Marinara Sauce (Naturally Vegan)

 I always love spaghetti with tomato sauce. I used to order spaghetti from a fast food restaurant and it was good enough for me. And growing up, my mom would make spaghetti with store bought tomato sauce and she would add ground beef, chopped veggies, and more spices to it. Now, though it’s tempting to use store bought tomato sauce, I become more aware of what I eat so I always check the ingredients list. And just as I suspected, the sauce that my mom used to use is high in sugar. And that’s why I try to make my own marinara sauce.

You only need a few ingredients that I think you’ll find easily in your nearest supermarket or on an online marketplace. Also, because of my Indonesian tastebuds I used a little more sugar than most of the recipes out there. I would suggest you start with 1 tsp and adjust at the end of your cooking time. You can just top your spaghetti with this marinara sauce or add your favourite protein and veggies in it. It’s just going to be so yummy!


Here I add leftover ground chicken for tacos with my marinara sauce

Here I add some mushrooms, shredded carrot and zucchini to my marinara sauce

As you can tell, this sauce is just so versatile and you can add whatever you want to it and it will be delicious! That’s why this recipe makes quite a lot, you can either half or make a third of the recipe. I always make a big batch because you can easily freeze this sauce. I usually end up with 3 500 ml plastic containers with this recipe. After I cook this, I would let it cool to room temperature then transfer it to my containers and store it in the freezer. They would keep for a long time, about 6 months. To use you could thaw it in the fridge 1-2 days before using, or just thaw it at room temperature. It’s so easy, that’s why I think you should give this a try!


Marinara Sauce

1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

3 400g cans tomatoes (diced or whole peeled)

80g tomato paste 

375 ml water 

1/2 tsp dried oregano 

Fresh basil 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp black pepper 

2-3 tsp coconut sugar, optional


Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a medium pot then add onions and cook until translucent. Add in garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant

  2. Add tomato paste and cook until it gets thicker and caramelised while stirring constantly, about 3 minutes

  3. Add canned tomatoes, if you’re using whole peeled tomatoes you want to break/mash your tomatoes first then add the rest of the ingredients

  4. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 45 minutes or until reduced and thickened. Don’t forget to stir every now and then to make sure the bottom is not burnt

  5. Use it with your favourite pasta or let it chill to room temperature, transfer it to your plastic containers and freeze for later use!

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