What makes a great marinara sauce

Rao's is our go-to store-bought marinara sauce , but when we have time, we much prefer to make our own. Here's what's most important to remember:. We like using canned whole tomatoes, and breaking them as they cook, for a chunkier marinara.

If you prefer a smoother sauce, use a can of crushed tomatoes instead. This tastes amazing over a bowl of pasta, but it's also great for shakshuka , lasagna , and chicken parm. Trust, us. It actually makes a difference. We taste tested a bunch of popular super market brands and found out that San Marzano were sweeter and had a cleaner tomato taste. Luckily for you, they're easy to find at most grocery stores these days.

It doesn't need to simmer for hours and hours because it shouldn't taste super rich and complex. People love marinara sauce for it's bright flavor. If you just used the tomatoes from the can, your sauce will bubble and splash aggressively. Fill up your tomato can with a bit of water, swirl it around to catch any clinging leftover tomato bits and juices , then add it to your skillet.

This will loosen the tomato mixture to be more sauce-like. Some pasta sauces tell you to add a bit of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. But when you build the flavors with EVOO, onion, garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes and give it time to simmer 20 minutes we don't think it's necessary. Basil is a fragrant herb that is made for marinara. Instead of waiting to garnish your pasta with it, use it while the sauce is simmering.

Ingredients Decrease Serving 8. The ingredient list now reflects the servings specified. Add all ingredients to shopping list View your list. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I Made It Print. Full Nutrition. Reviews Read More Reviews. Rating: 5 stars. I'm rating this a 5 because the consistency is perfect; thick enough but not too much so that if one wanted to make a meatsauce out of it, the spoon would not stand up straight in the middle of the pot.

Also a 5 star for ease of preparation and ingredients one tends to have on hand. I did have to add 2 more cloves of garlic but I am a garlic lover. I followed exactly and used a 'Mier's Winecellar white table wine'. It seemed to enhance the flavor and didn't hinder it. It also is a sweeter sort of wine so thought it would help with that sauce tartness thing we all try to fix. I did have to add 1 Tbsp. I'm going to let it sit in fridge overnight and make eggplant parm.

Read More. Rating: 3 stars. This was a decent marinara but it had a bitter taste and the wine flavor was too strong. I felt like I was drinking a glass of wine while eating marinara sauce. Next time I'll use less wine and a little sugar. Reviews: Most Helpful. Incredible sauce!!! Instead of stewed tomatoes I used crushed tomatoes so there was no need for the food processor. I fried the onions in 3 cloves of minced garlic and added 1 tsp. Other than those additions this was perfect over angel hair pasta and chicken parmesan!

Jill Schilz. 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.

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