Spice Free Classic Marinara Sauce
This is a deeply satisfying tomato sauce built on just a handful of honest ingredients — good olive oil, San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil. It's the kind of recipe that proves you don't need a long spice rack to create something genuinely crave-worthy. For anyone navigating sensitivity to spices or simply wanting to keep things clean and uncomplicated, a classic marinara can be surprisingly tricky to find ready-made, since jarred versions often sneak in dried herbs, chili blends, or seasoning mixes. Here, the flavor comes entirely from slowly coaxing the garlic in olive oil until fragrant and golden, then letting quality tomatoes do the heavy lifting over a steady simmer. The red pepper flakes are easy to leave out entirely if you need to keep things truly mild — the sauce holds up beautifully without them. A few torn basil leaves stirred in at the end add brightness without any heat or complexity that might cause issues. Spoon it over pasta, use it as a pizza base, or keep a batch in the fridge all week — it's endlessly useful and completely on your terms.
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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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