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Simple homemade marinara sauce in a jar

Homemade Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes

This homemade marinara sauce shows the rich and lively flavor of freshly picked tomatoes. It's a very simple recipe, very easy to prepare, with just a few basic ingredients. Deeply flavorful and so versatile, marinara sauce should never miss from your kitchen.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Sauce
Cuisine Italian
Servings 500 g

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg fresh tomatoes
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 big sliced shallot
  • 5 crushed garlic cloves or more
  • 2 tbsp sea salt or to taste
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 handful of fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tsp dried thyme

Instructions
 

  • Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil;
  • When the water starts boiling, scoop in the tomatoes; take them out when the peel breaks;
  • Allow the tomatoes to cool, then peel them and remove the stems;
  • Cut the tomatoes into big chunks;
  • Heat a sauce pan or a large skillet and add the olive oil; when it's sizzling add the diced shallots; sauté over medium heat for about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté for another 2-3 minutes, until soft and fragrant; stir continuously to prevent burning;
  • Add tomatoes with all released juice into the pan and, when it starts simmering, stir in the rest of the ingredients; turn the heat to low, cover with a lid and let the sauce simmer for about 50 minutes;
  • Stir occasionally and press the tomatoes chunks against the pan sides with a wooden spoon to smash them;
  • When the sauce gets as thick as you want, remove it from the heat;
  • Serve right away or store it in the fridge in an airtight glass container.

Notes

  1. Peeling the tomatoes is not a mandatory step ; you can skip it.
  2. If you want a thinner sauce, let it simmer for less time.
  3. If you're using the sauce for pasta, you might want a thicker consistency; in this case, allow it to simmer a bit more than the indicated time.
Keyword homemade marinara sauce, marinara sauce recipe, marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes, simple marinara sauce