If you're looking for an AMAZING Fat Free Vegan Marinara Sauce - your search has ended!
Say goodbye to store-bought spaghetti sauce forever!
You know - that overpriced stuff that is usually nothing but cheap tomato sauce, lots of oil, and salt?
Oh, look! A clove of garlic! Yeah whatever….
This Fat Free Vegan Marinara Sauce is absolutely divine, completely oil-free, and so easy to make with common ingredients from your pantry. And it's versatile enough to use not just on pasta, but also as a dipping sauce for breadsticks or even as a pizza sauce.
Yeah, it's THAT good.
And the flavor?
Oh man. Like nothing, you've ever got out of a jar before. Let's just say I made a batch of this the other night and my 18-month-old grandson devoured it. And he's a picky eater.
It's Thick..
It's Rich..
It's INEXPENSIVE to make..
Did I mention there's no oil or added fat ???
And with hardly any sodium, strange chemicals OR preservatives..... you'll never buy those overpriced jars of store-bought sauce again.
Fat Free Vegan Marinara Sauce
Start by dicing your onion and bell pepper uniformly in size and sautéing them in a large pot until softened. Use a tablespoon of veggie broth or water to keep things from sticking.
Add some sliced mushrooms and let those shrink down a little.
Finally, add the garlic and let that simmer until any liquid that's left has all but cooked off.
Now add the wine and give your sauce a good stir. Let that cook for a minute or two and then add all the remaining ingredients.
Mix well and simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes.
If the sauce seems too chunky, you can always use an immersion blender to get the consistency you like, or simply blend a cup or two in your high-speed blender and then add it back in.
Mmm.... nothing like homemade spaghetti sauce, just like mama used to make.....well - without the oil.
Enjoy!
Fat Free Vegan Marinara Sauce (stovetop)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
A quick and easy sauce that is thick, rich, fat free, low sodium, and has no strange chemicals or preservatives – you’ll never buy those overpriced jars of store-bought Marinara Sauce again.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Leeks or Onions ((diced))
- ⅓ cup Red Bell Pepper ((diced))
- ⅓ cup White Mushrooms ((sliced))
- 2 cloves Garlic ((minced))
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes - No Salt Added ((15oz))
- 1 can Fire Roasted Chopped Tomatoes ((15oz))
- 1 can Tomato Paste ((6oz))
- ½ cup Red Wine ( )
- 1 tsp Brown Sugar (or sweetener of choice) ((optional))
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Basil
- 1 tsp Parsley
- ¼ tsp Red Wine Vinegar
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion and bell pepper to a uniform size.
- Sauté all the veggies together in a saucepan, just until they soften. Use a tablespoon or two of veg broth or water to prevent sticking if needed.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and continue cooking until they have reduced in size and released their liquid.
- Stir in the minced garlic and continue simmering for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add the wine and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes. The wine adds a very elegant flavor to the sauce, but can be replaced with veg broth if necessary.
- Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and mix thoroughly.
- Add the remaining seasonings and simmer uncovered on low heat for about 30 minutes. The brown sugar is optional but helps reduce the overall acidity.
- If the sauce is too chunky for your liking – you can use an immersion blender or....blend a cup or two, to get the consistency you like.
Notes
If you have a Food Processor it will make a quick chore out of chopping all the veggies.
Since I added the can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes with their juice (and sodium) - I did not add any extra salt.
Feel free to adjust the seasonings to your own individual taste.
Tips are Always Welcome
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Rose
There are no canned roasted tomatoes available where I live. I think I'd just use two cans of the normal ones.
I've never seen a marinara sauce recipe that used white wine. Only red. Does it make a difference taste-wise?
Chuck Underwood
I don't think it really matters but remember, the larger the chunk size (whole tomatoes vs diced) the longer it will take to break down. Or just put them in a blender first. Also - if using regular tomatoes the sodium content will be pretty high so you may want to drain them first. Try stewed!
I have not tried Red Wine yet just the white. And I really can't taste it anyway - I think it just adds depth. Try the red and tell me what you think….
Jean E Watson Jones
I can't wait to try this recipe! Just be careful with the Moscato as some contain high fructose corn syrup. Isn't it sad that we have to read the ingredients labels on wine?
Chuck Underwood
Thanks Jean! Will definitely keep that in mind! Enjoy the recipe - I actually make this a lot! If you ever try the lasagna recipe - this is the same marinara I use.
Sheri
I really love your website!! Awesome recipes ... Thank you!! Could you tell me what I could use as a sub for the white wine? Thank you!
washbear
This recipe is so good! Thanks for helping me to keep from starving this year! Your recipes are awesome! (By the way, I made this without the wine and it turned out just fine. Great balance of flavors all the way around!)
Chuck Underwood
Glad you liked it!
Igz
Buy tomatoes in bottles, not cans.
Michelina
Can you name brands of bottled tomatoes for this recipe?
EatPlant-Based.com
Can't wait to try this one, Chuck! Looks delish!
Jess
This is on the stove now as we speak! Thanks! (Jess)
Kristen Larsen
I love this sauce so much I ate a bowl like soup, much to to the embarrassment of my two teenaged stepkids! This also works nicely as a pizza sauce if you really boil off the water for a thicker consistency and blend until smooth. We forego the white wine due to family taste preference and the sauce still tastes great. It's easy to make double or triple batches and freeze the extra for quick dinners. Thanks, Chuck!
Michelle DeFields-Gambrel
I just discovered you today - you are an amazing vegan chef - THANKS!
Claudia Sharon Moore
I made a triple batch of this marinara sauce in my crockpot, yesterday. It made the whole house smell amazing and it's delicious! I made it exactly as written. I used to buy 365 brand pasta sauce from Whole Foods (no oil) but this is so much better. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
Chuck Underwood
So glad you liked it!
Stephanie DiSantis
What’s the serving size, 1/2 c? Thx!
Jill Tinsley
Making this right now..........looks yummy!
Janet M Ramski
A trick I learned from being married to a Sicilian guy - add shredded carrots to your sauce. They are sweet, and will allow you to greatly reduce or eliminate the sugar. Also, Balsamic vinegar helps to sweeten and add depth to the flavor.
CruznV
Does this recipe make about 4 cups.... or more?
Marilyn Vantosh
An absolutely delicious marinara sauce, it has become a staple.
Thanks so much.
NK
My son requested spaghetti for his birthday supper today and I remembered seeing this sauce recipe not too long ago. It is currently simmering on the stove and I'm going to have a hard time staying away until this evening. It is unbelievably delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Elsie
Chuck is the wine cooking red wine or the red wine like you would drink?
Dawn
Never cook with wine that you wouldn't drink.
Kaye
This is a great spaghetti sauce! Thank you for another good recipe.
★★★★★
Michaela
Found your site today looking for my first seitan recipe.
Made this with the sausages
Absolutely salivating
Thank you, I'll be back x
★★★★★
Tony
I like this recipe, but a word of caution. Not all wines are vegan. Many use fish bladders to filter their wine, therefore, not vegan. The same may be true about the red wine vinegar. If practical, get wine and wine vinegar that is certified vegan, you may have to ask the store clerk or manager, or see if they have Vegan wines at your local health food store, or sell it online.
Debbie
Hi Chuck ~ I made this yesterday and it was SO good! Thank you for the wonderful recipe 🙂 I served it over raw zuchini noodles. I made a double batch so that I can have some to freeze for future meals.
★★★★★
Steve W
This is a very good sauce!!!
The 2nd time I made it, I put less than 1/4 cup of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon) instead of 1/2 cup and used 4 cloves of garlic instead of 2. Also, I used a garlic press instead of mincing it.
Those adjustments balanced everything out just right.. Thanks for the post.
★★★★★
Elsie
Hi Chuck,
I made this for the second time today. First time I used red wine and felt the wine was over bearing. This time I changed it up and used half as much wine, tweaked the spices a little and added Italian spices coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. Came out superb! Thanks for all the hard work you do
★★★★★
Martha
Wow. Made a batch using my fresh tomatoes and the fire roasted tomatoes. I liked it so much I made two more batches for the freezer.
Thanks for sharing your WFPB recipes.
Romy
Just a heads up...
A pinch (and I mean just a pinch) of baking soda takes down acidity immediately. I use it in all my tomato sauces. It really works but seriously, start out with less than 1/8th of a teaspoon. It will fizz but after mixing it in it will reduce the acidity and add a bit of sweetness and balance to the overall flavor.
★★★★★
Eileen
Hi Chuck,
Thank you for posting a great recipe. I am not a wine drinker but I do like to cook with wine. What type of wine would you recommend for this recipe?
Eileen
Chuck Underwood
I normally use a dry red wine. Any kind - doesn't have to be expensive either.
Joyce Stesiak-Troyer
I love this marinara sauce and use it over pasta, with vegan meatballs, on pizza, even on scrambled eggs! Usually I make a double recipe and freeze one quart. Best EVER
★★★★★
Sharon
My sister and I made this sauce with almost 2 gallons of fresh tomatoes and packaged it in 2 cup portions in the freezer. We didn’t add the wine and it smelled and tasted wonderful. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Kathleen
I made this today with no wine. I added chopped zucchini, some spinach and cannellini beans and served it over corn/quinoa spaghetti. We really liked it.
Thank you for your great recipes.
★★★★★
Lee
I only have crushed tomatoes. And I live 50 miles round trip from a store. So I'm going to try making this tonight with crushed tomatoes. I'll let you know how it turns out. 😉
Allison
I wonder if this recipe could be canned?
Diane
I have made a lot of vegan fat free marinara sauces in my day. but yours is the very best.
★★★★★