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Copycat Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce: Authentic Restaurant Flavor From Your Kitchen

Close-up of rich, chunky Rao's marinara sauce garnished with herbs in a white bowl.
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Recreate the famous, rich flavor of Rao’s Marinara Sauce at home using simple, quality ingredients. This recipe delivers a robust, no-sugar-added tomato sauce that tastes like it simmered all day.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled Italian plum tomatoes (San Marzano preferred)
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Pour the olive oil into a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook slowly until soft and translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Do not brown the onions.
  2. Add the minced garlic, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes to the pot. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning.
  3. Pour the whole peeled tomatoes into the pot. Use a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon to break down the tomatoes into smaller pieces directly in the pot. For a smoother sauce, you can pulse the tomatoes briefly in a food processor before adding them.
  4. Stir in the salt and black pepper. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.
  5. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot partially (leaving a small gap for steam to escape), and let the sauce simmer slowly for at least 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. A longer simmer deepens the flavor.
  6. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the fresh chopped basil. Taste the sauce and adjust salt or pepper as needed. This is your best homemade marinara sauce base.

Notes

  • For a sauce closer to the restaurant style pasta sauce texture, simmer for up to 90 minutes.
  • If you prefer a sauce with absolutely no sugar added, skip any added sweeteners; the quality of the tomatoes should provide enough natural sweetness.
  • This sauce works perfectly as a quick chicken parmesan sauce base or as the best dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cookingbycarla.com/copycat-raos-marinara-sauce-recipe/