Instant Pot Marinara Recipe
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This Clean Eating Instant Pot Marinara is my best yet!
Over the past year or two, I’ve really zeroed in on trying to make a completely delicious marinara sauce. I struggled at first. It was not a recipe that came naturally to me. As you can see by the links below, I’ve made a few attempts. They’ve all been great, but not exactly what I was aiming for.
To me, marinara needs to have that “fresh vegetable” feel, taste, and texture to it. I want more of a “fresh tomato” sauce than a “jarred tomato” sauce recipe. Everything about marinara sauce should be fresh, light, and not overly salted. More like an accent than a heavier sauce.
So this time, I wised up about not only my ingredients but my process, too. The result was a refreshingly light sauce that tasted like the tomatoes had just been picked from the garden. Mission accomplished!
I don’t know anything about canning, so I can’t tell you if this can be canned or not. I do know it will freeze relatively well for up to about 2 months. It doesn’t have a super long “shelf life” in the freezer, but it can be frozen. Freeze separately from the pasta.
I served this over chickpea pasta for extra protein. It was delicious! But regular, whole-grain pasta will work. Cook the pasta separately.
I have to say that this is truly the best marinara I’ve made so far. I think most folks will want to add some salt to this. But I’m trying to cut back on salt, so I never add any during cooking. Just a little at the table if it’s needed. I leave the addition of salt up to you. But it’s definitely delicious without it, too.
More Healthy Marinara Recipes
Instant Pot Marinara Recipe Card
Instant Pot Marinara
Ingredients
- 2 lb. roma tomatoes
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onions
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried, ground rosemary
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ¼ cup fresh, chopped basil
- salt to taste at serving
Instructions
- Start a large pot of water to boil.
- Wash and prepare the tomatoes (I always cut out that little part at the top where the stem was attached).
- Once the water is at a full boil, carefully place the tomatoes in the water for about 40-60 seconds, or until the skins start to peel away.
- Remove them from the water and allow to cool enough to handle them.
- Slip the skins off and place the tomatoes bowl. (discard the skins)
- Add the oil to your IP insert and press the “Sauté” button.
- Stir in the onions and sauté them until they become translucent.
- Turn the IP off and add all the other ingredients EXCEPT the fresh basil.
- Push the “Manual” button on the IP and adjust time to 15 minutes.
- Once the IP finishes cooking, do a quick release with the vent valve.
- Remove the lid and use a potato masher to mash the tomatoes.
- Stir in the fresh basil while the sauce is still hot.
- Transfer to a holding container until you are ready to use the sauce. Make sure to store in the refrigerator.
FOR THE STOVE TOP
- If you want to make this on the stove, blanch the tomatoes as instructed. Sauté the onions in a large stock pot, then add everything else into the pot and cook until the tomatoes are easily mashed with a potato masher. (about 30-40 minutes give or take. As soon as you turn off the heat, stir in the basil and then mash everything.
- Add salt to taste at the table.
What if I added the basil at the beginning in the IP?
Amy – If you want to do that, then I recommend dried basil. The fresh stuff doesn’t hold up as well in the IP and won’t give as strong of a flavor. You can do it, of course, you just won’t get as strong of a flavor. Hope that helps!