a plate of pasta with tomato marinara sauce garnished with grated cheese and parsley
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This quick & easy spaghetti with chunky marinara is the perfect vegetarian meal or family dinner recipe.

Now, I love pasta. It’s my ultimate comfort food and one of my favourite lunches. The only problem is that a lot of pasta sauce recipes you find take ages to cook, and usually when I want pasta, I want it fast. That’s where this lovely recipe comes in.

Introducing my “Cheats” Spaghetti with a Garlicky Tomato Marinara Pasta Sauce, a delicious recipe that you can whip up in under 30 minutes. The tomato sauce can easily be made and ready by the time the pasta has finished cooking.

I designed this pasta sauce recipe as a quick fix with all the flavour of something that would take an hour or more because honestly, most people are often strapped for time or just couldn’t be bothered to spend heaps of time in the kitchen on a weeknight. Sometimes, that’s just not practical.

a plate of pasta with tomato marinara sauce garnished with grated cheese and parsley

The reason I use canned tomatoes is because I especially love to eat pasta in the winter months and fresh tomatoes aren’t that great when they’re not in season and also because it is a lot quicker and easier to use canned tomatoes – using fresh tomatoes would add an extra 30-45 minutes onto the recipe, as the best way to use fresh tomatoes for the sauce is roasting them. But if you would like the recipe for that version, then please comment below and I’d be happy to post it!


I do recommend being a bit generous with the salt. It’s best to taste as you go, but I think the flavours come out more when seasoned a bit more. I also don’t use pepper in this recipe, as it can be a little overpowering for the simple tomato sauce. 

I hope you give this Spaghetti and Marinara Sauce recipe a try, and if you do I would love to hear how it went! Feel free to tag any of my social media channels and share a picture! I’m @kjsfoodjournal on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter!

a plate of pasta with tomato marinara sauce garnished with grated cheese and parsley

Quick & Easy Spaghetti Marinara

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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 People

Ingredients
  

For the Sauce

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 400g crushed tinned tomatoes
  • 1 tsp fresh oregano roughly torn
  • 1 tsp fresh chives finely diced
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • salt to taste

To Serve

  • 300g dried spaghetti
  • parmesan cheese grated (optional)
  • fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Place a large saucepan filled with water on high heat and bring to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt. Add pasta and cook according to packet directions. Drain and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, for the sauce, add oil to a medium saucepan on medium heat and gently saute garlic until slightly golden. Add tomatoes and stir through.
  • Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Season with salt to taste.
  • Add spaghetti and toss to coat evenly in sauce. Divide into serving bowls and add parmesan and parsley if desired.
Keyword Budget Meal, Pasta, Pasta Sauce, Vegetarian