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Home » Recipes » Dinner

Published: Sep 7, 2018 · Modified: Oct 28, 2021 by Cynthia Christensen · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

Easy Pantry Shelf Marinara

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A Jersey Italian Boy approved marinara sauce made from ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. This rich red sauce is just waiting to be added to pasta, meatballs and more!

meatballs in marinara in a pan.
Pantry Shelf Marinara

So, the thing about The Boy is, he's a New Jersey Italian. What does that mean? That means that if he doesn't get red sauce or a folded slice of pizza on a semi-regular basis, he has to have some kind of transfusion. I picture all the Jersey Italian boys heading to their nearest Italian deli and mainlining marinara or slapping pizza patches on their torsos. Well, I can't sit around and allow that kind of madness to infect The Boy, so I try to maintain his blood levels of red sauce at therapeutic levels.

Homemade tomato sauce, from which marinara is derived, is a huge thing in New Jersey. Like, it's a pretty big deal. Unlike a lot of families, I don't participate in the big annual tomato sauce canning parties that are a huge tradition in this state, where whole families, and sometimes entire neighborhoods will get together and blanch tomatoes, peel and de-seed them, cook huge vats of sauce, and ladle it into innumerable mason jars, just to get them through the long tomato-less Winter. I don't have the real estate to grow tomatoes and, quite frankly, the only tomatoes I've ever grown would be unacceptable to even the most desperate of woodland animals. Ugly is an understatement. Inedible is pretty accurate.

marinara ingredients on a wooden block.
Ingredients for Pantry Shelf Marinara

So, I created a delicious marinara sauce made from what most of us already have in our pantry. It's quick and easy, and absent all of the artificial ingredients, sweeteners and mysterious "stabilizers" of most commercial sauces. And it's nice to serve something that you made from scratch. Buon Appetito!

Looking for recipes that use this Marinara?

  • Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
  • Best Italian Meatballs Ever!

meatballs in marinara in a pan.

Easy Pantry Shelf Marinara

A Jersey Italian Boy approved marinara sauce made from ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. This rich red sauce is just waiting to be added to pasta, meatballs and more!
5 from 2 votes
Author: Cynthia
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 anchovy filets, or 2 inches anchovy paste (optional, but really recommended)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper
  • 4 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (San Marzano, if you can get them. They're sweeter.)
  • 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes (again, try for San Marzano. It makes a difference)
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 splash of balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  • Sauté onion and anchovy in olive oil until the onions are translucent an slightly browned on the edges and the anchovies have dissolved, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.
  • Add brown sugar, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, and dried herbs and stir until the sugar is dissolved and the raw tomato paste is cooked down a bit, about another 2-3 minutes. Told you this was quick and easy!
  • Add tomatoes, vinegar, salt, and pepper and stir well. Allow to simmer on low heat for one hour (this is the hardest part, waiting one whole hour!) At this point, you can purée the sauce to break up any small tomato bits, or leave it "rustic". Whatever texture makes you happy! Serve over pasta or meatballs or with a straw to your favorite sauce deprived friend!

The nutritional and caloric information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It does not assert or suggest that readers should or should not count calories, and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s or doctor’s counseling.

Tried this recipe?Mention @butfirst_webrunch or tag #butfirstwebrunch!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jason says

    September 07, 2018 at 4:54 pm

    This is such an amazing recipe!!!! You are the best !

    Jay

    Reply
    • Cynthia says

      September 07, 2018 at 4:58 pm

      Thank you so much buddy! Your support and love means so much to me!! 😍

      Reply
  2. kelsey says

    May 20, 2021 at 9:01 pm

    5 stars
    absolutely delicious, and SO much easier to make than i was anticipating! marinara is so intimidating from the outside, but you've given me all of the secrets now >:) awesome recipe!

    Reply
    • Cynthia says

      May 20, 2021 at 10:43 pm

      Soooo glad you like it ❤️

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Cynthia! In our house, we get up with the sun and most of us don't stop working until late in the night, so breakfast and brunch are our family meals. So join me at the kitchen counter, where I cook up delicious food for my busy family, starting first thing in the morning!

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