Name: Penne Pasta with Italian Marinara Sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 120 min
Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef or ground Italian sausage; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil ((if you have a flavored olive oil); 1 yellow onion, (finely chopped); 5 cloves garlic, (minced); 2 large unpeeled carrots, (finely chopped); 2 can cans whole tomatoes, ((14.5 ounce cans)); 1 can can petite diced tomatoes ((14.5 ounce can)); 1/2 can tomato paste, ((6 ounces)); 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 2 teaspoons sugar; 2 Tablespoons oregano, (finely chopped ); 2 Tablespoons Italian parsley, (finely chopped); 1 Tablespoon basil, (fresh chopped); 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme; 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary; 3/4 cups water; Cooked pasta (for serving (either gluten free or traditional)); Fresh Parmesan cheese (for serving)

Yield 8

Cook 1 30

Prep 30

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This Penne Pasta with Italian Marinara Sauce really hits home if you are looking for homemade comfort food. My Italian marinara sauce is full of so many Italian herbs and spices! Fresh oregano, basil, and Italian parsley pairs so well with the zangy tomatoes, fresh minced garlic, and onions! Everyone in your family will rave over this penne pasta dish!

White bowl containing Penne Pasta with Italian Marinara Sauce sitting on a black table, red wine and gray napkin on table.

EASY Marinara Sauce from Scratch

I love a good pasta dish and could live on pasta alone and be just fine! In some of my past posts, I've mentioned that I often travel for work. The TV pretty much stays on the Food Network when I'm home, but having it on in the background when I travel just really helps me feel more at home and comfortable. Since the UK is 8 hours ahead of me here in Arizona, whenever I would wake up to get ready for work the same shows would be on. It was always The Pioneer Woman and Barefoot Contessa...which is perfect because those are two of my favorites! While The Pioneer Woman was on one morning, Ree was making her marinara sauce for her family and my mouth instantly started watering! Oh man! I started craving pasta with marinara!

White bowl containing Penne Pasta with Italian Marinara Sauce sitting on a black table, Parmesan cheese block and olive oil on table.

Lucky for me, there was an amazing authentic Italian restaurant right down the street from my hotel so I took care of that craving immediately, but it made me want to venture out and try making a new type of marinara sauce. I have two other marinara sauces on my website that are fantastic! My Homemade Spaghetti Sauce is amazing...it's been in my family for over 40 years.

I also have a really great authentic Italian Marinara with Meatballs recipe that came from my really good friend, Lindsay's Italian grandmother and it's to die for! But because I love to explore with recipes and ingredients, I wanted to try making a new one. So what did I do? I looked at Ree's Marinara Sauce for ideas and revamped it a bit to fit my taste.

Ingredients

These are some of the most flavorful ingredients you can combine for this Italian Marinara Sauce Recipe:

ground beef or ground Italian sausage
olive oil
fresh basil
fresh oregano
tomato paste
Onion
garlic
carrots
can whole tomatoes
salt
pepper
sugar
Italian Parsley
dried thyme
dried rosemary

ground beef, olive oil, fresh herbs, tomatoes, onion, carrots, garlic and a box of penne pasta on a granite countertop.

Carrots in Marinara Sauce

There is one ingredient in Ree's recipe that I wanted to ensure I kept in my version and can you guess what it is? Carrots!!! Can you believe it? I was a little leary on leaving the carrots, but my son loves carrots so I thought, what the heck...let's go for it! And it's sooo delicious! Carrots are the secret to this homemade marinara sauce. And leave those peelings on the carrots! That's where all the nutrition is!

How to Make Marinara Sauce

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Chop the onions, garlic, and carrots and saute. The key to this marinara sauce recipe is sauteing the onion, garlic, and carrots in olive oil.

Skillet containing shredded carrots, garlic, and onion.

While the vegetables continue to saute, pour the 2 cans of whole tomatoes in a bowl and break apart with your hands. You want to release the juices and ensure the tomatoes are broken into smaller pieces.
Once the vegetables are done sauteing, add the broken up tomatoes to the skillet, along with the can of diced tomatoes.
Add in the water and half the can of tomato paste.
Stir well to mix all the ingredients together.

Skillet containing marinara sauce added to sauteed carrots, onions, and garlic.

Add cooked meat, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, sugar, and Italian parsley to the sauce and stir well.

Skillet containing marinara sauce, ground beef, and fresh herbs.

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Bring the sauce to a rolling boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Homemade marinara sauce in a skillet simmering.

Grab a box of penne pasta and cook according to the box directions. Once done, drain the noodles and serve the homemade marinara sauce over the penne pasta. Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

White bowl containing Penne Pasta with Italian Marinara Sauce topped with fresh Parmesan cheese and a basil leaf.

How to Tell When Penne Pasta is Done

I like al dente pasta. That means the pasta has just a little bit of firmness to it. Personally, I taste the pasta and can tell when it's done to my liking. If you want to go off of time, add the penne pasta to boiling and after 14 minutes, the penne pasta will be done. in 14 minutes.

How Long Will the Marinara Sauce Last?

It will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I like leftover cooked penne pasta so I tend to make extra and warm up the penne pasta and sauce in the microwave.

Tips for Making the BEST Italian Marinara Sauce

Use a mixture of fresh and dry ingredients. Using a wide variety of fantastic herbs is key. I chopped up fresh oregano, Italian parsley, and basil and then added in some dried rosemary and thyme. Oh...and one more ingredient....sugar. Yep, sugar is key to a good marinara sauce!

White bowl containing Penne Pasta with Italian Marinara Sauce sitting on a black table, salad, fork and parsley on table.

Time. When making any hearty marinara sauce, one thing you need is time. Cooking this sauce slow is so important. Don't rush this one....it's so worth the wait!
Gluten Free. This marinara sauce is gluten free and if you serve this sauce over gluten free noodles, you have yourself a gluten free meal!
Ground Beef vs. Ground Italian Sausage. Let me talk about the meat I used in this Penne Pasta with Italian Marinara Sauce. I used ground beef in my marinara sauce but I've also used ground Italian sausage and it's delicious regardless of what type of meat you use.
Flavored Olive Oil. I always have a flavored olive oil on hand and I often use a garlic infused olive oil in this recipe. If you don't have a flavored olive oil, don't worry! Any brand of extra-virgin olive oil will work perfect!

White bowl containing Penne Pasta with Italian Marinara Sauce, red wine, fork and gray napkin on table.

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Comments

5 from 7 votes (1 rating without comment)

Penne Pasta with Italian Marinara Sauce