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This brown butter marinara sauce is a unique take on an Italian sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and butter instead of olive oil.
Have you ever had brown butter in your marinara sauce? I’m guessing no. How about just butter in general? Probably not. Most Italians might scoff at the idea as olive oil is usually what’s in the sauce. However I recently was browsing the menu of one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Baltimore, DiPasquale’s, and saw they had a gnocchi with brown butter marinara sauce. I was immediately intrigued and decided I had to make my own version!
Luckily, Half Baked Harvest had her own version to help inspire me. As I love sun-dried tomatoes I really like the idea of adding that to the sauce as well. It gives the sauce a unique sweet-tart flavor that’s complemented by the nutty flavor of the brown butter. This really is a versatile sauce that can be used for pasta, pizza or appetizers. Believe me I know. After making the sauce, I used in for all three. Don’t worry, I’ll be sharing those recipes eventually. So if you want a unique marinara sauce, give this one a try. Trust me when I say you won’t be disappointed.
What Ingredients are in this Brown Butter Marinara Sauce Recipe?
- Unsalted butter
- Produce – sweet onion, garlic, fresh basil
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Tomato puree
- Spices – oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt
Can I Make this in a Slow Cooker?
Yes. Just throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker except for 6 tbsp butter and fresh basil. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Once ready, brown the butter and add to sauce, as well as basil.
How Do You Know When Butter is Browned?
Add the butter to the skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, it will foam up and then subside. This is when you watch carefully as lightly browned specks will start to form at the bottom of the pan. You will know the butter is ready when there is a nutty aroma.
Tips for Tasty Brown Butter Marinara Sauce
- Do not skip browning the butter, as it gives this marinara sauce its unique flavor.
- If you can’t find tomato puree, San Marzano tomatoes will work as well.
- You can use fresh herbs, but will have to triple the amount for each herb used as dried herbs are much stronger.
- Cook the brown butter marinara sauce for at least 2 hours so you can develop the flavors.
Other Sauce Recipes
- Easy Marinara Sauce
- Kale Pistachio Pesto
- Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
- Roasted Tomato Sauce
- Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce
If you’ve tried this Brown Butter Marinara Sauce or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.
Brown Butter Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 1 (10 oz jar) sun-dried tomatoes, oil drained (1 cup)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 (29 oz) cans tomato puree (Use puree as it has less salt than tomato sauce)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- salt to taste
- 4-5 fresh basil leaves, julienned
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 7 minutes or until translucent, stirring frequently. Toss in sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the canned tomato puree.
- Season generously with salt and taste. Tomatoes need a lot of salt but you need to taste periodically to see if it's how you want. Add oregano, basil, parsley, thyme and crushed red pepper. Cover and reduce to low and cook for 2 to 3 hours. Taste throughout to see if you need to add more salt or herbs.
- When sauce is ready, heat medium skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 6 tbsp butter and cook until browned and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add butter to sauce and stir in fresh basil. Use immediately or freeze.
Notes
- Do not skip browning the butter, as it gives this marinara sauce its unique flavor.
- If you can't find tomato puree, San Marzano tomatoes will work as well.
- You can use fresh herbs, but will have to triple the amount for each herb used as dried herbs are much stronger.
- Cook the brown butter marinara sauce for at least 2 hours so you can develop the flavors.
Always a fan of brown butter but never thought to add to marinara sauce.