BEST Marinara Sauce You won’t find a more flavorful marinara sauce – it’s easy to make and is absolutely PACKED with flavor! Canning instructions included so you can enjoy the fresh flavor of tomatoes all year long!
Marinara Sauce Recipe
It’s hard to beat a simple dish of fresh pasta topped with homemade marinara sauce. Â The key is using quality products and when you have those these simplest of dishes come to life.
The Italians have relied on the best of the best tomatoes for centuries: Â Sun-kissed San Marzano tomatoes. Â They’re stronger in flavor and much sweeter than most any other variety. Â And for that reason it’s hard to replicate the flavor of the marinara sauces you find in southern Italy. Â Our tomatoes require the help of a few flavor boosts, a dash of sugar being one of them.
This marinara sauce is slow-simmered with a variety of herbs and seasonings for 2 hours.  The end result is a delicious sauce you can either eat right away, freeze or can for long-term storage so you can enjoy the vibrancy of Summer all year long! This is the BEST marinara sauce for canning!
The use of dehydrated onions is especially suited to canning as it provides a better flavor long-term.
Let’s get started!
Select the best tomatoes you can find. Â The ideal tomatoes are ones that are very meaty with few seeds. Roma tomatoes fall into that category and are the most readily available and they, like other paste tomatoes like San Marzano’s, develop the best flavor when cooked down into a sauce. Â That said, you can use whatever tomatoes you have available and if they’re grown in your own garden so much the better.
Blanch the tomatoes for a minute in boiling water to loosen the skins. Â Peel the tomatoes and squeeze out and discard the seeds. Â Chop the tomatoes.
Place the tomatoes in a large pot with all the ingredients (except for the citric acid/lemon juice). Â Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring every once in a while. Adjust seasonings to taste. Â Discard the bay leaves.
Use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender and puree until desired consistency.
I use and recommend Cuisinart’s Immersion Blender, I’ve been using mine for 8 years and it’s still going strong.
The sauce is ready but the flavor is even better after a day or two.
You can either enjoy the sauce now, freeze it, or can it for future use.
If you want to can your marinara for long-term storage, here’s how:
Before you fill the sterilized jars with the marinara sauce, add 1/4 tsp Citric Acid per pint or add 1 tbsp bottled lemon juice per pint (double those quantities for quarts). This is per USDA guidelines as a requirement for safe canning. Â Fill the hot marinara sauce into the jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Â Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp cloth. Â Screw on the clean lids and rims.
Next you’ll use a water canner to process the jars. Â This complete canning set has everything you’ll need.
Place the jars in the boiling water canning and process for 35 minutes for pints and 40 minutes for quarts (wait for the water to return to a boil before you start the time). Â Turn off the heat and let the jars rest for 5 minutes before removing.
Adjustments for canning at high altitude:Â
- At 1,001 to 3,000 feet (305 to 914 meters) above sea level: increase processing time by 5 minutes.
- At 3,001 to 6,000 feet (914 to 1,829 meters) above sea level: increase processing time by 10 minutes.
- Above 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) increase processing time by 15 minutes.
Carefully remove the jars from the water canner and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours.  Check the seals. Stored in a dark, cool place the jars will keep for at least a year but for best flavor use within six months.
Enjoy!
For more fabulous canning recipes be sure to try our:
- Dill Pickle Relish
- Giardiniera
- Corn Relish
- Sweet Pickle Relish
- Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish
- Pickled Onions
- Dilly Beans
- Pickled Asparagus
- Pickled Turnips
- Pickled Peppers
- Pickled Beets
PIN ME!
BEST Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 pounds ripe tomatoes
- 1/2 cup dried/dehydrated minced onion (provides a great flavor boost and is especially suited to canning for long-term storage)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon dark balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ground sage
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- citric acid or bottled lemon juice, if canning (per USDA guidelines as a requirement for safe canning)
Instructions
- Blanch the tomatoes for about a minute in a pot of boiling water to loosen the skins. Peel the tomatoes, squeeze out and discard the seeds. Chop the tomatoes.
- Place the chopped tomatoes in a large pot along with the remaining ingredients (except for the citric acid). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 2 hours, stirring every now and then. Discard the bay leaves. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender to puree until desired consistency is reached.
- You can use the sauce now (flavor gets better in a day or two), freeze it or can it for long-term storage.
- To can the sauce: Place 1/4 teaspoon citric acid or 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice in the bottom of each sterilized pint-sized jar (double the quantity for quart jars). Ladle the hot marinara sauce into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean with a damp cloth. Screw on the clean lids and rims. Place the jars in a boiling water canner and process 35 minutes for pints and 40 minutes for quarts. Turn off the heat and let the jars sit for 5 minutes. Remove the jars and let sit undisturbed for 24 hours. Check the seals. Stored in a dark, cool place the jars will keep for at least a year but for best flavor use within six months.Makes approximately 6 pints.
Notes
- At 1,001 to 3,000 feet (305 to 914 meters) above sea level: increase processing time by 5 minutes.
- At 3,001 to 6,000 feet (914 to 1,829 meters) above sea level: increase processing time by 10 minutes.
- Above 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) increase processing time by 15 minutes.
MELANIE KIDD says
I am wondering if I can add less olive oil to the recipe but still keep the great flavour and consistency?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Melanie, yes, you can add less olive oil if you prefer. It won’t greatly alter the flavor and as long as there is still some olive oil in it the impact on the consistency will be minimal.
Jillian says
This is my 2nd year making this marinara sauce, my husband absolutely loves it! He says it’s the best marinara he’s ever had. The only changes I make is I use fresh onions instead of the dehydrated ones as I usually have a bunch from my garden that need to be used. I also leave out the fennel seeds, I just don’t like the flavor of them. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Jillian, thank you so much!
Simon says
I too left out the fennel.
I helped my mom do canning when I was a boy. However, this is also, my second year.
FYI, avoid these mistakes I made.
I couldn’t find one of the lids. Then I realized I hadn’t put in the citrus and lemon. Fortunately, the jars hadn’t been in the boiling water very long. I was able to loosen the that’s when I found the missing lid.
Laura Cummings says
I was hoping to add fresh basil (I have a lot) is there any reason that would be a bad idea? I am only making a half recipe because of how many tomatoes. I made this last year and it was so damn good.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Laura, you can add fresh basil, just add it towards the end, like the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Monique says
I do not have a canner pot… if I put the jars standing up in a pot of water , how much water should be in the pot. Do I cover the jars totally? If I decide to freeze the sauce, what is the best container to use to freeze it in.
Thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Monique, the jars need to be completely covered with water by 3-4 inches. So you’ll need a very deep pot. The other thing is you’ll need to make sure that the jars don’t make direct contact with the bottom of the pot or that can cause them to explode/shatter. You’ll need to fold up a hand towel or similar, put it in the bottom of the pot, and set the jars on top of the towel. For freezing I like to use ziplock freezer bags – that way I can lay them down flat in the freezer and stack them once they’re frozen and they take up much less room than putting it in a regular freezer container.
Riena says
Second year of using this recipe and always the best tasting marinara. I made 8 of 500ml jar. Keeps great too. Thanks for this recipe it’s a keeper.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Riena, I’m thrilled to hear that!
Michele W says
I dont have bottles of lemon juice but I do have several bottles of Key Lime juice. Will that work?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Michele, lime juice is even more acidic than lemon juice so yes, can substitute lime for lemon.
Wendy Lesy says
HELP I am having to start with strained tomatoes therefore I am unsure how much of it equals 12 pounds of tomatoes. Thanks you
Michele says
Hi Kimberly,
I just made this for the second consecutive year. I followed your recipe exactly (well, maybe a little more garlic because I always use more than the recipe calls for)!! I doubled the recipe and have 14 pints of beautiful Marinara sauce. I have been canning for over 45 years and I have to say that this is THE BEST Marinara recipe that I have ever used. I went to the local Italian Farm stand and was lucky to get the last of the day’s pick of Roma tomatoes…..they were perfect. I am hoping that they have more Romas next week so I can make another batch! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. I will pass it on!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Michele, thank you very much! :)
Pam says
If I don’t have fresh tomatoes can I use can tomato’s to make marinara sauce?
Vicki says
Is this a recipe misprint? The recipe lists 12 pounds of tomatoes. I believe it should be 12 cups for the BEST Marinara Sauce recipe posted by Kimberly Killebrew? Recipe says it should yield 6 pints. Please return with a comment. Thank you in advance.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Vicki, it’s correct as written – 12 pounds of tomatoes and the yield is approximately 6 pints depending on how watery the tomatoes are and how much liquid evaporates during cooking.
Jennifer Sanders says
Can I use red wine instead of balsamic vinegar?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jennifer, if you don’t have balsamic vinegar then yes, you can go ahead and use red wine vinegar.