Artificial Food Coloring Free Tomato Sauce (Marinara)
A great marinara should taste like tomatoes, garlic, and nothing else — and that's exactly what you get here. Store-bought pasta sauces are notorious for sneaking in unnecessary additives, and for anyone avoiding synthetic dyes, scanning those ingredient labels can feel like a part-time job. This version is built entirely from whole, recognizable ingredients: San Marzano tomatoes, fresh garlic, olive oil, basil, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. You crush the tomatoes by hand, let the garlic bloom slowly in oil, and simmer everything until the sauce shifts from bright red to a deep, rich brick color — that transformation alone tells you something real is happening in the pan. The torn fresh basil and a finishing drizzle of olive oil at the end keep the flavors bright and clean. It's the kind of sauce that makes you wonder why you ever reached for a jar in the first place.
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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
For finishing
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing
Instructions
- 1
Pour the tomatoes and their juices into a large bowl and crush them by hand until broken into rough, uneven pieces — some chunks are fine.
- 2
Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is pale golden and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes. Watch closely, as the garlic can brown quickly.
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