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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Fall Recipes

    Easy Pasta Marinara Sauce

    Published: Jan 16, 2025 by Lisa Killian ยท This post may contain affiliate links. Please read myย  disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe

    This pasta marinara sauce tastes delicious and takes no time at all to make! Ready in less than 20 minutes!

    Pasta Marinara in ladle
    This sauce is quick to make and extra tasty!

    This pasta sauce is great on your favorite noodles, used for shakshuka or to dip bread sticks in! It's full of flavor and comes together fast!

    I like to call this semi-homemade. Why you ask? Because I use canned tomato sauce.

    As delicious as fresh tomatoes are they arenโ€™t in season year round plus have you ever made your own pasta sauce from scratch? The tomatoes take forever to cook down into a thick sauce.

    Pasta Marinara on noodles with basil
    Love this on spaghetti!

    Marinara vs Pasta Sauce?

    Pasta sauce is typically a little thicker and richer in flavors than marinara. Marinara also typically doesn't have meat in the sauce, whereas it's not uncommon to for pasta sauce to have ground beef or other meat in it.

    Ingredients Needs for Pasta Marinara Sauce

    • Canned Tomato Sauce
    • Italian Seasoning
    • Garlic Powder
    • Onion Powder
    • Salt
    • Pepper
    • Ground Beef- optional
    Pasta Marinara with noodles and ground beef all ins eparate dishes

    How to make pasta marinara sauce?

    • In a medium pot combine sauce and spices.
    • Heat over medium heat until warmed through, stirring occasionally. Taste test to see if you need to add any additional spices.
    • If you are adding ground meat to the sauce, make sure to cook that BEFORE adding it to the sauce.

    How do you thicken spaghetti sauce?

    Let the sauce simmer until it reduces down or make a cornstarch slurry (1tbs cornstarch mixed with 2 tbs water) and stir that into the sauce.

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    However, this the beauty of this recipe is that typically this pasta sauce doesn't need to be thickened since you are using canned tomato sauce.

    Pasta Marinara in sauce pan
    Add meat or leave it on the side- both are tasty!

    What to do with marinara sauce besides pasta?

    We love to use it for shakshuka and even use leftover for pizza sauce. You can also use this in lasagna, stuffed zucchini appetizers, or dip breads sticks in it!

    adding Pasta Marinara to spaghetti squash
    This is great on spaghetti squash too!

    How much marina sauce per pound of pasta?

    The rule of thumb is 24 oz (a typical jar of pasta sauce), per pound of pasta. This is equal to 1 ยฝ cups pasta sauce.

    How to store leftover pasta sauce?

    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.

    Can you freeze marinara sauce?

    You can freeze leftover pasta sauce for several months. I recommend freezing in cubes like these. (amazon affiliate link)

    If you like this recipe don't miss my smoked chicken, tri tip tacos, and homemade mayo!

    Pasta Marinara Pinterest Pin
    Don't forget to pin this recipe!
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    Pasta Marinara in ladle featured imgae

    Pasta Marinara Recipe

    This easy pasta marinara recipe tastes delicious and takes no time at all to make!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin
    Author: Lisa Killian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Servings: 10

    Ingredients

    • 45 oz canned tomato sauce
    • 3 tbs Italian seasoning
    • 2 tbs garlic powder
    • 1 tbs onion powder
    • 2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
    • 2 teaspoon pepper plus more to taste
    • 1 lb ground beef optional

    Instructions

    • If adding ground beef see notes below.
      1 lb ground beef
    • In a medium large sauce pot combine tomato sauce, and seasonings.
      45 oz canned tomato sauce, 3 tbs Italian seasoning, 2 tbs garlic powder, 1 tbs onion powder, 2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon pepper
    • Heat over medium heat stirring occasionally until it is warmed throughout.ย 
    • Top your favorite noodles with the sauce and enjoy!

    Notes

    Tips and Tricks
    • Ground Beef: In a medium sized fry pan cook the ground beef. Once done cooking drain the meat, then stir into pasta sauce. DO NOT add raw ground meat to sauce.
    • Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
    • Freeze: You can freeze leftover pasta sauce for several months. I recommend freezing in cubes like these. (amazon affiliate link)
    • Nutrition info does not include ground beef.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 43kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1072mg | Potassium: 429mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 580IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg

    post updated 9/28/2022

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    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    Hey, I'm Lisa!

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