Ever found yourself strolling through a summer farmer’s market and before you knew it were loading the car with a basket full of garden fresh tomatoes? Or maybe you’re blessed with a green thumb and are able to coax vegetables straight from the garden. My grandmas both benefited from amazing gardens and made glorious tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes. And now it’s your turn with this amazing homemade marinara sauce!
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This classic marinara sauce recipe is one of tons of authentic Italian pasta dishes that I make for family dinners. And while it’s simple, its success depends on carefully selecting quality beautifully ripe tomatoes and prepping them to be their best.
That leads us to…
The secret to the freshest marinara sauce
This sauce gets its rich, chunky texture from fresh tomatoes simmered with olive oil, garlic, and onion. As they cook, the tomatoes soften and the flavors get deeper. Taking a minute to peel the tomatoes means they’ll break down more easily—no tough bits, just pure tomato goodness.
If rich tomato flavor is what you’re after, try either this homemade tomato-mascarpone pasta sauce or the cult-favorite tomato sauce with butter and onion. Each are clean plate club candidates!
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Selecting a ripe tomato
Let’s quickly go over how to select a really great tomato for this recipe.
Heirloom tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and big garden tomatoes all make a beautiful homemade marinara sauce. Look for a firm, smooth-skinned tomato with bright red color and no blemishes, cracks or holes anywhere.
Also, check the stem (or where the stem was attached) for any mold or mustiness.
As far as the other ingredients, seek bright green basil leaves without any black or dark spots, whole heads of bright white garlic that are tightly sealed and onions that are fresh without any dusty areas.
How to peel a tomato
Since those pesky tomato skins add unpleasant texture to homemade marinara, I’m going to show you how to remove them.
- Core the tomato removing the center core. Gently squeeze the tomato to remove the seeds [1].
- Make an “X” at the cored end of the tomato.
- Drop into rapidly boiling water for 30 seconds tops.
- Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate [2].
- Once cool to the touch, peel the tomato from the top down [3].
Pro tomato tip
After peeling, gently squeeze the tomato to extract the seeds.
Recipe step-by-step instructions
✦PREP STEPS:
- Roughly dice your just-peeled tomatoes into a medium chop.
- Btw, get some pasta water boiling if you’re planning on eating this tonight!
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Quick Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh tomatoes, heirloom, garden, cherry, Roma…pretty much any will do!
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small onion, finely chopped
- 1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 6-8 leaves fresh basil, sliced thin
- salt and pepper
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish; optional
Instructions
To core the tomatoes
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil.
- Core the tomato removing the center core with a small knife or tomato corer (I got mine from Pampered Chef a while ago).2 lbs fresh tomatoes
- Gently squeeze the cored tomato to remove the seeds.
- Make an "X" at the cored end of the tomato with a sharp knife and drop the tomato into the pot of boiling water for 30 seconds tops.Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate. Once cool to the touch, peel the tomato from the top down.
For the sauce
- Take your already peeled tomatoes [see above] and roughly dice them into a medium chop.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and once heated, saute the chopped onion. Once the onion is nice and golden (about 3-5 minutes), add the chopped garlic and saute until you can smell it [about 30 seconds or so].1 Tablespoon olive oil, ½ small onion, 1-2 cloves garlic
- Add the diced tomatoes along with the basil, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to simmer the sauce for thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.6-8 leaves fresh basil, salt and pepper
- Mangia! Serve with freshly grated Parmesan for garnish.
Easy, quick, delicious! Peeling tomatoes was simple. I added a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and dried Italian seasoning, then fresh basil at the end, and a little tomato paste for thickening. Lovely fresh taste!
So glad you enjoyed it -and glad you made it your own. It’s the best way to cook! Thank you for taking the time to share 😊
I love this recipe so easy..Ty so much💖👍👍👍
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it and found it easy to make too! Thanks for sharing 😊💃🏻
Lori,
This is the best marinara we’ve ever had! Really! It’s so fresh and flavorful + easy. I had tomatoes on the vine and also “little wonders”. The vine tomatoes were really easy to peel. The little guys weren’t easy, so after about 10 of them, I said “how bad can a little skin hurt us?” My husband had 3 helpings – definitely a first. Thank you so much for your inspiration and recipes.. ❤️❤️
Wow Linda! Thank you so much! I pretty much use what I have for sure…and you are so right about the skins…they won’t hurt you. Love that your husband enjoyed it! It is beyond easy..have some in the freezer right now myself. And I so appreciate your taking the time to rate and review the sauce 😊