Beef Free Classic Marinara Sauce
This deeply savory tomato sauce is the kind of thing you'll want to keep on permanent rotation — rich, fragrant, and built entirely from pantry staples that happen to be completely plant-based. Garlic slowly blooms in good olive oil alongside a pinch of red pepper flakes, creating an aromatic base that makes the whole kitchen smell incredible before the tomatoes even hit the pan. San Marzano tomatoes bring a natural sweetness and low acidity that no ordinary canned tomato can match, and crushing them by hand right in the pan keeps the texture rustic and satisfying. A long, unhurried simmer does the real work here, coaxing the sauce into something thick, glossy, and deeply flavored without any meat or meat-based stock in sight. Torn fresh basil stirred in at the very end keeps things bright and herbaceous rather than heavy. Whether you're spooning it over pasta, spreading it on pizza dough, or dunking crusty bread straight into the pan, this is the kind of sauce that makes you wonder why you ever bought a jar.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 can (28 oz) whole peeled san marzano tomatoes
- ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp granulated sugar (optional)
- 6 fresh basil leaves, torn
Instructions
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant and just beginning to turn golden at the edges, about 2–3 minutes. Watch closely — garlic can brown quickly and will turn bitter.
- 2
Pour the canned tomatoes and their juices into the pan. Using a potato masher or fork, crush the tomatoes into rough, uneven pieces directly in the pan.
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