Updated 1/2023 : Today we’re going over how to make a jar of marinara taste better. What a life hack, right!? I’ve got a new book coming out this summer called Homemade-ish and this recipe lives in that tradition. If you’ve got a lackluster jar just lurking in your pantry, fear not. This recipe rules. This Slow Cooker Marinara is as good as they come but I need to confess that it’s a doctor-ed up thing. We’re not cooking this sauce from scratch, okay? Okay. Now that we’ve gotten that little item of business off our desks, let me wax on a bit about this truly delicious sauce. Read on for a few deets and need-to-knows, or just skip ahead to the marinara itself. Suit yourself there.
Slow Cooker Marinara is a thing of beauty and a joy forever
My Dad has always been the king of doctoring foods. You know what I mean by that, right? I’m talking about the re-purposing, re-branding, and all-around jazzing up of store-bought fare into something that’s just, well, better. He’s always had a knack for it and I remember countless occasions sitting in our sunny yellow kitchen growing up, just watching him do his thing. From hum-drum cans of soup to even a measly cheese cracker – the guy knows how to doctor, and this truly incredible slow cooker marinara is the perfect example of that very niche department of the culinary arts. So, today’s recipe for slow cooker marinara was absolutely inspired by my Dad, who I’d like to believe would hungrily and whole-heartedly approve.
These days, I think you can get some pretty tasty store-bought marinaras, so it’s nice that our base is already decent. But after introducing a few select fresh ingredients and also, time, we will level up a fine and good jar of marinara sauce into something so very memorable. Yes, time is a key ingredient in this recipe – it’s the time that truly morphs the sauce into the best version of itself. Without the element of time, as is the case with so many sauce recipes, you will never reach the finish line in quite the way you want to … it just won’t be as good.
Semi-homemade though it may be (do you remember that show?), once we’re done with this slow cooker marinara, we will have a sure-fire hit on our hands. And if you’re anything like my family, you’ll wind up with a superstar dinner recipe that will ascend the ranks quickly into the best of the best. It certainly has for us. Though scratch cooking is typically a great way to go, sometimes have a few hacks and tricks up your sleeve is great, too. This recipe for how to make a jar of marinara taste better is one such hack.
How to make a jar of marinara taste better
- Slow cook
- Add a BUNCH of fresh aromatics. Here, we’ll wield some onion, a ridiculous amount of garlic (amen)
- Add fats! We’ll use some fruity olive oil and a lot of butter (in the spirit of the great Marcela Hazan) to add richness to the jarred sauce.
How to make a jar of marinara taste better FAQ’s
What is marinara?
The tomatoes in a classic marinara can trace their roots back to the sauce’s motherland of Italy, figuratively speaking at least. Traditionally, marinara is an utterly simple affair. It is not some mega-involved sauce with layers of ingredients, and consists merely of tomatoes, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and usually basil. With a loose consistency, the texture of a classic marinara can range from smooth to somewhat chunky and it tastes like fresh, perfect tomatoes.
So, in our version here, we’re adding more of those base ingredients to a jar of marinara – we’re toasting an almost obscene amount of fresh garlic and an entire onion in a mixture of both olive oil and butter. The butter and onions, you might say, are a nod to Marcela Hazan’s iconic three-ingredient tomato sauce. Yes, you might say that. By infusing the jarred sauce with those fresh elements, it changes the feel of the whole thing. The olive oil adds such a lusciousness and the butter, to me, provides a necessary kick-back to the acidity from all of those tomatoes. It cuts it – that rich dairy fat.
What is Marinara Used For?
Whatever you want! Let’s be honest. That’s the real answer to this question. But traditionally speaking, marinara is perhaps most frequently seen in pasta dishes (like our recipe today), used like/as spaghetti sauce. But I also love marinara as a dip. Dipping breadsticks, toasted ravioli, mozzarella sticks, or even roasted vegetables (especially potatoes … think Spanish patatas bravas). I also think it’s wonderful on hot subs … meatball subs/grinders, that sort of thing.
How do you prevent Marinara from becoming watery?
I taught a small cooking class once and we made a few versions of tomato sauce (so you see, my saucy passion is legit and far-reaching). One was a raw tomato sauce that isn’t a far cry from pico de gallo but instead, the diced summer tomatoes swim in garlicky olive oil with loads of fresh basil and Italian parsley – it’s heavenly, yes. The others were that family-style sugo to which I previously referred (a version of that, at least), and the last was a marinara.
The question regarding the wateriness of a tomato sauce came up, which is why I’m including it here. To keep your sauces thick, rich, and decidedly un-watery, you simply want to allow them to cook a while, uncovered. This will evaporate and reduce the liquid – the water – in the tomatoes down down down until the sauce has no choice but to be exactly as you wish. Which is to say, it will be un-watery. The water problem is really more prevalent with sauces made from fresh tomatoes, as opposed to canned. And it’s totally avoided altogether in sauces that begin with store bought-jarred marinara, like the one we’re making today. Yet another win for this “incredible” sauce.
What is the Difference Between Marinara, Pomodoro, and Pizza Sauce?
We’ve reached the point in our post about how to make a jar of marinara taste better where it seems like the right time for bullet points …
- Tomato sauce is pomodoro sauce. Pomodoro sauce is tomato sauce. Pomodoro means tomato. Alrighty then.
- Whereas pomodoro is quick and as minimalist as it can possibly be, sauces like marinara have a bit more going on, so far as their ingredient lists go. Marinaras sauces, or tomato sauce, often have more vegetable components going on – onions, carrots, celery – and in some cases, some sort of pork (like my family’s beloved sugo – our rich, red Sunday “gravy”). Read on for more on how to make a jar of marinara taste better …
- Pizza sauce (which I’m including here because I’ve often wondered about these nuanced sauce differences … you know, these important things one wonders about in life) is distinguished from a marinara sauce by the simple fact that it is uncooked. Yes, it is a raw sauce. Reason being, those raw tomatoes will lend a fresher, brighter, more “zippy” tomato flavor to the finished pizza than would be the case if you cooked the sauce. And who doesn’t want zippy pizza, you know? I also find that a lot of pizza sauce recipes contain a hint of sweetness – sugar, honey, agave, etc. Similar to the effect of adding butter (like we do in my recipe here), the sweetness combats the acidity of the tomatoes, and helps to balance the equation.
How to Store and Freeze Marinara: Does Marinara Freeze Well?
In addition to going over how to make a jar of marinara taste better, let’s chat freezer tips. I typically don’t use all of the slow cooker marinara sauce I make at one time – especially huge batches like in today’s post re: how to make a jar of marinara taste better. So, storing and freezing tips are of the utmost importance – we don’t want to waste of drop of this stuff.
You can store this slow cooker marinara in your fridge for up to about 5 days (give or take) in an air-tight, lidded jar or container. Also, you can freeze it for several months without compromising it whatsoever. I like to pour it into reusable freezer bags, but you could also portion the sauce out in either muffin cup liners or even coffee filters, allow them to freeze fully in your freezer, and then stack those perfect portions inside a freezer-safe container or storage bag. Eureeka! It’s the little things, sometimes.
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PrintIncredible Slow Cooker Marinara (and how to make a jar of marinara taste better)
Rich and deeply flavorful, this is the best way to totally transform jars of marinara sauce into something show-stopping. Loaded with an unbelievable amount of garlic, onions, ground spices, and yes, butter, this is our favorite way to make marinara sauce. The slow cooker adds convenience, yes, but it also allows the flavors in the sauce to deepen and open up in a way that cooking quickly on the stovetop just won’t accomplish. Time is an essential component to the success of this recipe.Â
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: about 5 to 6 cups 1x
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 16 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 stick of unsalted butter (8 TBSP)
- 1 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Two, 28-ounce jars of your favorite store-bought marinara (such as Classico, Prego, etc.)
Instructions
- Place the garlic and onion in a food processor, and pulse until you get an almost paste-like consistency – everything should be pretty finely processed.Â
- Place a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil, butter, the garlic/onion mixture, and the Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes – just to allow the onions to soften, the spices to toast, and the garlic to get soft and sweet.Â
- Transfer this mixture to your slow cooker and add the jarred marinara sauce, and stir to combine. Allow the sauce to cook on low for at least 6, but as much as 8. I like to leave the lid of the cooker off during the last hour-ish, as this helps concentrate/evaporate the sauce, reducing the water (not necessary though).Â
Notes
1. Sometimes, I like to sauce a  pound of spicy Italian sausage, in the skillet after I transfer the garlic/onion mixture to the slow cooker. I brown the sausage and then add it to the marinara before cooking. It, too, is incredible.Â
2. This is a great overnight sauce. If you’d prefer to not have your house smell like sauce when you wake up, just leave your cooker running overnight in your garage or even on your porch, if the weather suits.Â
3. The sauce will keep nicely in the fridge for up to 5 days, in the freezer for up to 3 months.
