Coconut Free Tomato Sauce (Marinara)
A great marinara is one of those sauces that makes everything taste more alive — and this one earns its place in any weekly rotation. San Marzano tomatoes get crushed by hand for that rustic, uneven texture, then simmered low and slow with sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of good olive oil until the color shifts from bright red to a deep, rich brick. Torn fresh basil and a finishing pour of olive oil pull it all together at the end, adding brightness and body without any cream or thickeners. Every single ingredient here is naturally free from coconut in any form — no coconut oil, no coconut milk, no hidden derivatives — so you can cook with total confidence. Many store-bought sauces sneak in unexpected oils or additives, but making it from scratch means you know exactly what's in the pot. Serve it over pasta, spoon it onto pizza dough, or use it as a dipping sauce for crusty bread — it's endlessly versatile and genuinely hard to mess up.
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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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