Spice Free Tomato Sauce (Marinara)
A great marinara doesn't need a long ingredient list to deliver serious flavor, and this one proves it beautifully. San Marzano tomatoes, slowly simmered with golden garlic and finished with fresh basil and a drizzle of good olive oil, produce a sauce that tastes like it came from a trattoria kitchen. For anyone navigating spice sensitivities, the beauty here is in the simplicity — no hidden blends, no mystery seasonings, just clean, identifiable ingredients you can see and control. The red pepper flakes are easy to leave out entirely if you need a fully mild version, keeping the sauce gentle without sacrificing any of its depth. Crushing the tomatoes by hand before they hit the pan gives the sauce a rustic, uneven texture that clings perfectly to pasta rather than sliding right off. That final tablespoon of olive oil stirred in off the heat adds a silky richness that pulls everything together. Whether you're spooning it over spaghetti, layering it into lasagna, or using it as a pizza base, this is the kind of sauce worth making in a big batch and keeping on hand all week.
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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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