If you’ve ever looked at the price of jarred pasta sauce and thought “why is this so expensive now?” —you’re not alone. This marinara sauce recipe is perfect for Weight Watchers and has no oil.
This easy marinara sauce recipe is one of the simplest ways to save money and still get a rich, flavorful sauce that tastes better than anything from the store. It uses pantry staples, comes together quickly, and works for everything from spaghetti to casseroles.
I make this all the time when I want something cheap, easy, and reliable—and once you try it, you probably won’t go back to jar sauce either.
Looking for more ways to use up marinara sauce try these - (17 Ways) How to use Marinara Sauce
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Why You Will Like This
- Budget-friendly – cheaper than most store-bought sauces
- Simple ingredients – nothing fancy required
- Quick to make – ready in about 30 minutes
- Versatile – use it for pasta, pizza, or casseroles
- Customizable – adjust seasoning to your taste check out this recipe for Low Sodium Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
This is one of those recipes that looks impressive but is actually very easy to pull together.
Ingredients Needed for Marinara Sauce
- Tomatoes - There are many different varieties of tomatoes out there such as stewed, crushed, and whole tomatoes. It all depends on how you like the consistency of your tomatoes. Do you like them chunky, well pureed, or whole? I prefer mine crushed.
- Onions and Garlic - These 2 vegetables are great to store in your pantry at all times. When I get onions from the store I will set them in the fridge right away and they will keep longer. Plus, if you store onions in the fridge, you won’t cry at all when chopping them. For Garlic, I buy it already minced in the jar. (Don’t like stinky garlic hands!)
- Seasonings - Oregano and Thyme are classic spices found in a lot of marinara sauce recipes. If you like basil use fresh basil leaves. It almost acts like a bay leaf and the bay leaf can sit there and flavor the sauce while it is boiling away!
Substitution Tips
- Use diced tomatoes (blended) if that’s what you have
- Swap olive oil for avocado oil
- Add fresh basil if you want a fresher taste
- Skip sugar or use a small amount of honey if preferred
How to make Marinara Sauce
Step 1: Spray a large dutch oven or non stick skillet over medium heat with Cooking Spray. Add onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.
Step 2: Pour in tomatoes.
Step 3: Season with oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and stir in basil. Bring mixture to simmer.
Reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid has reduced slightly. Add in ½ to 1 cup of extra water and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Discard basil before serving. Check for taste and season with more salt if needed.
Ways to Use Marinara Sauce
- Spaghetti - Spaghetti with Ground Beef Sauce
- Lasagna Trisha Yearwood's Cowboy Lasagna
- Pizza -
- Quick and Easy Lasagna Pasta
- Dipping sauce for breadsticks - 2 Ingredient Dough Bread Sticks
🥡 How to Store and Freeze
- Store in the fridge for up to 4–5 days
- Freeze for up to 3 months
- Reheat on the stove or microwave
Recipe FAQS
Yes, but canned is easier and more consistent.
Let it simmer longer or reduce the liquid slightly.
Other Easy Recipes
- One Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
- 2 Ingredient Dough Bread Sticks
- Air Fryer Garlic Bread
- Baked Chocolate Donuts
If you tried this Weight Watchers Basic Marinara Sauce or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
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Basic Marinara Sauce Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 30 min
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Easy
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Marinara sauce is a basic recipe that everyone should know how to make. It only requires at least 5 simple ingredients to make and they should all be in your pantry.
Ingredients
½ medium onion, minced
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
⅛th teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt to taste
2 large sprigs fresh basil
Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Spray a large dutch oven over medium heat with Cooking Spray. Add onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.
- Pour in tomatoes.
- Season with oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and stir in basil. Bring mixture to simmer.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid has reduced slightly. Add in ½ to 1 cup of extra water and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Discard basil before serving. Check for taste and season with more salt if needed.
- Serve with 1 cup of prepared pasta. Serving size: ¾ cup
- Can be easily doubled or tripled to make more
Notes
myWW points: 0 (all 3 plans)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¾ cup
Jenna says
Yes
Leah says
Can this be pre made then frozen and taken out as needed?
Jenna says
When figuring out points for the marinara sauce I used No salt added canned crushed tomatoes it comes to 0 points on all 3 plans. I didn't scan the can. Thanks.
Debbie says
I did make your meatballs and your marinara sauce both came out excellent I am new to weight watchers tracking so I was just curious how you came up with zero points for the sauce when I scan the crushed tomatoes it comes to 2 points. Also using 93% lean ground beef one serving 3 ounces is four points