This flavorsome vibrant Italiani marinara sauce with spaghetti requires only 5 basic pantry ingredients, it's budget-friendly, ready in 20 minutes and tastes so good!
Add garlic, onion and a pinch of chili flakes if you use it. Saute' gently until golden, about 4-5 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, oregano and a good pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
Stir occasionally. If using plum tomatoes, crush them with the back of a wooden spoon while stirring the sauce.
Meanwhile, cook your pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.
Taste the marinara sauce, adjust the seasoning with more salt or pepper if you like.
Drain your pasta (saving about 1/2 cup of pasta water), stir into the marinara sauce, turn the heat to high and toss well to coat for about 10 seconds letting the pasta absorb the flavor from the sauce. At this stage, you might want to add some of the reserve pasta water to thin out the sauce, just as much as needed.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil or extra virgin olive oil, some oregano and chili flakes for a little kirk. Enjoy!
Notes
How to store homemade marinara sauce: keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it lasts for up to 4 days. Plus, you can make a big batch and freeze it for up to 1 month.Flavor: a good pinch of chili flakes is a must for me, it adds extra flavor. Plus, if you have some white wine on hand, add a few Tbsps when you add the tomato sauce: it will take the your Italian spaghetti marinara to the next level.Pasta: you can use any short, large or long pasta shapes that work well to capture the sauce. I love spaghetti, but penne, fusilli, conchiglie work fine. Mini pasta shapes like orzo or even elbow macaroni don’t work well in the recipe.NOTE:Nutritional values are estimates only.