Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce made with garden fresh tomatoes & flavorful herbs & spices! Every bite is bursting with amazing flavor! Elevate your pasta to the next level with this fresh tomato marinara sauce recipe.
This marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes tastes so much better than any sauce you can find in a bottle or jar. Use those tomatoes in your garden to make this incredibly flavorful homemade tomato sauce!
The BEST Marinara Sauce Recipe
If you planted tomatoes in your garden, chances are you’re about to have more than you know what to do with. My plants are laden down with tons of tomatoes this year and I’ve been using them just as quickly as they ripen.
One of my favorite ways to use fresh tomatoes is to make marinara sauce. I’ve tried several recipes and ended up creating one that was inspired by this Best Marinara Sauce Yet recipe and this Slow Cooker Marinara from Budget Bytes. Both recipes have great elements, so I took those that I liked most and made my own version. By taking the best parts of several recipes I created the best tasting marinara sauce and I’m so excited for you all to try it!
Why This Recipe Works
- It’s versatile. You can use up a dozen or so fresh garden tomatoes, different types of tomatoes, or even canned tomatoes if your garden isn’t producing any red tomatoes at the moment.
- Stovetop or crockpot. Whip up a batch of sauce on the stove or make some slow cooker fresh tomato marinara sauce and really get the flavors to simmer and develop.
- Easy to follow steps. While the recipe is a bit time-consuming and does involve a lot of hands-on steps, every step is fairly simple and easy. This is a perfect recipe for any novice chef or experienced chef wanting to try their hands at a new pasta sauce recipe.
Marinara Sauce Ingredients
Tomatoes: You will need about 12-14 tomatoes (roughly 3 ½ cups of prepared fresh tomatoes once peeled, seeded, squeezed, and squashed. Alternatively, you can use (2) 14.5-ounce-sized cans of stewed or diced tomatoes.
Tomato paste: Add one 6-ounce sized can of tomato paste for added thickness and flavor.
Parsley: You will need 1 tablespoon of dried parsley for added freshness.
Garlic: Use 1 minced clove of garlic for more great taste.
Oregano: Add some powerful flavor and smell by using 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.
Basil: Use 1 teaspoon of dried basil for added sweetness and taste.
Salt: 1 teaspoon of salt will help to enhance the flavors in the sauce well.
Black pepper: Add in ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper for added flavor.
Olive oil: You will need 4 tablespoons of olive oil to help cook everything together in the pot.
Onion: Use ½ cup of finely diced onion for an aromatic flavor and sweetness the sauce will need.
White wine: By adding in ½ cup of white wine, it really makes this sauce taste incredible.
Bay leaf: Adding in 1 bay leaf will make the sauce’s flavors much more powerful and well-rounded.
Brown sugar: You will need 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to help cut down on the acidic flavors and to make the sauce taste more palatable.
Balsamic vinegar: This is an optional ingredient but if desired, you can add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to your sauce.
How to make Fresh Tomato Marinara
Prep tomatoes
Get started by picking the tomatoes and washing them well. Then, cut the core out of the center and slice an X on the bottoms. Set them aside.
Next, boil a large pot of water.
Peel tomatoes
Proceed to place 2-3 of the tomatoes into the boiling water and let them rest in the water for about 1 minute.
Then, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and place them onto the counter until they have cooled enough to safely handle.
Place your hands on the tomatoes and the skins should just slide away as you press your thumbs on them and massage the tomatoes a little. If the tomato has a few blemishes, you may find that a paring knife helps. Note that ripe tomatoes can be more difficult to peel.
De-Seed tomatoes
Once all of the tomatoes have been peeled, slice each one into quarter sized pieces. This will make it easier to remove the excess liquids and seeds.
Run a finger along the wall of the tomatoes and watch as the seeds come off almost all at once. After the seeds have been removed, squeeze some of the liquid from the tomatoes. Don’t wring them dry, just a gentle squeeze will suffice.
Squash tomatoes
At this point, you need to fill a large 4 cup measuring cup with the tomatoes.
This is a personal preference, but you may wish to make the tomato quarters into smaller pieces at this point. You can run them through a food processor really quickly or use a Pampered Chef tool to chop them up if you like them a bit more chunky. Kitchen shears and sharp knives also work well.
When you are finished you should have a measure of 3 ½ cups of prepared tomatoes.
Assemble sauce
At this point, you are ready to add the tomatoes to a large pot for cooking or place them into a crock pot.
Proceed to heat the olive oil in a small frying pan with the onions, parsley, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.
Sauté the ingredients until the onions are softened and sizzling, this should take about 7-8 minutes.
Then, add in the white wine and allow the mixture to come to a boil for a few minutes.
Next, add in the can of tomato paste and stir to combine.
Now, transfer this mixture to the large pot (or crockpot) with your tomatoes and add in the bay leaf.
Continue to cook on the stove for 30 minutes or in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low heat.
Serve on pasta, or as desired, and enjoy!
Crockpot vs Stovetop Methods
I’ve made this sauce both ways and using the crock pot changes the flavor. It creates a rich, flavorful sauce but in my opinion, it really lacks that fresh tomato flavor. The longer it stews in the crock pot, the less you can tell you used fresh from the garden tomatoes. So here’s my recommendation, if you use the crock pot, add the balsamic vinegar. The results are the sauce ends up combining flavors and the result is a thick, dark red sauce that’s delicious on pasta.
If you opt to simmer for 30+ minutes on the stove instead, leave out the balsamic vinegar. I prefer the stove top method myself. Once I even used this sauce to make lasagnas, which I then froze. Even months later, in the dead of winter, I could tell that lasagna was made with fresh tomato sauce, it was heavenly! The results are a slightly thinner, bright red sauce that has that awesome fresh flavor.
Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 12-14 ripe tomatoes or (2) 14.5 ounce cans stewed or diced tomatoes
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 TBSP dried parsley
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 TBSP olive oil
- ½ cup finely diced onion
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 TBSP brown sugar
- 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar {optional}
Instructions
- Prep tomatoes: Get started by picking the tomatoes and washing them well. Then, cut the core out of the center and slice an X on the bottoms. Set them aside. Next, boil a large pot of water.
- Peel tomatoes: Proceed to place 2-3 of the tomatoes into the boiling water and let them rest in the water for about 1 minute. Then, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and place them onto the counter until they have cooled enough to safely handle.
- Place your hands on the tomatoes and the skins should just slide away as you press your thumbs on them and massage the tomatoes a little. If the tomato has a few blemishes, you may find that a paring knife helps. Note that ripe tomatoes can be more difficult to peel.
- De-Seed tomatoes: Once all the tomatoes have been peeled, slice each one into quarter sized pieces. This will make it easier to remove the excess liquids and seeds. Run a finger along the wall of the tomatoes and watch as the seeds come off almost all at once. After the seeds have been removed, squeeze some of the liquid from the tomatoes. Don’t wring them dry, just a gentle squeeze will suffice.
- Squash tomatoes: At this point, you need to fill a large 4 cup measuring cup with the tomatoes. This is a personal preference, but you may wish to make the tomato quarters into smaller pieces at this point. You can run them through a food processor really quickly or use a Pampered Chef tool to chop them up if you like them a bit chunkier. Kitchen shears and sharp knives also work well. When you are finished you should have a measure of 3 ½ cups of prepared tomatoes.
- Assemble sauce: At this point, you are ready to add the tomatoes to a large pot for cooking or place them into a crock pot. Proceed to heat the olive oil in a small frying pan with the onions, parsley, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Sauté the ingredients until the onions are softened and sizzling, this should take about 7-8 minutes.
- Then, add in the white wine and allow the mixture to come to a boil for a few minutes. Next, add in the can of tomato paste and stir to combine. Now, transfer this mixture to the large pot (or crockpot) with your tomatoes and add in the bay leaf. Continue to cook on the stove for 30 minutes or in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low heat. Serve on pasta, or as desired, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Do you have to peel tomatoes for marinara?
Technically you do not have to peel the tomatoes before use, but I do recommend it. While harmless, the peels do add a gritty or chunky texture to the sauce that is not the most pleasant. It won’t cook down and soften too much, so every bite will be noticeable as having tomato peel in it. The way to avoid this would be to food process the tomatoes until pureed instead of leaving them chunky in the sauce.
Should you remove seeds from tomatoes when making sauce?
The tomato seeds can be left in but are often chosen to be removed. Seeds are like little hard bits throughout the sauce so a few small ones won’t make much of a difference but having a lot of seeds in your sauce can make a big difference. You should try to remove as many seeds as you can, but don’t stress it if you miss a few because there are a lot of seeds in every tomato.
What tomatoes are best for marinara sauce?
While you can use just about any tomato for the marinara sauce the best one to use is actually a Roma tomato because it’s big, juicy, and flavorful. They have a thick and easy to remove peel but have a lot fewer seeds than other varieties.
Can I use an ice bath for the tomatoes?
Some people like to dunk them in ice water after removing them from the boiling water, but I think this makes them harder to peel! If desired you can use one after boiling the tomatoes, or you can omit it like I usually do.
Here are some more fabulous Pasta recipes you’ll love!
- CHICKEN BACON RANCH PASTA
- CROCKPOT SPAGHETTI SAUCE
- CREAMY GARLIC PARMESAN PASTA
- LIGHT & CREAMY ALFREDO SAUCE
- LASAGNA SOUP
- CHEESY BAKED RAVIOLI LASAGNA
- TORTELLINI PRIMAVERA
- EASY CHEESE MANICOTTI
- HOMEMADE CREAM CHEESE ALFREDO SAUCE
- CHEESY BAKED TORTELLINI
- EASY CHICKEN MANICOTTI
- TACO STUFFED PASTA SHELLS
Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce is loaded with fresh ripe tomatoes, amazing seasonings, and white wine vinegar! Take your pasta to the next level of deliciousness with this fresh tomato marinara sauce recipe.
3inpink and 1inblue! says
Hi,<br /><br />Have you ever frozen the sauce after it was cooked in the crockpot? Please advise on that. Thanks.
Jessica Williams- UDD, Butter with a Side of Bread says
I have- it freezes beautifully both ways!
Stephany says
I know this is an old post, but about how much pasta sauce does this recipe yield?
Lore DiMattei says
where does a brown sugar come into play in this recipe
Jessica Williams says
It cuts down on the acidity of the tomatoes. You don't need a lot- 2 TBSP really is perfect. I like brown sugar as opposed to regular white sugar because I think it adds a certain rich flavor to the sauce. 🙂