Spicy Marinara Sauce – just 7 ingredients and less than 30 minutes gets this tomato sauce with a kick on your table. Pair it with pasta or zoodles for a quick weeknight dinner.
Raise your hand if you reach for pasta and a jar of marinara sauce when you need dinner on the table fast. I’m guilty of buying jarred sauce too. But, it really is so easy to make your own. And we know that food tastes better when it’s homemade and you control the ingredients. Better for you too. My Spicy Marinara Sauce is the perfect quick sauce to liven up any dish and it can be made in under 30 minutes!
Pantry Staples
Just 7 ingredients, plus salt, are needed to make this delicious spicy sauce. And I’ll bet you have them all in your pantry already. All you need are onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes, dried basil, dried oregano, balsamic vinegar, and crushed red pepper flakes. To make it a meal, just pour it over your favorite pasta. I’ve been obsessed with pairing it with zoodles and crispy baked eggplant lately. So good!
Ditch the Sugar
Why is it that every store bought product seems to contain sugar? I for one don’t need to feed my sweet tooth any more than necessary, and especially not in savory dishes. That’s why I love making this homemade spicy marinara sauce. No sugar needed, yet it definitely has a bit of sweetness to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes and the heat of the red pepper flakes. I use a sweet onion and a dash of balsamic vinegar to accomplish this. Nothing but nutritious healthy ingredients here!
Control the Heat
You guys know I have 3 kids, so you might be wondering if a spicy marinara sauce is kid friendly. It really depends on your kids and what they like. I’ve never been shy about adding a little heat to the food I feed my kids.
My Black Bean Salsa Burgers are a favorite that we eat several times a month. And when my son was little, he would eat salsa with a spoon!
However, I usually keep the amount of red pepper flakes to about 1/4 tsp when I’m making this for the family. It gives a nice kick, but it’s not too spicy at all. If I’m making it just for me, I would go for a 1/2 tsp because I like a little more heat. You decide what’s best for you and your family. Start with 1/4 tsp and work your way up if you feel it needs more fire.
Spicy Marinara Sauce
I hope you love this Spicy Marinara Sauce as much as we do. If you try it, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback and star rating. You can also find me on social media. Be sure to tag @veggie_inspired and #veggieinspired so I’m sure to see it. Enjoy!
A quick and easy marinara sauce with a kick. Using pantry staples, this spicy sauce can be on the table in less than 30 minutes!
- 1/2 sweet onion (diced)
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water) (plus 1-2 tbsp more, if needed)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
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Sauté the diced onion in the vegetable broth (or water) for 4-5 minutes until softened. If the onions start to stick, add an additional 1-2 tbsp of vegetable broth (or water).
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Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté 1 minute.
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Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, basil, oregano, and balsamic vinegar. Simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.
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Using an immersion blender, purée the sauce until smooth (or desired consistency). Alternately, you can carefully transfer the sauce to a blender to purée.
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Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
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Enjoy over pasta or zoodles or as a dipping a dipping sauce for breadsticks.
More Dairy Free Sauces to Love:
Maple Cinnamon Cranberry Pear Sauce
Sarah says
This looks so yummy, and I bet my kids would go for a pinch of heat! We’ve never shied away from “grown up flavors” either!
Jenn S. says
Awesome! I think we do kids such a disservice when we assume they don’t like flavor! Thanks, Sarah!
Helen of Fuss Free Flavours says
All too easy to think that grabbing a jar of sauce from the cupboard is the easier option, but all things considered this recipe is so easy and no doubt much tastier, it is worth the little extra time to make it. Sounds yummy, and perfect to have for a easy meal of pasta.
Jenn S. says
Totally! In the time it takes to bring a pot of water to boil and cook the noodles, this sauce can be done. Super easy. Thanks, Helen!
Luci's Morsels says
Yummy! This looks delicious and I am in love with the calorie count. I love how you used this with zoodles and this sauce is really quite versatile in general. Thanks for sharing!
Jenn S. says
Thank you, Luci! I’m pretty much obsessed with it with zoodles! 🙂 I hope you love it.
Lynn says
Love this recipe because it is so easy to make and contains ingredients that I always have on hand. Plus, it tastes great!
Jenn S. says
Thank you! Definitely super easy!
Mary Ellen - VNutrition says
This looks delicious! I and I’m a spicy gal so I love the addition of heat – and that’s there’s no sugar added.
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Mary Ellen! I’m a spicy gal too! 🙂
Alisa Fleming says
I’ll have to try balsamic and see how that works. That’s a new idea to me for cutting acidity. A friend uses baking soda, but I’ve never been able to get that to work well.
Jenn S. says
Baking soda? I’ve never heard of that one. I just love the hint of sweetness from the balsamic – so good! 🙂 Thanks, Alisa!
Vanessa at VeganFamilyRecipes says
MMhhmm! Delicious! I love a good marinara sauce and if it’s spicy then even more so! Pinning this for later! Looks amazing, Jenn!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Vanessa! I hope you love it!
Linda says
I am not a jarred sauce fan because homemade sauce is so easy and quick to make. This sounds great, Jenn!
Jenn S. says
Exactly! Thanks, Linda!
Ceara says
Quick and easy is how I like it! I love that your recipe doesn’t use sugar. Looks wonderful.
Jenn S. says
No sugar needed! Thanks, Ceara!!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
Looks delicious, Jenn! We eat a lot of pasta in my house, so I will definitely be trying your sauce.
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Amy! I hope you love it!
Ginny McMeans says
This looks delicious! I seem to always have these ingredients in my cupboard so I really need to make this fast sauce.
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Ginny! I think most people probably keep these ingredients in the pantry. So easy!
Dianne says
My hand is raised! I’m so guilty of that. I rarely make my own sauce because it seems too time consuming, but I love how quick and easy your recipe is!
Jenn S. says
Every time I make it homemade I think “why do I ever buy that jarred stuffed?” But then next time I’m at the store, I grab it anyway for those just in case times.The struggle is real. LOL!
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite says
You can never have too many marinara recipes! I think I change mine every time I throw it together. But yes on the red pepper flakes! The more the better!
Jenn S. says
Totally agree! I tend to change it up too, but this is the one I lean towards most. Here’s to spicy!
Becky Striepe says
I love how simple this is! I wish my family liked spicy. Maybe I’ll make some just for meeeee!
Jenn S. says
Totally make it just for you! Leftovers would freeze beautifully! Thanks, Becky!