This homemade marinara sauce is so easy to make and it’s DELICIOUS! You’ll be impressing your family and guests in no time.

A few summers ago, I would have thought that I needed to blanch, peel, and mash tomatoes just to get going. But, then a friend mentioned that she roasted her tomatoes in the oven, ran them through a food processor, and before you knew it…had dinner on the table.

So, I gave it a try, and each summer since, I have tried to make a bunch of marinara sauce to get the most out of the summer’s bounty. I’ve changed the recipe, but the process has remained the same. By making several batches of marinara and freezing some of them, my family is able to enjoy this homemade sauce any time of the year!

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Homemade Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

4 medium to large tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

a handful of basil leaves

a few sprigs of oregano

salt and pepper to taste

You can substitute or add to these ingredients to create a marinara flavor that you love. Recipes like this are pretty flexible. This is just what I used when I made it recently. And, it was great with this gluten-free gnocchi! YUM!

Procedure for marinara sauce:

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Clean the tomatoes thoroughly and then cut out the stems from the tops.

Slice the tomatoes and lay them on a baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt (I use sea salt) and pepper.

Clean the basil leaves and oregano. Tear them over the tomatoes. (Sometimes I use the kitchen scissors…that I only use for food…and cut my herbs.) If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, use the dried ones from your cabinet!

Once the oven has reached 400° F, place the tomatoes in the oven and the let them roast for 20-30 minutes, until the skin is puckering or shrivels. Check them regularly, as cooking times vary by oven.

While the tomatoes are in the oven, peel and grate the garlic over a food processor. If you don’t mind larger chunks of garlic in your sauce, you an just pureé it with the tomatoes in the next step, but I love and highly recommend this grater/zester by Oxo Good Grips!

You may want to let your tomatoes cool down a little, but when you are ready, slide the roasted tomatoes, herbs, and all the olive oil into the food processor with the garlic and blend.

That’s it! If you want to use some right away, it’s wonderful. If you want to save some for later, here’s how I freeze it. Pour it into a plastic or glass freezer container, leaving about one inch at the top. Allow the sauce to cool completely, then cover it, label the container with the date and contents, and place it in the freezer.

Sometimes I add onions or black olives.

Hopefully you’ll give homemade marinara sauce a try the next time you want pasta! If meat sauce is more your thing, give this homemade meat sauce from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen a try. It looks delish!

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