Make Healthy Marinara Sauce with crushed tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, and oregano in 25 minutes for a quick homemade tomato sauce with fresh tomato flavor.
This Healthy Marinara Sauce Recipe has a loose, slightly chunky texture and works well with Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, pizza, meat, fish, or as a dipping sauce. Make it ahead and freeze it for up to 3 months, or use only a small amount of added salt for the lower-sodium version.
Quick Look: Healthy Marinara Sauce
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 20 minutes
- ⏲️ Total Time: 25 minutes
- 🍽️ Yield: 5 cups
- 🍅 Tomato Base: Crushed tomatoes
- 🌿 Flavor: Fresh tomato, garlic, basil, and oregano
- ✨ Texture: Loose and slightly chunky
- 🍳 Cooking Method: Stovetop
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- 🍝 Best Use: Pasta, pizza, dipping, meat, and fish
- ❌ Avoid: Browning the garlic or cooking the sauce over high heat.
- Why This Recipe Works: The short cooking time lets the onion, garlic, and herbs flavor the tomato base while keeping the marinara quick. A small amount of stevia or sugar helps balance the tomatoes’ natural acidity.
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Jump to:
- Quick Look: Healthy Marinara Sauce
- Chef’s Notes from Valentina
- Ingredients
- Substitutions And Additions
- How to Make Healthy Marinara Sauce
- Marinara Sauce vs. Tomato Sauce
- Expert Tips for Healthy Marinara Sauce
- FAQ About Marinara Sauce
- What to Serve with Marinara Sauce
- More Recipes to Make with Marinara
- Healthy Marinara Sauce
- Storage and Freezing
Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil – 1 ½ tablespoons. Use it to sauté the onion and garlic before adding the tomatoes. Another vegetable oil can be used instead.
- Yellow onion – ¼ small onion, finely diced. Cut the onion into small pieces to help it soften during the short cooking time. White onion can be used instead.
- Garlic – 4 cloves, minced. Cook the garlic after the onion for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Watch it closely because garlic can brown quickly.
- Crushed tomatoes – 4 cups. They give the marinara its tomato base and slightly chunky texture.
- Granulated stevia or sugar – 1 teaspoon. Use stevia for the lower-carb option or regular granulated sugar instead.
- Table salt – to taste. For Low Sodium Marinara Sauce, use only a small amount. Check the sodium content of the crushed tomatoes since it can vary by brand, and taste the sauce before adding more salt.
- Freshly ground black pepper – to taste. Start with a small amount and adjust to your preference after the sauce has simmered.
- Dried basil – 1 ½ teaspoons. Stir it into the tomatoes with the other seasonings before simmering.
- Dried oregano – 1 teaspoon. Use it with the basil to season the marinara.
How to Make Healthy Marinara Sauce
- Sauté the onion: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the diced onion for 3–4 minutes until softened. Stir occasionally to prevent browning. PIC. 1
- Cook the garlic: Add the minced garlic to the softened onion. Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. PIC. 2
- Season the tomato sauce: Pour the crushed tomatoes into the skillet. Mix with the stevia or sugar, salt, black pepper, dried basil, and oregano. PIC. 3
- Simmer the marinara: Lower the heat to medium-low and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Cover the skillet and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally. PIC. 4
Marinara Sauce vs. Tomato Sauce
Marinara is a type of tomato sauce, but it usually has a shorter ingredient list and cooking time. This version uses crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, and oregano and cooks quickly on the stovetop.
Other tomato sauces can include additional vegetables, meat, wine, or longer cooking times, depending on the recipe.
For another Italian tomato sauce, try Pomodoro Sauce. It is blended until smooth, while this marinara uses crushed tomatoes and keeps a loose, slightly chunky texture.
FAQ About Marinara Sauce
For this recipe, simmer the marinara over medium-low heat for 10–12 minutes after adding the tomatoes and seasonings. Keep the skillet covered and stir occasionally while it cooks.
Use only a small amount of added salt and check the sodium content of the crushed tomatoes since it can vary by brand. Taste the finished sauce before adding more salt.
Yes. Let the marinara cool completely before transferring it to an airtight freezer-safe container. Freeze it for up to 3 months, then thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.
Yes. Marinara can be used as a pizza sauce. If you prefer a thicker consistency for pizza, simmer the sauce a little longer before spreading it over the dough.
What to Serve with Marinara Sauce
• Pasta: Toss with spaghetti, vermicelli, or another favorite pasta.
• Pizza: Spread over pizza dough as a simple tomato sauce.
• Meat and fish: Serve alongside meat or fish such as Italian Baccalà.
• Dipping sauce: Pair with fried foods or Pasta Chips for dipping.
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Healthy Marinara Sauce
Equipment
- 1 large skillet
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 cutting board
- 1 Chef's knife
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or another vegetable oil
- ¼ small yellow onion, finely diced (or white onion)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon granulated stevia or sugar if you're not on a keto diet – to balance acidity
- table salt to taste – For a low-sodium marinara sauce, add only a pinch
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Sauté the onion: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the diced onion for 3–4 minutes until softened. Stir occasionally to prevent browning.
- Cook the garlic: Add the minced garlic to the softened onion. Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Season the tomato sauce: Pour the crushed tomatoes into the skillet. Mix with the stevia or sugar, salt, black pepper, dried basil, and oregano.
- Simmer the marinara: Lower the heat to medium-low and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Cover the skillet and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Recipe Notes
Storage and Freezing
Refrigerator: Let the marinara cool, transfer it to an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 3–4 days. Freezer: Freeze the cooled marinara in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thawing: Thaw frozen marinara in the refrigerator before reheating. Reheating: Warm it gently on the stovetop, stirring occasionally, until heated through.Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
