Classic Marinara Sauce

Recipe from Lidia Bastianich

Adapted by Julia Moskin

Updated Feb. 3, 2025

Classic Marinara Sauce
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(10,512)
Comments
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Homemade marinara is almost as fast and tastes immeasurably better than even the best supermarket sauce — and it's made with basic pantry ingredients. All the tricks to a bright red, lively-tasting sauce, made just as it is in the south of Italy (no butter, no onions) are in this recipe. Use a skillet instead of the usual saucepan: the water evaporates quickly, so the tomatoes are just cooked through as the sauce becomes thick. (Our colleagues over at Wirecutter have spent a lot of time testing skillets to find the best on the market. If you're looking to purchase one, check out their skillet guide.) —Julia Moskin

Featured in: Marinara Worth Mastering

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Ingredients

Yield:3½ cups, enough for 1 pound of pasta
  • 128-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, certified D.O.P. if possible
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 7garlic cloves, peeled and slivered
  • Small dried whole chile, or pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1large fresh basil sprig, or ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, more to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (7 servings)

94 calories; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 276 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pour tomatoes into a large bowl and crush with your hands. Pour 1 cup water into can and slosh it around to get tomato juices. Reserve.

  2. Step 2

    In a large skillet (do not use a deep pot) over medium heat, heat the oil. When it is hot, add garlic.

  3. Step 3

    As soon as garlic is sizzling (do not let it brown), add the tomatoes, then the reserved tomato water. Add whole chile or red pepper flakes, oregano (if using) and salt. Stir.

  4. Step 4

    Place basil sprig, including stem, on the surface (like a flower). Let it wilt, then submerge in sauce. Simmer sauce until thickened and oil on surface is a deep orange, about 15 minutes. (If using oregano, taste sauce after 10 minutes of simmering, adding more salt and oregano as needed.) Discard basil and chile (if using).

Ratings

5 out of 5
10,512 user ratings
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Comments

CFXK

Just leave your preconceived notions of marinara sauce at the door and make this exactly as presented here. Don't listen to the modifiers. You won't be disappointed and you will NEVER feel the need to modify or tweak.

Andrea

I have a different opinion especially concerning the use of the basil , to get the most flavor from this unique though fragile herb the secret is not to cook it along the sauce but just at the end when the sauce is done and you are going to pour the pasta , you lay down a top of the plant and you mix it with the whole , the heat will make the herb screaming out its taste and flavor , better , perfum ! That is the way to take the maximum from our most distinguished herb.

Jamadan

I suggest avoiding a cast iron skillet. The acidic tomatoes can pull a metallic taste into the sauce.

Mary Carroll

I don’t like the bitterness of tomato sauces and compensate for it by adding baking soda. This recipe took about 1/4 teaspoon. You have to be careful doing this, too little and you still have that acid flavor, too much and it just goes flat. I also added about 1 tablespoon molasses which gives the sauce an instant “I cooked all day” sweetness. I simmered this sauce down to thicken it up enough to use as a pizza sauce. Pizza margarita… delicious!

Dave

Very nice. One thought, though, a lot of sauce for just one pound of pasta. Am I being cheap?

Ellen

I like a thicker sauce.

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Credits

Adapted from “Lidia’s Commonsense Italian Cooking,” by Lidia Bastianich (Knopf, 2013)

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