SOS-Free Marinara Sauce

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In my family we try to avoid added salt, oil, and sugar when we can. Unfortunately most marinara sauces at the store have an excess of at least one of these, if not all three!

So my mom came up with this SOS-Free Marinara Recipe, and it is so good you can’t even tell it doesn’t have salt, oil, and sugar! The recipe make a half gallon, or the equivalent of about 2 jars of store-bought marinara, so you’ll always have plenty for your favorite Italian dishes!

SOS-Free Marinara Sauce
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SOS-Free Marinara Sauce

Makes

8-9

cups
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, chopped

  • 2 to 3 large garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 28-ounce cans no salt added crushed tomatoes

  • 1 cup water (or more as needed)

  • 1 6-ounce can tomato paste

  • 1 tablespoon dried basil

  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley

  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano

  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic

  • 1 teaspoon granulated onion

  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme

  • ½ teaspoon dried crushed rosemary

  • ½ teaspoon salt substitute (such as Well Your World’s Stardust)

  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon date sugar (adjust to taste)

Directions

  • Preheat a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  • Once the pan is hot, add onions to the dry, hot skillet and leave untouched for about 4 to 5 minutes to allow them to start to caramelize. Then continue cooking another 5 minutes or so while stirring and adding splashes of water to deglaze the pan.
  • Add garlic and cook for about a minute.
  • Add all remaining ingredients except for the date sugar and stir to combine. Stir in about 1 cup of water and bring to a low simmer.
  • Once the sauce is gently simmering, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 40 minutes or longer for the best flavor.
  • One the sauce is done cooking, taste it and add date sugar as needed to balance out the tomato flavor.
  • Use the marinara immediately in your favorite Italian dishes or store in the freezer for later use.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • I like to use the 1 cup of water to rinse any remaining tomato out of my cans into the sauce. Feel free to add more water as needed to get the consistency you like. As the sauce cooks it will thicken, but I like to err on the side of less water to begin and add more later if needed.