Gluten Free Marinara Sauce

Name: Gluten Free Marinara Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 garlic cloves (smashed); 2 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped); 2 tablespoons capers; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 30 ounces organic tomato sauce (2 cans, see note); 1 teaspoon dried oregano; salt and pepper to taste; cooked gluten free pasta; Optional: leeks or onion

Jump to Recipe

If you love pasta, wait until you try this savory homemade gluten free marinara sauce! It is pure perfection in how herbs and spices slowly cook together to make a mouthwatering meal! Dinner is ready in under 20 minutes!

A bowl of gluten free bowtie pasta topped with homemade marinara sauce.

Jump to:

Why Make This Recipe:
Ingredient Notes:
Tips For Sucess:
How To Make Gluten Free Marinara Sauce:
Recipe FAQ:
More Gluten Free Pasta Recipes:
📖 Recipe
Fearless Dining
💬 Comments

My kids are all about pasta and sauce for dinner. You could use jarred sauce, but why use it when you can make a delicious homemade sauce? This sauce is not only delicious over gluten free pasta, but you can also slather it on zucchini or winter squash noodles too!

Top this gluten free pasta with this homemade sauce for a quick and easy dinner the whole family will love! All you need are a few simple ingredients. If you love easy dinner recipes as much as we do, you will want to try all my delicious gluten free dinner recipes!

You will also want to make these Gluten Free Breadsticks to dip into this gluten free marinara sauce too!

Why Make This Recipe:

We love this recipe because it is quick and easy to make on those busy weeknights and has a high-quality taste.
You can use this sauce over pasta and seafood in many ways!
You can serve the leftovers with pasta in a Thermos. One of my kids loved pasta in her lunchbox.
This sauce freezes so well. Make a big pot of this sauce and freeze the extras. Freezer meals are a huge time saver!

Serve this marinara over my Gluten Free Cheese Manicotti recipe.

Allergen Information:

This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, and nut-free.

Photos of the marinara ingredients on the counter.

Ingredient Notes:

Tomato Sauce - I use any brand but get plain tomato sauce, not a flavored sauce. Most brands are gluten free but always read the labels to make sure.
Garlic - You can use fresh garlic or jarred minced garlic.
Capers - any brand is fine. I fill my measuring spoon and then drain the liquid from the spoon before using them.
Fresh Basil - you can also use dried. You will need more if you use fresh basil, as dried herbs are stronger.
Oregano - I used dried, but you can also use fresh.
Olive Oil - Use extra virgin olive oil
Salt/Pepper to taste
Optional: leeks, onion, and crushed red peppers.
Gluten Free Pasta - my favorite brands are Jovial and Tinkyada. A small note about Jovial, they also make non-gluten-free, so make sure the box you grab says gluten free!

cooking spaghetti in a large silver pot.

Tips For Sucess:

Cook pasta according to the directions on the box, but I recommend cooking it one minute less than the box says. This helps your pasta stay al dente.
Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the water if you are cooking spaghetti. This can help prevent it from sticking together. Also, use a form to separate the spaghetti pieces 1-2 minutes after adding it to the water.

Make sure to avoid mushy pasta with these additional Gluten Free Pasta Cooking Tips.

How To Make Gluten Free Marinara Sauce:

This homemade marinara sauce recipe is so easy to make. It takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on how long you want to simmer the sauce. This sauce is even better the next day as the flavors mesh together in the refrigerator.

A pot of spaghetti cooking on the stove.

Step 1: Cook your gluten free pasta according to the package directions. Every brand is slightly different, so use the recommended cooking time.

Step 2: With a large knife, smash two garlic cloves with the flat part of the knife. You can also use a garlic press if you have one.

Step 3: Heat a large frying pan on medium heat with the olive oil and saute the garlic until it becomes soft and golden in color, which takes around 2-3 minutes.

If you add the optional leeks or onions, add them now, too, so they soften.

All of the marinara ingredients in a pot.

Step 4: Add in the tomato sauce, capers, seasonings, and fresh basil. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes for flavors to cook together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

A pot of cooked gluten free marinara sauce.

As with any marinara sauce made from scratch, it gets better on the second day as the flavors mesh together overnight. These Gluten Free Garlic Knots are incredibly dipped into this marinara sauce!

Can you use dried herbs in pasta sauce?

You can use fresh or dry herbs for your cooking. I try to use fresh herbs as often as I can. I even grow my herbs in my kitchen window.

A pot of gluten free penne pasta with the marinara sauce.

Step 5: Add the pasta, which warms up quickly with the sauce. Toss and serve hot. You can also try this easy pasta hack on this delicious pasta with my popular Meat Sauce Recipe.

You can use this sauce to make this delicious Gluten Free Ziti Casserole. This is a great meal if you need to feed a large family. It tastes just like lasagna, but it is much easier to make.