Marinara Dipping Sauce

pot of sauce on wooden board with breadsticks blurred in the background

5 from 9 votes

This Marinara Dipping sauce is so incredibly simple to make. Use it for dipping breadsticks, calamari, fried cheese or even just plonk it on top of some garlic bread!

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Appetizer, Dip, Starter

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £1 / $1

Equipment

Small Pot
Wooden Spoon
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Measuring Spoons

Ingredients

1x 14oz/400g can of Quality Chopped Tomatoes
1/4 medium Onion, finely diced
1 clove of Garlic, finely diced
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp Dried Basil
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Sugar, or to taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Olive Oil, for frying
Chilli Flakes (optional)

Instructions

Heat up a little oil in a suitably sized pot or pan, and fry your onions over medium heat until they just begin to brown. Add your garlic and fry for couple more minutes until it begins to brown.
Pour in your tomatoes, alongside a splash of water to swill out the can. Add balsamic vinegar and bring to a simmer.
Add in your basil, oregano, sugar, chilli flakes (optional) and salt & pepper (to taste) and stir to combine.
Simmer for a good 10-15 mins until the sauce has thickened and is no longer watery, stirring occasionally.

Video

Notes

a) Thickening - It's really important to make sure the sauce fully thickens before serving. I know it's tempting to serve as soon as it's hot, but to avoid serving a pot of watery dip, ensure you give it time to simmer. That will also give time for the flavours to develop.

b) Chunky or Smooth - Personally I love this dip chunky, but blitz it after it's cooked with a hand blender it you want it smooth!

c) Hot or cold - Delicious hot or cold! Store in the fridge in an air tight container for up to a couple of days.

d) Calories - based on a division of 6, using 1 tsp olive oil.

Nutrition