reddish orange as the tomatoes cook. Some of the oil will start to separate to the top. Cooking time will vary depending on the variety of tomatoes used, and will be longer if you don't use a shallow, wide pan.
Season the sauce to taste with additional salt. Leftovers, once cooled, can be stored in the refrigerator in a glass container for up to a week.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 half cup
Calories: 80 kcal
Carbohydrates: 10 g
Protein: 2 g
Fat: 4 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 225 mg
Sugar: 7 g
Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
Reviews
Dan on 2022-09-25 (5 stars): This turned out great, though I did end up cooking it for around an hour instead of 20 minutes, at a high simmer/low boil. I mostly used beefsteak type garden tomatoes and blended it all up in a vitamix. 20 minutes seems way too low, but maybe it works if you're using very meaty tomatoes. I served it with some sauteed summer squash and sliced mushrooms and crumbled some fried beyond meat breakfast patties over the pasta, and topped it all with nutritional yeast. Also I mixed in plenty of black pepper and included a bay leaf.
I would definitely make this again, but the timing seems off.
Kathy on 2021-10-28 (5 stars): This is great. I leave it chunky. I crush the garlic and remove it the end for the smoother flavor. I am going to freeze it and have it when the fresh tomatoes and basil are out of season.
Allison on 2019-12-06 (5 stars): This sauce recipe is my go-to for when I want something that's both tasty but also really lazy! Everything is a staple and it's so quick to make. Recently I've been enjoying it with gnocchi!
Dieter on 2019-07-15 (5 stars): A wonderfully delicious recipe.
Cassie on 2018-08-28 (5 stars): I just made this sauce last night with tomatoes from my garden to go with spaghetti squash from my garden. The timing was perfect because I put the squash in the oven and made the sauce while to was baking. It was so simple and delicious, why haven’t I done this before?? Thanks for the thoughtful recipe and post. Will make many times in the future :)
Marie Nelson on 2018-07-14 (5 stars): Carol, I have not done so myself but, I think that if you add lemon juice in the same amount for jar size that you would use for canning tomatoes that it should yield a safe canned product. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or 1/4 cup cider vinegar, or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid powder per quart; for pint jars add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or l2 tablespoons cider vinegar, or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid powder per jar.
I intend to do this myself. I was looking for info on substituting balsamic vinegar specifically. I am still looking.
Deanna Burkett on 2017-08-03 (5 stars): This is exactly what I was looking for. I just made it, and it is delicious. Thank you!
Peta on 2017-07-14 (5 stars): This was one of my go-to recipes last tomato season and I can't wait to start making it again soon
