Home » Blog » Course » Main Dish » The Best Marinara SauceThe Best Marinara Sauce Pin RecipeRate RecipePublished: Dec 30, 2020 · Modified: Jun 13, 2023 by Andrea + Stef · This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our full Disclosure Policy for details. Learn how to make spaghetti sauce. This is the best marinara sauce with red wine whether you call it pasta sauce or marinara sauce. Jump to Recipe Serve the marinara sauce as spaghetti sauce on noodles. Top with parmesan and fresh herbs. Having a go-to recipe for tomato sauce is essential for anyone who cooks. There are many ways to make spaghetti sauce from scratch but this is the best marinara sauce recipe because it’s rich, flavorful and versatile. The secret of this amazing marinara sauce is its red wine base. Whether you use it as a homemade pasta sauce, spaghetti sauce or even pizza sauce, it all tastes the same, delicious! Table of Contents What is Marinara Sauce? Why You’ll Love This Ingredients Recommended ToolsInstructionsStef says….Uses for MarinaraAndrea says…. Recipe Tips What To Serve With Marinara SauceMore Italian RecipesHow To StoreHow To ReheatCommon QuestionsBest Marinara Sauce However, in case you don’t want to add the red wine to your sauce, we have listed substitution options below. Marinara sauce with red wine is versatile and can be served with pasta, pizza, lasagna, meatballs, chicken parmesan, sub sandwiches and much more. We love to keep homemade pasta sauce on hand in the freezer for a quick and delicious dinner on busy weeknights. What is Marinara Sauce? Marinara is a traditional tomato sauce made with tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and onions. Additionally, it can include wine, capers, olives or sardines. It is widely used in American cuisine and often called spaghetti sauce or pasta sauce. There are a few different stories about how it originated. However, the most popular idea is that mariners, returning from the Americas with the newly discovered tomato fruit, created the sauce. This is not to be confused with spaghetti marinara, a popular dish in Australia, New Zealand, Spain and South Africa, which includes fish. Why You’ll Love This Notable: you only need a few simple ingredients to make this amazing marinara recipe that goes great with pasta, pizza and meatballs Main Ingredients: extra-virgin olive oil, shallots, garlic cloves, red wine, tomato paste, petit diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, fresh herbs, parmesan cheese and spices Cooking Method: stovetop Cooking Time: 20 minutes prep time, 40 minutes cook time Pairs well with: meatballs, pasta, pizza, sandwiches Diets: keto friendly, gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, vegan Special Equipment Needed: large skillet or dutch oven, cooking spatula Serve the marinara sauce with a ladle. Serve the marinara sauce with Italian salad, garlic knots and red wine sangria. Ingredients You may have all of these ingredients for this marinara sauce recipe in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store! If this is your first time making this best marinara sauce with red wine you might want to read the possible variations before deciding on your ingredients. Marinara Sauce with Red Wine Ingredients 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1-2 shallots (thinly sliced) 3-4 cloves of garlic (minced) 1 tablespoon dried basil 1 tablespoon dried oregano ½ cup red wine 6 oz tomato paste 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes 22 oz crushed tomatoes Optional Garnish Fresh oregano, fresh parsley and or fresh basil parmesan cheese Variations and Substitutions Wine: We love using Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon for this sauce, however, you can substitute your favorite red cooking or drinking wine. Shallots: Substitute yellow or white onion for the shallots. Herbs: Using dried basil and oregano in the sauce and topping with fresh basil, oregano and/or parsley will add so much flavor to your sauce. Moreover, you can substitute homemade Italian seasoning for the dried herbs. Crushed Tomatoes: Substitute tomato puree in a pinch. Or crush whole canned tomatoes such as San Marzano tomatoes, for example. Make it spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to your sauce when you add your other dried seasonings. Add up to 2 tablespoons if you like it spicier.Make it cheesy: Stir in ½ cup of freshly-grated Parmesan into the sauce.Add Capers or Olives: Traditional Italian marinara can include capers or olives.Make it creamy: Make it a creamier sauce by adding ½ cup of heavy cream before serving. Heat on medium heat to warm.Make it smoother: Don’t love any tomato chunks? Next time puree the sauce with an immersion blender before serving. Classic marinara sauce ingredients. WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love this homemade marinara sauce recipe, try our Easy Dump And Bake Meatball Pasta Casserole. You’ll love it because it is an easy to make one dish dinner that combines noodles, marinara, meatballs and mozzarella cheese. Recommended Tools Links to our favorite tools are affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link we may get a tiny portion of the sale. Dutch Oven — We love making this yummy pasta sauce in a dutch oven, but any large saucepan or large pot would work well too. Instructions This section shows how to cook delicious marinara sauce on the stovetop, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full step-by-step instructions, photos and nutritional information see the recipe in the recipe card below. SAUTE SHALLOTS: Begin the homemade pasta sauce in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Firstly, sauté shallots and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until shallots have softened and become translucent. ADD HERBS AND WINE: Afterwards add dried basil and oregano and sauté one minute longer. You will be able to smell the aroma of the herbs. Then add red wine to the pan, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the wine to a simmer until reduced by half – about 3-4 minutes. ADD TOMATOES: Afterward add tomatoes and tomato paste. Then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 30 minutes on low heat. SEASON AND FINISH: Finally, taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed. Add a little sugar (1-2 teaspoons) and simmer a couple minutes longer to take some of the acidity out of the tomatoes if desired. Turn the heat down to low and cover until you are ready to serve to keep it hot. WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love using classic marinara sauce as a dipping sauce then you’ll love it with our Meatball Stuffed Biscuits. These mozzarella meatball biscuit balls are the best appetizer for parties and game days. Stef says…. I love using this easy and flavorful marinara as a dipping sauce for all my favorite fried appetizers, like Pasta Chips or Fried Raviolis. Uses for Marinara Pasta: Spoon marinara onto your favorite pasta noodles. Or use it in a baked tortellini, baked ziti or lasagna. Meat or seafood: Chicken, meatballs or shrimp all taste great with marinara. Parmigiana: The classic chicken parmigiana or eggplant parmigiana both have marinara in them. Pizza: You can use this recipe as a pizza sauce as well. Add it to a grilled pizza and you won’t be sorry! Dipping sauce: Dip your garlic knots or parmesan french bread in this tomato sauce as a dipping sauce. YUM. Sandwiches: A meatball sub or a chicken parmigiana sub are favorites around here. Keep some marinara on hand so you can whip these up on a weeknight! Andrea says…. I always use this scrumptious sauce on my thick crust pizza! Recipe Tips Follow these tips to make the best marinara sauce. Tip: Use high quality tomatoes for this easy marinara sauce recipe. Canned or fresh tomatoes work well. Tip: Make sure you use good red wine that you would also enjoy drinking. If you add low quality wine to your sauce, it might not taste as good. Tip: Do not skip the herbs! Adding aromatic Italian herbs to this quick marinara sauce makes all the difference. What To Serve With Marinara Sauce We love to eat this authentic marinara sauce all by itself over our favorite pasta with a glass of Red Wine Sangria. But sometimes you need to serve it as a meal. Try one of these delicious recipes: Bread: Serve this tasty marinara sauce with red wine with crusty bread or soft dinner rolls. Garlic French Bread is made with fresh parmesan cheese and store-bought french bread. If you have extra time make Pizza Dough Garlic Knots. Salad: Pair this classic Italian marinara sauce with a fresh salad. A green salad like our amazing Italian Salad or Strawberry Avocado Salad. Or even a Caprese Salad with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil or Antipasto Salad. Traditionally, easy homemade marinara sauce is served with pasta or meatballs. It tastes great with our Italian Meatballs, Chicken Parmesan Meatballs or Air Fryer Meatballs. Moreover you can use this homemade sauce for pizza, such as our Meatball Calzones. The Best Italian Meatballs Easy Italian Salad Recipe With Homemade Salad Dressing Easy Homemade Garlic Knots Recipe Easy Baked Cheesy Meatball Sub Sandwich More Italian Recipes We love serving Italian inspired dinners, because they are delicious comfort food bursting with fresh ingredients and flavors. Some of our go-to recipes are: Shrimp Fettuccine with Creamy Lemon Garlic Sauce Easy Lasagna Caprese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms How To Store Refrigerate: To store this marinara sauce, let sauce cool until it reaches room temperature. Then store leftovers in a sealed jar, zipoc bag or other airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. Freeze: Firstly, let your marinara leftovers cool completely. Then store in a sealed freezer-safe container or ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Lay the zip top bag flat to freeze then stack bags together in the freezer for easy storage. Make sure you label your container with what you are freezing and the date you made it. Defrosting: A great way to thaw marinara sauce is overnight in the fridge. However, you can also let the sauce defrost on the counter for a couple of hours. How To Reheat Reheat red sauce in the microwave in a covered microwave safe bowl or in a small saucepan on the stovetop. Common Questions Can you omit the wine from the marinara sauce recipe? Absolutely! Feel free to omit the wine altogether, if you prefer. What can I substitute for the red wine in the marinara sauce recipe? There are in fact a few good options for red wine substitutions.Option 1: Replace with ¼ cup brewed coffee and ¼ cup stock. This will undoubtedly add a bold flavor that will additionally help bring out the richness of the tomatoes.Option 2: You could furthermore replace the wine with ⅛ cup balsamic vinegar and ⅜ cup of tomato juice or stock.Option 3: Finally, try using ½ cup vegetable or beef stock instead of wine. Why should I add sugar to my marinara sauce? As a matter of fact, adding a little sugar to your own marinara sauce is important to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. Your tomato-based sauce will taste smoother and have more depth of flavor. In case you don’t want to use white sugar, try adding some maple syrup instead. Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes in this easy recipe? Of course! You can make your own crushed tomatoes by chopping whole tomatoes in a food processor. We recommend using Roma tomatoes, fresh plum tomatoes or other paste tomatoes. 5 from 32 votes Best Marinara Sauce Author Andrea + Stef Course Main Dish Cuisine Italian Prep Time 20 minutes minutes Cook Time 40 minutes minutes Total Time 1 hour hour Print Pin Rate 8 servings Learn how to make spaghetti sauce. This is the best marinara sauce with red wine whether you call it pasta sauce or marinara sauce. Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark EquipmentDutch Ovencooking spatula Ingredients 1x2x3x▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil▢ 1-2 shallots thinly sliced (may substitute yellow onion)▢ 3-4 cloves garlic minced▢ 1 tablespoon dried basil▢ 1 tablespoon dried oregano▢ ½ cup red wine such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon▢ 6 oz. tomato paste▢ 14.5 oz. petite diced tomatoes▢ 22 oz. crushed tomatoesOptional Garnish:▢ fresh basil, oregano, and/or parsley for garnish▢ parmesan cheese for garnish InstructionsIn a large skillet or Dutch oven, saute shallots and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until shallots have softened and become translucent. Add dried basil and oregano and saute one minute longer.Add red wine to the pan, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the wine to a simmer until reduced in half – about 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed. Add 1-2 teaspoons of sugar and simmer a couple minutes longer to take some of the acidity out of the tomatoes if desired. NutritionCalories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 340mg | Potassium: 650mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 613IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 3mg Did you create this? Share it on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest for more cleverly simply recipes. Email Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe PinShareTweet
sarah says February 3, 2021February 03, 2021 at 12:45 am pinning this recipe for later! My garden always has lot of tomatoes that I need to use up. Thank you! Reply
Lydia says February 3, 2021February 03, 2021 at 12:19 pm I love a good homemade marinara sauce! And I love the addition of red wine…bet it gives great flavor! Reply
Paula says February 3, 2021February 03, 2021 at 12:45 pm This tomato sauce was on point! Very tasty and even my kids commented on it! Reply
Samantha says February 3, 2021February 03, 2021 at 7:27 pm This looks crazy easy and something I would really enjoy! We are so over trying the bottled kinds because they aren’t that great. Looking forward to trying this one! Reply
Sandra says March 1, 2021March 01, 2021 at 6:54 am This is soooo delicious and makes the house smell so good! Reply
Diana Reis says May 25, 2022May 25, 2022 at 7:25 pm This is such good sauce and the red wine makes all the difference. That is where the depth of flavor comes from. Reply
Sara Welch says May 25, 2022May 25, 2022 at 8:04 pm This was such a rich and robust sauce; added so much flavor to last night’s dinner! Easily, a new favorite marinara and way better than the store bought version! Reply
Carrie Robinson says May 25, 2022May 25, 2022 at 8:10 pm Homemade pasta sauce is always the best! Love that you added red wine to this recipe. 🙂 Reply
Tavo says May 25, 2022May 25, 2022 at 8:13 pm loved this sauce with the red wine addition! So good! Reply
Ieva says May 25, 2022May 25, 2022 at 8:49 pm After making this sauce a handful of times, it has become my go to recipe! Very flavoursome, highly recommend trying it if you have some red wine going spare 🙂 Reply