Quick Look at this Homemade Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
- Ready In: 3 1/2 hours
- Serves: 12
- Difficulty Level: easy, beginner-friendly
- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ : over 90 five-star reviews!!
- Main Ingredients: fresh garden tomatoes, onion, garlic, oil, red wine, dried herbs, and fresh herbs.
- Dietary Info: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, and Whole30/Paleo-friendly
- Cooking Method: slow roasted in the oven for a rich, concentrated flavor!
- Best For: enjoying on spaghetti, lasagna, or meatballs. Also, great for meal prep – learn how to can marinara sauce or store in the fridge or freezer for later.
Share and summarize this recipe:
Why You’ll Love With This Homemade Marinara
- Ditch all of the canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, jarred marinara – only FRESH tomatoes here!
- No peeling or blanching required!
- So easy – toss it all in a pot and let it slow roast in the oven to perfection.
- Variety of tomatoes with fresh + dried herbs for the BEST flavor!
- Meal Prep-Friendly – make canned marinara sauce, keep in the fridge or freezer.
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Fresh Tomatoes – highly recommend using a variety of different types of tomatoes to get the most depth of flavor.
- Red Wine – use a dry red wine or substitute pomegranate juice to make this sauce Whole30/Paleo compliant.
- Fresh Herbs – option to use both sweet basil and Italian basil or just stick with one if you can’t find both.
- Olive Oil – the higher quality the better or swap it out for avocado oil.
How To Make The Best Homemade Marinara Sauce
Step 1 – Prep all the ingredients and put them in a dutch oven.
Step 2 – Mix everything together.
Step 3 – Roast in the oven for 3 hours, stir every 30-45 minutes.
Step 4 – Let the tomato mixture cool for a bit before blending.
No Blender? No Problem!
Feel free to use a food processor or simply blend right in the pot with an immersion blender for minimal clean-up!
Step 5 – Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender.
Step 6 – Blend or pulse to reach your desired consistency. Serve or store for later!
Large Batch of Homemade Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
- This recipe for the best marinara sauce was originally born with 20+ pounds of fresh, garden tomatoes in a LARGE batch if sauce.
- It all roasts together in a large aluminum pan in the oven for about 5 hours.
- Exact ingredients and instructions are included below in the Notes section of the recipe card.
Best Ways To Serve Homemade Marinara Sauce
Bring the best flavor to any recipe that you would typically use jarred marinara sauce in, like these:
- Pasta: serve over spaghetti noodles (or zoodles), make our easy homemade lasagna, or a cheesy baked rigatoni.
- Baked Dinners: like oven baked chicken parmesan or baked eggplant parmesan.
- Meatballs: enjoy with some oven baked Italian meatballs.
- Dipping: use a little for dipping our cheesy Italian dunkers!
Marinara Sauce Storage Tips: Fridge, Freeze, Can
- Fridge: store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: fully cool, transfer to a freezer-safe container (leave room for expansion), and freeze for up to 6 months.
- Can: simply follow our tutorial on how to can spaghetti sauce to keep your marinara for longer in the pantry!
Homemade Marinara Sauce FAQs
Do you need to blanche the tomatoes before making this homemade marinara sauce?
No, there is no need to blanche the tomatoes before cooking. The roasted tomatoes will be blended to smooth and I honestly think they add more flavor and authenticity to the sauce.
Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh in this homemade marinara sauce?
I highly recommend using fresh herbs for the added flavor, but if you need to substitute some dried herbs that can be done at a ratio of 3:1 (1 teaspoon dried herbs for every 1 tablespoon of fresh).
Can I make this homemade marinara sauce into a meat sauce?
Yes, feel free to serve over easy baked Italian meatballs or brown a pound of ground beef in a skillet and then add your desired amount of sauce.
Other Italian-Inspired Recipes You Might Like
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Our incredible Homemade Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes is slow roasted with garlic, fresh herbs, onion, oil, and red wine for a marinara sauce that is full of flavor and naturally sweetened for your pasta, lasagna, or freeze for later!
Video
Ingredients
- 6-7 pounds fresh tomatoes, cut into chunks (mixture of heirloom, beefsteak, orange, yellow, and roma)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 large white onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 head garlic, peeled and separated into cloves
- ½ cup fresh oregano
- ½ cup fresh sweet basil, roughly chopped and tightly packed
- ½ cup dry red wine
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh Italian basil, roughly chopped and tightly packed
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt, more to taste
- 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 425℉.
- Combine: In a large dutch oven, add all of the tomatoes, onion, garlic, ½ cup fresh oregano, ½ cup fresh sweet basil, ½ cup dry red wine, ⅓ cup olive oil, ¼ cup fresh Italian basil, 2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves, and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix everything together to combine.
- Roast: Place in oven, uncovered, and let roast for 3 hours, stirring every 30-45 minutes. After 3 hours, remove from oven and let cool for an hour or so.
- Blend: Carefully transfer the roasted tomato mixture to a blender or food processor (alternatively, you could also use an immersion blender in the dutch oven). Cover and pulse a few times for a more chunky sauce or blend on high for 1-2 minutes for a smoother sauce.
- Serve or Save: Serve some immediately or fully cool and store for later.
Notes
- Aluminum Pan: you will need a large aluminum roasting pan for this recipe
- Clean Tomatoes: be sure to clean tomatoes before use. I soak them in a 50/50 vinegar and water mixture for about 10-15 minutes and then rinse clean.
- Cutting Garlic Tip: dreading peeling a ton of garlic – simply cut each clove in half lengthwise and you can peel them so much easier!
- Total Pounds of Tomatoes Needed: don’t get hung up on the exact tomatoes used. You just need about 6-7 pounds of tomatoes, using a variety of different types and colors (for better depth of flavor).
- Basil: If you can’t find both Sweet AND Italian Basil, just use 3/4 cup of fresh basil and don’t worry about the type.
- Red Wine: I don’t use any particular brand and really any red wine you have will probably be fine, but you will get the best flavor with a dry red wine.
- Paleo/Whole30: simply use pomegranate juice in place of the red wine.
- Is 425°F Too Hot?: I promise it isn’t too hot! Once those tomatoes start cooking down there is going to be A LOT of liquid that needs to be cooked off.
- How much will it make: This recipe resulted in about (3) 1-pint jars. The large batch noted below will make about (14) 1-pint jars, but it will vary a little. Feel free to use larger jars – we use smaller ones because that seems to work for a family of 4 making spaghetti and if we stored them in larger jars we would open them and not all of it would get used. Personal preference!
- Eat, Freeze, Can: Feel free to use some right away, store some in the refrigerator for a week or so, freeze it or can it! I have a great post on How to Can Spaghetti Sauce 101 that can answer a lot of questions!
- Large Batch Recipe: If you are looking to make A LOT of sauce or have an abundance of tomatoes (makes approx. (14) 1-pint jars). Cook in a large aluminum pan for 5 hours, stir every 30-45 minutes (especially the last 2 hours). Cool and blend as noted in the recipe card:
- 3 heads of garlic, peeled
- 22-23 lbs of tomatoes with a mix of
-
- 5 heirloom tomatoes – cut into chunks
- 8 beefsteak tomatoes – cut into chunks
- 3 orange tomatoes – cut into chunks
- 6 yellow tomatoes – cut into chunks
- 20 cherry tomatoes
- 2 pounds roma tomatoes – quartered
-
- 3 large white onions – quartered
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh sweet basil, roughly chopped
- 1 cup tightly packed Italian basil, roughly chopped
- 1 cup fresh oregano
- 1/4 cup dried oregano leaves
- 2 tablespoons dried basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
Calories 54kcal
Nutrition
Calories: 54kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 506mg | Potassium: 299mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 948IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg
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Original post published on 8/20/2020. New photos added and retested on 8/3/3026.
Stacia says
I made this before in a non convection oven & only roasted them for 4 hours & it was perfect. Today I used my new convection over & after 2 hours the tips of the onions, some of the tomato skins were burnt. When using a convection would you recommend reducing the heat down to 350-375° for 3-4 hours?
Erin says
Hi Stacia – you could definitely try reducing the temp! Just keep an eye on it and adjust as you need to!
Savannah says
I don’t have a Dutch oven so I made a small batch and roasted on a sheet pan. The liquid is evaporating but the tomatoes look like their getting burnt even though ive been stirring every 30 minutes. I have the oven set to 425. Does this sound right, will if affect the sauce flavor?
Erin says
Hi Savannah – if you are using a sheet pan I would think you are having that issue because the liquid is more spread out/thinner so it will cook off faster compared to the recommended Dutch Oven or aluminum pan. I have never made it on a sheet pan, but reducing the temp might help solve that problem!
Debbie says
Thank you for a wonderful recipe. I’m wondering, do I have to cook it in an aluminum pan? I have a Le Cruset porcelain roaster I wanted to use. Thank you.
Erin says
Hi Debbie – you can cook in whatever works for you, I recommend an aluminum pan simply because when you cook the tomatoes for that long at that temp they get very acidic and can ruin a pan if it isn’t built to withstand the heat/acidity (and I ruined a pan myself once!) – so just be careful and make sure your pan can handle it!
Annie says
This recipe is fantastic! Simple, fun, economical and delicious!
Have made this a few times. I’ve adjusted the salt & dried oregano down to 1 Tbsp each, eliminated fresh oregano and Increased dried basil & fresh basil – due only to taste preference.
Erin says
Love it! Thanks for sharing your variations, it’s always so helpful for everyone 🙂 Glad you are enjoying the recipe!!
Beata says
Wow! This is THE best recipe ever! My whole family is in love with this roasted marinara sauce! We used everything from our garden. So impressive! We will never go back to jarred sauce again. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Patti Perry says
When doing the small batch in the dutch oven, what temp do you cook it at for the 3hours?
Erin says
At 425 degrees F., just like the regular recipe!
Anonymous says
My very picky family absolutely loves this sauce! It’s VERY good. I’ve made chili using this recipe but used different herbs and included bell peppers. It was also amazing. I haven’t caned this recipe because it always gets eaten right away!
Duana says
I tried this recipe today and it is fantastic! My husband loves it too! Mine was a little on the acidy side; I’m guessing that is from the tomatoes I used. Is there a tip for reducing the acid aftertaste if the tomatoes are acidy?
Victoria says
Hi, I have a quick question. Have you tried adding bell pepper to the recipe? I’m making this recipe this weekend and was wondering about adding bell pepper to it. Love your website!! Thanks!!
Erin says
Hi Victoria! I haven’t personally tried adding bell peppers, but I think a couple would be just fine – most vegetables work pretty well in this recipe! I wouldn’t add a ton, but a few would be okay!
Luisa says
Any suggestions for how to do this in an electric roaster? Dying to try it but my oven is out of commission, something I did not discover until after I had everything ready to go!
Michelle says
This is so very fabulous. I’m about to make my fourth small batch, but my smell-senaitice housemate just confessed to me that five hours of this smell really bothers her. Do you think this recipe would so well in a slow cooker (outside) for a longer time? Have you tried cooking it at lower temperatures?
Denise says
Wow! This is THE best recipe! Thanks so much for sharing. I had 12lbs so I cut this in half and added some red pepper flakes. I will now go on a tomato hunt because I need SO much more of this!
Erin says
So, so happy to hear that, Denise! And I LOVE the red pepper flake idea – I am going to have to try that next time! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback – I really appreciate it!
Tami says
This is the BEST marinara recipe! Making my second batch now and my house smells amazing. Thank you, Erin, for sharing!
Erin says
Hi Tami! So glad you enjoyed it – and thank you so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it!
Sue says
Do you ever add canned tomato paste while cooking?
Erin says
I don’t, but feel free to if you want! I just never to do because as you cook all of that liquid off it gets pretty thick – but you could certainly add a little if you wanted!
Eryn says
This looks fantastic! I’m curious if you think it would turn out using frozen tomatoes – I’m assuming it would be just fine since you end up pureeing the whole thing anyway!
Also – why do you recommend an aluminum pan? I thought you were not supposed to cook tomatoes in aluminum?
I cannot wait to try this recipe! It looks fantastic 😀
Janet T says
I just posted but wanted to add this. I fished out about 1/2 cup of skins and blended them just to see if there was a taste difference. We both really liked the taste, and found it rich and tomato-y so I added them back in. I like the sauce a bit chunky rather than smooth, but little bits of rolled up skin have an odd mouth-feel. Next time I’m going to blend them smooth and compare.
Erin says
Thanks, Janet!!!