I originally whipped up this quick marinara to go with my easy garlic knots, especially for the days when I’m not serving them with lasagna or spaghetti and meat sauce. It’s perfect when you want to serve the garlic knots as a kid-friendly snack or appetizer—no pasta required.
In our house, my daughter loves to dip. And when I say loves, I mean if it’s dippable, she’s doing it. So I needed to whip up a flavorful Marinara Sauce that was quick, easy, and flavorful enough to stand on its own. This marinara sauce comes together in about 10 minutes with just a handful of pantry staples. It’s tangy, rich, and the kind of sauce you can make on the fly—even if you forgot to grab a jar from the store.
Affiliate tools I used:
- Olive oil dispenser for easy stovetop use: check it out
- Microplane grater for perfect garlic (https://amzn.to/43VzEH6)
- My favorite saucepan for small-batch cooking (https://amzn.to/4jajVZD)
(This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases—but I only share what I actually use in my kitchen.)
You can serve this marinara sauce with:
- Garlic knots
- Baked mozzarella sticks
- Leftover pizza crust
- Roasted veggies
- Or just a spoon—no judgment here
If this quick marinara dipping sauce recipe saved your snack time, I’d love to have you stick around. You can subscribe here for more cozy recipes or buy me a coffee to keep the stove (and stories) going.
Until next time—may your snacks be saucy and your kitchen always smell like garlic and love.
— Camille
Quick Marinara Dipping Sauce
3
minutes10
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minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 can (15 oz) plain tomato sauce
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon sugar (adjust to taste)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
- In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant—don’t let it brown.
- Pour in tomato sauce and stir in Italian seasoning, onion powder, and sugar.
- Simmer the sauce gently for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. If it’s too tart, add a tiny bit more sugar—but add slowly. Too much sugar can tip it into spaghetti sauce territory.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also stir in a splash of balsamic or a small knob of butter at the end for extra richness.
- Serve warm with garlic knots or any other dippable snack.
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