Olive Garden Marinara Sauce
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Recreate the classic taste of Olive Garden marinara sauce at home with this easy and flavorful recipe! 🍅✨ Made with simple ingredients like tomatoes, garlic and Italian herbs, this rich and savory sauce is perfect for pasta, dipping sauce, or any Italian-inspired dish.
Quick Tips for Making Olive Garden Marinara
Marinara is not as thick as a traditional “spaghetti sauce” – so we don’t need a lot of ingredients to get to deliciousness here!
- Tomatoes – Olive Garden marinara has tomato sauce and chunks of tomato so be sure to use multiple kinds of tomatoes
- Fresh Herbs – use fresh herbs to capture the brightness of Olive Garden Marinara
- No Cast Iron – it can make your sauce taste metallic
Olive Garden Marinara Ingredients
Italian food is all about simple ingredients and letting the flavor shine through. This marinara sauce recipe tastes like fresh tomatoes – but you can even make it in the dead of winter! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Tomatoes – you’ll need pureed or sauce as well as crushed and diced. You want the combination of textures and fresh tomato flavor to match the Olive Garden sauce.
- I’m NOT using tomato paste – it has a bitter flavor that this sauce doesn’t have
- Onion – I recommend a sweet yellow onion
- Seasonings: Fresh Garlic, Italian Seasoning, Salt, Pepper, Fresh or Dried Basil
- Apple Cider Vinegar – this adds a fresh acidic flavor that enhances the tomatoes
- Sugar – this adds just a touch of sweet as you’ll find in many marinara sauces
Recipe Variations
While we all love Olive Garden, it’s fun to put your own spin on things – here are ideas to make this pasta sauce your own.
- Vegetables – add sauteed mushrooms to your sauce
- Meat – well it’s not a marinara anymore – but you could definitely add cooked beef, meatballs or sausage to your sauce (you can also do the OG Meat Sauce)
- Fresh Herbs – I used a combination of fresh & dried herbs – but if its summer – use fresh all around. Be sure to add fresh herbs at the end of cooking so it doesn’t overpower the flavor.
- Cream – if the acidity bothers you, add a little cream to mellow the flavors
How to make Copycat Olive Garden Marinara Sauce
This is such an easy, one-pan dish! Make your pasta while these robust Italian flavors are simmering and dinner is ready! Let’s make this great Italian pasta sauce:
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven (do not use cast iron, as the acidity of the tomatoes may make the sauce taste metallic) over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic. Cook until the garlic becomes translucent and very fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, dried basil (if using fresh – wait until the end), vinegar, salt and ground black pepper to the pot and stir to combine.
- Lower the heat and place a lid on the pot. Simmer (not boil) for 25 to 30 minutes.
- If using fresh basil, add now and stir. Take a taste and add a little sugar if you feel it needs more sweetness..
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Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass ones) in the fridge for up to a week. You can keep in freezer for up to three months. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or reheat in a saucepan.
Add a light sprinkle of red pepper flakes at the end for a little spicy kick.
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Olive Garden Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small sweet onion diced (1 cups)
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 28 oz tomato puree
- 14 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend
- 2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 10 fresh basil leaves chopped or 1 tsp dried
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven (do not use cast iron, as the acidity of the tomatoes may make the sauce taste metallic) over medium heat.2 tbsp olive oil
- When the oil is hot, add onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic. Cook until the garlic becomes translucent and very fragrant.5 cloves garlic, 1 small sweet onion
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, dried basil (if using fresh – wait until the end), vinegar, salt and ground black pepper to the pot and stir to combine.28 oz crushed tomatoes, 28 oz tomato puree, 14 oz diced tomatoes, 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning blend, 2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 3 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Lower the heat and place a lid on the pot. Simmer (not boil) for 25 to 30 minutes.
- If using fresh basil, add now and stir. Take a taste and add a little sugar if you feel it needs more sweetness..1 tsp sugar, 10 fresh basil leaves
Notes
Nutrition
More Olive Garden Sauce Recipes
- Olive Garden Meat Sauce
- Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo
- Olive Garden Mushroom Sauce
- Olive Garden Garlic Herb Sauce
marinara recipe amounts are not listed!
omg – thanks so much for letting me know! glitch in the matrix! but its there now!