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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Sauces and Dressings

    Copy Cat Olive Garden Marinara Sauce Recipe

    Published: Jun 7, 2015 ยท Updated: Nov 26, 2023 by Tammilee ยท This post may contain affiliate links

    Copycat Olive Garden Marinara Sauce Recipe is the perfect pasta sauce for your favorite spaghetti dish.

    Copy Cat Olive Garden Marinara SauceCopycat Olive Garden Marinara Sauce

    Contents show
    Copycat Olive Garden Marinara Sauce
    Great Copycat Recipes
    Copycat Olive Garden Marinara Sauce Recipe
    Ingredients
    Instructions

    One of my favorite places to go for date nights is Olive Garden. Bring on the soup, salad and breadsticks please! Oh and the gorgeous pasta! HELLO YUM!

    Today we are sharing a copycat Olive Garden Marinara Sauce Recipe. Some days you want the flavors of your favorite restaurant without having to get dressed and do your hair.

    There is just something so nice about sitting in your yoga/pj pants and enjoying your favorite meal at home. Plus this way you can catch up on the Bachelorette or whichever tv show is your favorite.

    I may or may not be a closet Bachelorette watcher and enjoy curling up on the couch watching it each week when we are home. There is just something about those rose ceremonies and the drama that draws me in. I know I can't be the only one...

    You can pair this gorgeous Copy Cat Olive Garden Marinara Sauce Recipe with our Copy Cat Olive Garden Breadsticks, Copy Cat Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli Soup Recipe and to finish it off you can't go wrong with this Copy Cat Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake! YES PLEASE!

    ย Note this recipe makes about 3-4 jars of sauce and it freezes great so whip up a batch and save some it for a night you have no time to cook.

    Ingredients

    • Crushed Tomatoes (either regular or with basil, oregano and garlic) OR fresh tomatoes
    • Cloves of garlic
    • Dried basil
    • Black pepper
    • Sugar (optional) โ€“ this takes out the bitterness from the acidity of the tomatoes and makes it a little sweet
    • Extra Virgin Olive oil
    • Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
    • Minced Green Peppers (optional)

    Optional additions - Italian Seasoning Blend, Red Pepper, salt and pepper, fresh herbs

    Directions

    1. Heat the olive oil in a 5+ qt. pot over medium heat, and add the chopped or pressed garlic.
    2. Heat for one to two minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic, then add all the tomatoes, black pepper, basil and sugar. Stirring often, bring to a low boil.
    3. Reduce heat to low and simmer
    4. For the first half of the simmer time, do so with the pot uncovered, then cover.
    5. Add the cheese, stir in and simmer

    Recipe Tips

    • Nutrition information, including calories, protein, calcium, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamin c, potassium, cholesterol, sodium, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and more, will vary depending on the products used.

    Great Copycat Recipes

    Don't miss all of our Olive Garden recipes

    Texas Roadhouse Sweet Potato

    Texas Roadhouse Butter

    Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings

    Chick fil A Sauce

    Red Robin Campfire Sauce

    Do you love recipes? Check out ourย copy cat recipes,ย dessert recipes, and ourย Crock Pot Recipes.

    olive garden marinara sauce on spaghetti on a white plate

    Copycat Olive Garden Marinara Sauce Recipe

    No ratings yet
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours hours
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
    Author: Tammilee Tips

    Ingredients

    • 84 oz Crushed Tomatoes either regular or with basil, oregano and garlic 28 oz. sized cans OR 12-15 fresh tomatoes (peeled, chopped and blended in a food processor)
    • 4 cloves Garlic
    • 4 Tablespoons Dried Basil
    • 1 ยฝ teaspoon Black Pepper
    • 1 -2 Tablespoon White Sugar optional โ€“ this takes out the bitterness and makes it a little sweet
    • 2 TSBP Olive Oil
    • โ…“ cup Parmesan Cheese or Romano Cheese
    • Minced Green Peppers optional

    Instructions

    • Heat the olive oil in a 5+ qt. pot over medium heat, and add the chopped or pressed garlic.
    • Heat for one to two minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic, then add all the tomatoes, black pepper, basil and sugar. Stirring often, bring to a low boil.
    • Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 hours stirring often.
    • For the first half of the simmer time, do so with the pot uncovered, then cover.
    • Add the cheese, stir in and simmer for an additional 5 minutes or so.
    Love this recipe?Follow @TammileeTIps on Pinterest
    Tried this recipe?Mention @TammileeTipsLife when you share a photo!

     

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    About Tammilee

    Lifestyle blogger who travels the world and drinks too much Chai tea. Travel blogger, award winning photographer, sunset hunter, Birkenstock girl, bird nerd
    You can find Tammilee on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. MaryAnn

      April 28, 2017 at 7:35 am

      Made it last night, and pronounce it excellent! Lots of basil..good canned tomatoes, and the cheese puts it over the top. I know Italian cooks save the crust of their Parm/Reg cheese to throw in, but never tried it. Now, it's mine forever.
      Doesn't hurt to add an inch of anchovies paste..from the tube, of course. And capers, I just learned how to FRY them before adding! Who knew?
      Thanks for this, so much!

      Reply
      • Tammilee

        April 28, 2017 at 12:05 pm

        MaryAnn, I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe! I love your suggestions for add ins to boost the flavor even more! Thank you so much for sharing with me your joy over the recipe. That means a lot!

        Reply
    2. valmg

      July 06, 2015 at 3:38 am

      I don't think I've actually had their Marinara yet but I do like marinara. This would be great for dipping the bread sticks in!

      Reply
    3. Jen

      July 05, 2015 at 10:10 pm

      I love good copycat recipes. Perfect for when you want a certain something but don't want to go out. This looks really good.

      Reply
    4. Kerri

      July 05, 2015 at 8:28 pm

      I bet this would be a tasty treat to have at home. I want to try it next time I make sauce!

      Reply

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