Spicy Marinara Sauce Recipe
This spicy marinara sauce is a fun, fiery twist on a traditional Italian marinara sauce made with tomatoes. It has a lovely kick to spice up your favorite meal and is the perfect easy homemade sauce for pasta, pizza, and more.
This arrabbiata-inspired sauce is made with simple ingredients, many of which you'll already have in your pantry. It's perfect served with your pasta of choice (I love it in this tofu pasta recipe), on top of pizza (try these Mexican taco pizzas), or even in a bowl with rice or potatoes, vegetables, and your protein of choice.
Ingredient Notes
The exact quantities of the ingredients you need for this recipe are included in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here, I've added a few notes on the ingredients you need, plus a few potential substitutions you could make if you can't eat/find a certain ingredient.
- Canned Tomatoes: I used canned plum tomatoes for this recipe, using the back of my spoon to crush the tomatoes down while cooking. You could use canned diced tomatoes or even freshly diced tomatoes if you prefer.
- Onion: I used a finely diced red onion for this recipe - a white onion would also work. Make sure you take the time to dice your onion small so your sauce isn't too chunky.
- Garlic: I use about 4 cloves of minced garlic for this recipe. Fresh garlic is always best!
- Tomato Paste: Tomato paste helps to thicken the sauce, while also deepening the tomato flavor.
- Basil: Fresh chopped basil stirred into the sauce is a game-changer, don't skip it! If you must, dried basil will also work - but fresh is best.
- Seasonings: Season your sauce with salt and pepper, and red chili flakes until it reaches the desired amount of spice!
How To Make Spicy Marinara Sauce
Again, the exact step-by-step instructions and ingredient quantities will be in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Below is an overview of making this recipe, plus some process shots to help you visualize how this recipe should turn out.
Step 1) Cook Onion And Garlic
Heat your olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and add the onion and garlic. Saute the onion and garlic for 5-7 minutes on low heat.
Step 2) Add Tomato and Seasoning
Next, add the tomato puree and dried oregano, followed by the chopped tomatoes. Stir everything together and cook the sauce for 25 - 30 minutes, crushing the tomatoes with the back of your spoon or with a potato masher to make the sauce less chunky.
Optionally, you could blend the sauce with an immersion blender to make it completely smooth, or just keep the sauce as is (my preference)
Step 3) Add Seasoning, Herbs, and Spice
Stir in the chopped basil, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Taste the sauce and season according to your preferences.
Storage
Use a clean pasta sauce jar to store your homemade spicy marinara sauce! This sauce should keep in the fridge for up to 5-6 days. You could also freeze your sauce in ice cube trays for a super quick and easy sauce for busy days.
FAQs
Is spicy marinara sauce the same as arrabbiata sauce?
This spicy marinara sauce is very similar to arrabbiata sauce, which is another spicy tomato-sauce Italian sauce often used in pasta dishes.
What should I do if my sauce is too watery?
If your marinara sauce is too watery, continue cooking your sauce on a mild simmer until the sauce has reduced to your desired consistency.
Can I use fresh tomatoes in this recipe?
Yes, you can use fresh tomatoes in this recipe if you prefer. Dice your tomatoes and add about ½ cup of water while cooking.
How much sauce does this spicy marinara sauce recipe make?
This recipe made me enough to fill a 350g pasta sauce jar, which should make about 3-4 servings.
Spicy Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 400 g can of diced plum tomatoes
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 10 g fresh basil leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Heat your olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and add the onion and garlic.1 red onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Saute for 5-7 minutes on low heat, then add the tomato puree and dried oregano, followed by the chopped tomatoes.1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 teaspoon dried oregano, 400 g can of diced plum tomatoes
- Stir everything together and cook the sauce for 25 - 30 minutes, crushing the tomatoes with the back of your spoon or with a potato masher to make the sauce less chunky.
- Optionally, you could blend the sauce with an immersion blender to make it completely smooth, or just keep the sauce as is (my preference)
- Stir in the chopped basil, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Taste the sauce and season according to your preferences.10 g fresh basil leaves, 2 teaspoon red chili flakes, salt and pepper
- Serve immediately.
This marinara sauce originates from Naples and comes from the Italian word, marinaro, meaning sailor.
“There was a simple one of garlic, oil, and tomatoes called marinara, supposedly because it was made quickly, as soon as the mariners’ wives spotted their husbands returning fishing boats in the distance.”
“Too much garlic! Garlic everywhere,” “It makes me want to cry,”
Garlic, you see, is not quite the staple of Italian cuisine Americans think it is. Depending on who you speak to, onions are a controversial ingredient too – and don’t even think of ever combining the two in a single dish.
Tomato Sauce: Italian pros' reactions ,“tomato sauce recipe“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xFttqgiRyU&t=394s with SUB.
For home cooks in the United States, this “sailor sauce” dominated Italian-American cuisine.
love this for loads of our fav pasta dishes