Three simple basic ingredients can be transformed into a rich, sweet, delicious marinara that will make you feel like a real chef. The secret is to make sure the fresh tomatoes are juicy and sweet. Use any type of tomatoes that you have but be sure to taste them first. The marinara is only as good as the tomatoes you start with.
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Sometimes I like to add cooked lentils to the marinara to make it hearty when served over some gluten free pasta and broccoli. Toss your broccoli florets into the boiling pasta water for the last few minutes to lightly cook it.
Use your home grown tomatoes or purchase tomatoes from a farmer’s market. If you are lucky maybe you have a neighbor or co-worker who will share their home grown tomatoes. You can use large tomatoes, small tomatoes or a combinations of both – if they are sweet and flavorful your marinara will be amazing.
Fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil. Yes, that it all you need!
We hope you enjoy this short video where I demonstrate how to make the best fresh marinara.
This marinara freezes well. I freeze it in my 2 cup Super Cubes.
It is so convenient to have these frozen marinara cubes in our freezer. In the middle of winter we can still enjoy the taste of our home grown tomatoes. You can take them from the freezer and thaw them out in the microwave or on the stove top. Serve as you wish.
Serve it over pasta, like this gluten free black bean pasta. Sprinkle with a little Faux Parmesan Sprinkle if you wish.
It only takes a few minutes to make zucchini and yellow squash noodles with a spiralizer. Gently heat them up in a skillet or in the microwave for a couple minutes. Not too long or they get watery. Top with fresh basil and dig in!
This fresh marinara is delicious over pasta. We like to add some cooked lentils to the sauce to make it heartier and some broccoli cooked along with the pasta for the last few minutes. Scrumptious!
Substitutions:
Garlic – shallots
Fresh basil – use dried basil or an Italian seasoning mix
You might also enjoy my Vegan Mushroom Spinach Lasagna recipe.
Fresh Tomato Marinara
Equipment
- skillet
Ingredients
- 4 pounds fresh tomatoes
- 10-12 garlic cloves, minced or to taste
- fresh basil to taste
Instructions
- Wash tomatoes, remove stems and cut them into pieces.
- Use a wide deep skillet for best results. Preheat the skillet, add a little water and sauté the garlic briefly for about 30 seconds – be careful to not burn it.
- Add all of the tomatoes and bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Stir frequently and simmer for 40 minutes or until the tomatoes have broken down and it becomes saucy.
- Add freshly chopped basil and stir to combine it.
Notes
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Wow, those tomatoes are beautiful! We are just now picking ripe tomatoes, so this is the perfect time for this recipe, thank you!
Hi Beth,
I’m glad this is good timing for you. It’s the end of our tomatoes but I did get one more batch of sauce made yesterday. 🍅
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Hello Tami from Canada,
I just wanted to let you know l do so much enjoy your website.. l have learned so much from you. Enjoy all your recipe s, videos, and posts. I have been following you for awhile now and you ever disappoint. You put so much time and work on your website and l appreciate you.
Thank you for thinking of us Canadian s
Kind Regards
Diana
Hi Diana,
Thank you so much for your kind comments. This is a labor of love for us. We don’t turn out a lot of content all the time but we do try to provide quality content when we can. Getting positive feedback like this gives us a boost and motivation to keep doing what we are doing. Thank you for following along. Wishing you a healthy happy life.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
* never disappoint.
Sorry spelling error.
Diana
Wowza, looks amazing. Thank you for my next “to do” recipe. I have enjoyed watching your journey.
Hi Marlene,
Thank you for following along with us on our journey.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Hi Tami
Thank you for sharing your sauce. I do plan to make the sauce. I made the brat sausages. Can you freeze them before cooking them? They taste delicious like sausage. thanks for sharing your journey.
Hi Margie,
I haven’t tried freezing them before cooking so I couldn’t say if that will work or not. Try it with just one and see how it works that way you won’t waste an entire batch.
I am so glad you like the recipe.
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Thanks for this simple but absolutely yummy recipe! I only had 2.5 pounds of tomatoes so I cut the garlic in half. Mine turned out quite orange as I grew a mix of yellow, orange, and red tomatoes, but so delicious! Even the grandkids liked it because it tastes so sweet! I chose to puree it for a smoother texture – ended up with 3 cups of sauce. Thanks again – I really enjoy your website!
Hi Jean,
I am so glad you liked it as well as the grandchildren. That makes me so happy.
Happy healthy cooking,
Tami
your marinara sauce looks amazing I wish there was a way to make a marinara with out the tomatoes I can only eat a white sauce with my noodles . Has any one tried an alternative sauce using a different vegetable I have a sensitivity with nightshades. I really miss using smoke paprika and bell peppers and eggplant if an ideas are out there it would be appreciated.
I don’t know what you could use instead of tomatoes. I do have a delicious Vegan Alfredo.
http://nutmegnotebook.com/posts/vegan-alfredo-sauce-with-zucchini-noodles/
Happy Cooking,
Tami