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Easy Weeknight Marinara Sauce

· by Katie Koteen · Modified:

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Marinara is our weeknight go-to. Whenever I make it I always make a double or triple batch. It saves time, effort and money. All good things!

From my experience, one of the biggest obstacles to saving money is convenience. If you make a little (or a lot) extra when you do cook, it makes for quick, easy and cheap dinners any night of the week.

So this is my base recipe, and below a few variations and ideas for mixing it up.

meatballs_06 this recipe

Variations

Here are a few ideas to kick this basic marinara sauce up a notch!

  • Add ½ to 1 cup shredded carrots with the crushed tomatoes
  • Add ½ to 1 cup grated zucchini with the crushed tomatoes
  • Add ½ to 1 cup frozen chopped spinach with the crushed tomatoes
  • Add 1 package fake meat crumbles
  • Add 1 package fake Italian sausage, diced small or crumbled. Fieldroast is my favorite
  • Add 1 can white beans, rinsed and drained just about 5 minutes before the sauce is done simmering
  • Add your favorite fresh, frozen or dried herbs.
  • Use extra sauce for vegan pizza or pizza bagel making
  • Pair with our easy homemade meatballs
Print
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vegan meatballs

Easy Marinara Sauce

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  • Author: Katie Koteen
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe

Description

Marinara is our weeknight go-to. Whenever I make it I always make a double or triple batch. It saves time, effort and money. All good things!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 onion, diced small
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • red wine (optional)
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes (32 oz)
  • salt
  • ½ tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

Instructions

  1. Saute the onion in olive oil until soft. If you have some red wine around, add about a half cup to the softened onions and let it simmer for about 4-5 minutes.
  2. Add crushed tomatoes and salt. Let simmer about 15-20 minutes.
  3. If using, add crushed red pepper and let simmer another 5 minutes.

Reader Interactions

Comments

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  1. SJ

    How long will these last in the fridge and freezer - how do you defrost?

    Reply

    • Katie Koteen

      Hi SJ - in the refrigerator, maybe 5 days. In the freezer the sauce will last about 3 month. I usually defrost in the freezer overnight and warm on the stove (or microwave) before you're ready to serve. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  2. Megan

    Do you freeze the extra portions? If not, how do you store them, and how long do they keep?

    Reply

    • Well Vegan

      Yeah, you can absolutely freeze them!

      Reply