This simple San Marzano sauce is a traditional Italian marinara sauce made with recent or canned Roma tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. It’s prepared in half-hour and may be frozen for later!

This summer season I planted tons and tons of tomato crops.
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Not less than, it was rather a lot for my little backyard plot.
By late spring, I had twenty tomato crops within the floor, and about half of them have been sorts of Roma tomatoes. Many of the Roma crops have been San Marzano tomatoes, a big Italian tomato selection.
Because the weeks glided by and the tomatoes ripened, I obtained busy!
The juicier tomatoes grew to become tomatoes provençal (baked tomatoes with herbs) and have been (principally) packed away within the freezer for later.
My cherry tomatoes went into this tomato corn salad, onto tomato tarts and focaccia pizza, and have been became slow-roasted cherry tomatoes (for sandwiches and pasta).
The San Marzanos and different Romas grew to become fire-roasted salsa and mango habanero salsa (for rapid snacking), and have been became batches of fire-roasted tomatoes (for freezing).
Now, as summer season is wrapping up and fall is on its means, I needed to share an simple San Marzano sauce. This traditional Italian marinara may be made along with your recent summer season tomatoes or with canned tomatoes later within the yr.
Table of Contents
Why Use San Marzano Tomatoes for Sauce?
San Marzano tomatoes, in addition to different sorts of Roma and paste-style tomatoes, aren’t juicy.
Once you make sauce with juicy tomatoes, you’ll be coping with much more liquid.
San Marzanos even have the proper taste for tomato sauce. Their taste (in my view) will get higher when cooked, whereas juicy tomatoes usually style greatest uncooked.
Ought to I Use Contemporary Tomatoes or Canned for This Sauce?
For this recipe you need to use both.
When you have recent San Marzanos, use them. That is the recipe they have been born to be in!
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That stated, it’s extremely simple to seek out canned San Marzano tomatoes.
If you would like, search for the D.O.P. certification on the canned tomatoes. This label ensures that the tomatoes are each the San Marzano selection and have been grown within the San Marzano area of Italy, in addition to a couple of different rules.
I take advantage of recent tomatoes within the photographs.
Ought to I Peel the Contemporary Tomatoes?
You possibly can if you wish to.
Peeled tomatoes will make a smoother sauce.
Personally, I like slightly texture in my pasta sauce, and don’t thoughts the peels.
If you wish to peel your recent tomatoes earlier than making this sauce, test the recipe card notes for peeling instructions.
If you happen to’re utilizing canned tomatoes, they need to already be peeled.
How you can Make San Marzano Marinara Sauce
If you happen to’re utilizing recent, unpeeled tomatoes, begin by roughly dicing them, after which including them to a bowl.
For complete canned tomatoes, add them to a bowl and crush them along with your fingers.
Add a cup of water to the bowl with the tomatoes.

Subsequent, add olive oil and diced garlic to a big, shallow pan. I used this Lodge 12″ carbon metal skillet.
Don’t use a smaller, deeper pan or pot, as a result of the water received’t evaporate as shortly.
Warmth the oil and garlic till the garlic begins to sizzle.

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You’re not making an attempt to toast the garlic, but when slightly little bit of the garlic begins to toast it’s okay.
As quickly as you hear scorching, add the tomatoes and water.

At this level, add salt and purple chili flakes.
Place a sprig of basil on prime of the tomatoes.

Because the liquid begins to simmer, it should steam the basil.
As soon as the basil is wilted, gently push it into the sauce.


If you happen to’re making this sauce within the lifeless of winter and have zero entry to recent basil, that’s advantageous.
Use dried oregano as an alternative. Merely sprinkle it in while you add the salt and chili flakes.
Go for dried oregano as an alternative of dried basil (if doable) as a result of dried basil is way much less flavorful than recent basil, however dried oregano stays flavorful for a very long time.
Simmer the sauce till many of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is thick.

Pull the basil out of the sauce, and season to style.
If you happen to determine the sauce is simply too chunky, add it to a blender and mix till easy.
At this level, you possibly can serve the sauce instantly, retailer it within the fridge for a couple of days, or freeze it.
Use this San Marzano sauce with pasta (like this scallop fra diavolo), on pizza (like this campfire pizza), or nevertheless else you like to make use of marinara sauce.

This San Marzano sauce is customized from The New York Time’s traditional marinara recipe.
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