Wonderfully tasty simple Italian sausage based marinara sauce that will blow you away. Just a little spicy.
I did it; I finally did it. I made a good marinara sauce. This has been a downfall for me for a long time. Two things lead to this recipe. First, we have three freezers… two on refrigerators and one stand freezer. I have a goal of cleaning them out of anything more than a few months old. Some need to be tossed, but some just need to be used. Like the 1 lb pack of sweet Italian Sausage I found. What to do with it?
Last week, as I was reading some older posts on one of my favorite blogs Savory Reviews, I saw a “Super Quick Marinara Sauce” I saved it as a PDF and now was the time. I though even I could not lose this up. It should have been called “Simple Super Quick Marinara Sauce.” Well, guess what, it didn’t work for me, but it all worked out well.
The recipe was too spicy for us. I needed more sauce for the sausage, so I added a can of paste with water, a can of diced tomato. I increased the basil and oregano but not as much as I added components. I kept the two t red pepper which was too much for my wife and just on the edge for me.
Results: 9 Taste 9 Ease 9 But an eight if you don’t want spicy.
Tools: nothing special
1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
5 cloves garlic
3 t oregano dried
3 t basil dried
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1-2 t Red pepper flakes (2 is hot)
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste and 6 oz water
1 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
1) In a large pan over medium-high heat, add oil. Cut sausages into 1-inch chunks and add to pan to brown. Chop onion and add until the meat is browned and onion slightly brown. It is ok for the meat not to be totally cooked at this point.
2) Add garlic and let “bloom” for 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add all other ingredients and place back on medium heat.
3) Bring to a hard simmer. Cook until internal temp of the sausage is at least 160 on an instant read thermometer.
4) Turn down to a light simmer for 1-3 hours.
- 1 pound Sweet Italian Sausage
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion medium
- 5 cloves garlic
- 3 teaspoon oregano
- 3 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1-2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 6 oz water
- 15 oz diced tomatoes
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, add oil. Cut sausages into 1-inch chunks and add to pan to brown. Chop onion and add until the meat is browned and onion slightly brown. It is ok for the meat not to be totally cooked at this point.
- Add garlic and let "bloom" for 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add all other ingredients and place back on medium heat.
- Bring to a hard simmer. Cook until internal temp of the sausage is at least 160 on an instant read thermometer.
- Now turn down to a light simmer for 1-3 hours.
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All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
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Last Updated
August 13, 2016
Hi All, I'm DrDan and welcome to 101 Cooking for Two. We present some of the best recipes with easy to follow step by step photo instructions to make your everyday cooking needs easier. 
Chris
Ah yes, I remember that one at Rex’s. I still haven’t tried it because it seemed close to ours. I need to give it a shot because I like spicy (although the kids will probably not like it….punks, I don’t think they’re mine.)
Dr Dan
They’ll outgrow that. Mine did. When they were little we had to buy the most awful BBQ sauce for them. I think it was Kraft Honey something. Yuck. We are all on the same page now.