This flavorful, hearty Domino-style marinara sauce is perfect for pasta, pizza, lasagna, or polenta. It is easy to make, and it's ready in about 30 minutes.
Once youโve made this easy Domino hearty marinara sauce, youโll have a hard time going back to any kind of bottled tomato sauce. Why? Because this is so good, so full of flavor and it really doesnโt need hours of cooking.
I love taking my time when cooking, but I love it even more when I can put a fresh and delicious dinner on the table in about 30 minutes. And that is all the time you need to cook this hearty marinara. Cook some pasta while the sauce simmers, and thatโs it!
Another delicious Italian tomato pasta sauce is sugo; try our Tomato Sugo recipe too!
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What is hearty marinara sauce?
A delicious tomato sauce inspired by Dominoโs sauce. The restaurants use it for pizza and other dishes. I had a look at their ingredient list and created my own flavorful homemade version.
Recipe ingredients
- Tomatoes: I use fresh tomatoes in summer when they are ripe and sweet, but otherwise, I choose canned tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes, donโt forget to peel them first.
- Using canned tomatoes is cheap and easy, but you should still know your brand. Some brands are more acidic than others, which might make the sauce quite sour, and you might need to add more sugar.
- Other vegetables: As mentioned above, I looked at Dominoโs hearty marinara sauce to help me with this recipe. So, I added onions, garlic, grated carrots, and a grated piece of celeriac or very finely chopped celery sticks. I prefer to use celeriac. I find it sweeter and less โrefreshingโ than celery sticks, but the choice is yours.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Domino's marinara?
- Step #1: Cook onions, sprinkled with a pinch of salt, in butter and oil for about 3 minutes.
- Step #2: Add grated garlic, carrots, celery and a small splash of water and cook for about 3 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring a couple of times in between. Sprinkle the sugar on top. Stir for 1 minute; it will caramelize slightly.
- Step #3: Add tomato puree, water, tomatoes, herbs, and spices. Stir.
- Step #4: Simmer with a lid on top for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid during the last 5 minutes of the cooking time to allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Adjust the taste and add Parmesan.
Tips
If using whole canned tomatoes, squish them with your hand or with a spoon directly in the pot. When squishing with your hand, do it carefully to avoid the juice splashing out of the tomatoes.
You can leave the sauce chunky or blend it to the desired consistency. Remember to remove the bay leaves before blending the sauce.
You can easily make a double batch and freeze some of the sauce for super quick meals sometime in the future.
How to store?
Domino's hearty marinara sauce keeps well in the fridge, in airtight containers, for about 5 days. It also freezes very well, for at least 3-4 months, probably longer. Defrost in the fridge or on the counter.
How to use the sauce?
- You can use it for any recipe that requires a jar of marinara sauce, for instance, pasta dishes, pizza or calzone, lasagna, polenta, meatballs, bakes, or enchiladas.
- It also makes a great sauce for chicken, sausages, meatloaf, and so on.
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๐ Recipe
Hearty Marinara Sauce (Domino-Style)
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ยฝ tablespoon butter
- 1 carrot about 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ 100 g
- 1 piece of celeriac about 2.5 oz/ 75 g or 3-4 celery sticks
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 ยฝ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 โ cup water
- 2 cans whole or chopped tomatoes each weighing about 400 g/ 14 oz, Note
- 1 ยฝ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 sprigs of fresh basil
- 3 bay leaves
- ยฝ teaspoon red chili flakes to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice more to taste
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Cook onions: Finely chop the onion. Heat the oil and butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook the onions with a pinch of salt on medium-low heat for about 3 minutes.1 onion + 1 tablespoon olive oil + ยฝ tablespoon butter
- Add vegetables: In the meantime, grate garlic, carrots, and celery (or chop celery sticks very finely). Add them to the pot with a splash of water and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring a couple of times in between.1 carrot + 1 piece of celeriac or 3-4 celery sticks + 3 garlic cloves
- Caramelize sugar: Sprinkle the sugar on top and stir for 1 minute to caramelize slightly.1 ยฝ teaspoon granulated sugar
- Simmer marinara sauce: Add tomato puree, tomatoes, water, oregano, rosemary, basil, chili flakes, bay leaves. and salt. Stir and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid during the last 5 minutes of the cooking time to allow the sauce to thicken slightly.3 tablespoon tomato puree + 1 โ cup water/ 300 ml + 2 cans whole or chopped tomatoes + 1 ยฝ teaspoon dried oregano + 1 teaspoon dried rosemary + 2 sprigs of fresh basil + 3 bay leaves + ยฝ teaspoon red chili flakes + ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, a little lemon juice, and maybe some more sugar; it depends on the acidity of the tomatoes. You can remove the basil sprigs if you wish. 1 teaspoon lemon juice + 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- Add cheese: Turn off the heat and stir in the grated Parmesan.2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
- Consistency: You can leave the sauce chunky or you can blend it to the desired consistency. If you blend it, remove the bay leaves first.
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