How to Make Marinara Sauce from Scratch

Set a large saucepan on the stove and turn the heat to about medium-high. Pour in two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and let it warm up. You want it hot but not smoking.

Watch the surface of the oil. When it starts to shimmer and looks a little glossy and loose, it's ready for the onion. Heating the oil first means the onion starts cooking the moment it hits the pan instead of just sitting in cold oil.

Once the oil is shimmering, add a heaping cup of finely chopped yellow onion. One medium-to-large onion usually gets you there. Sam chops hers small for a smoother sauce, but if you like a chunkier, heartier marinara, leave the pieces a little bigger.

The onion should sizzle gently when it lands in the oil. Give it a quick stir to coat every piece, then spread it out across the bottom of the pan so it cooks evenly.

Cook the onion over medium-high heat, stirring it often so it doesn't catch and brown. You're looking for it to soften and turn translucent, which usually takes three to four minutes. A wooden spoon is handy here for keeping everything moving.

You'll know it's ready when the pieces look glassy and a little floppy instead of sharp and white. Soft onion melts into the sauce later, so don't rush this part by cranking the heat.

Once the onion looks nicely cooked, add two tablespoons of minced garlic, about five large cloves. Stir it right into the onion and keep it moving. Garlic burns fast, so this only needs about thirty seconds.

You're cooking it just until it smells fragrant. When that garlic aroma fills the kitchen, you're done and it's time for the tomatoes. Burnt garlic turns bitter, so the second it smells good, move on.

Add the whole 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes to the pan with the onion and garlic. Reach for a can with nothing added, no salt and no spices. Anything extra in the can changes the flavor and takes the seasoning out of your hands.

Scrape the can clean so you get all of it. The tomatoes will look thick and bright red sitting on top of the onions, and they bring the whole thing together into a sauce.

Now build the flavor. Add two teaspoons of sugar to cut the acidity, then three-quarter teaspoon dried oregano, three-quarter teaspoon salt, half a teaspoon of black pepper, and a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes. The flakes won't make it spicy, they just add a little dimension, so leave them out if you'd rather.

Sprinkle everything right over the tomatoes. The sugar is the quiet hero here. It rounds off the sharp edge of canned tomatoes without ever tasting sweet.

Add two tablespoons of finely shredded fresh basil and stir until everything is really well combined, so the spices and basil run all the way through the sauce. No fresh basil on hand? Two teaspoons of dried basil works instead.

Now drop the heat to low. You want a gentle simmer, not a hard boil. Let it bubble quietly for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then. That slow simmer is where the flavors settle in and the sauce thickens.

After the simmer, the marinara is ready to use. It should be thick, deep red, and smell like a good Italian kitchen. Spoon it over pasta, use it for dipping, or build it into your favorite baked dish.

Not serving it right away? Ladle it into airtight jars and keep it in the fridge for three to four days, or freeze it for longer. Day-old marinara is honestly even better once the flavors have had time to settle.