It’s hard to beat a simple dish of fresh pasta topped with homemade marinara sauce. 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: Sun-kissed San Marzano tomatoes. They’re stronger in flavor and much sweeter than most any other variety. And for that reason it’s hard to replicate the flavor of the marinara sauces you find in southern Italy. 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!
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. 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. 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. Peel the tomatoes and squeeze out and discard the seeds. Chop the tomatoes.
Place the tomatoes in a large pot with all the ingredients (except for the citric acid/lemon juice). 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. 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. Fill the hot marinara sauce into the jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp cloth. Screw on the clean lids and rims.
Next you’ll use a water canner to process the jars. 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). Turn off the heat and let the jars rest for 5 minutes before removing.
Carefully remove the jars from the water canner and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours. Check the seals. Store in a cool, dark place for at least a year but for best flavor use within 6 months.
Enjoy!
Rich and vibrant in flavor, you can enjoy this delicious marinara sauce all year long!
- 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)
- 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
- 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)
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 1/2 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. Store in a dark, cool place for at least a year, but for best flavor use within 6 months.
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Jen says
Homemade sauce is just so much better! Can’t wait to try your recipe.
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
This looks so perfect! I would use this for everything!
Erin Dee says
This marinara looks so bright and fresh! So great to have all year long by canning!
Michelle | A Latte Food says
I’ve never canned before! This sauce sounds heavenly, and the tips you provided are perfect for a beginner like me!
Joanie @ One Dish Kitchen says
Homemade Marinara sauce tastes so good and fresh. I’ve never canned before but your tips make it sound so easy. This is something I would love to do.
Allyson Zea says
I can’t wait to try this! I’ve always been intimidated by canning, but this makes it look so easy!
j says
I’ve always been trying to learn canning! I would love to start with this one!
Kim Beaulieu says
This looks so good. I love homemade marinara.
Kathryn Lawton says
Can this be made without the sugar?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kathryn, the sugar is added for flavor not for canning safety. The sugar helps compensate for today’s tomato varieties lacking the sweetness they used to and it makes a significant difference in the flavor of the sauce. Keep in mind too that it’s only 3 tablespoons divided between 6 pints. But yes, it can be omitted.
Frank Barbaro says
I’ve been making marinara sauce for over 50 years and often try new recipes as I see them either in cook books or online. This is undoubtedly the worst recipe for marinara sauce I’ve ever seen.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
You haven’t even tried this recipe, Frank, what are basing that conclusion on?
Frank Tallarico says
The list of ingredients — rosemary, sage, thyme, citric acid, brown sugar! In a marinara sauce?
This very well may be a good ‘some type of sauce, but is a very long way from being called a marinara sauce.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Frank, here is the definition of marinara sauce: “Marinara sauce is an Italian tomato sauce that originated in Naples, usually made with tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and onions.” Rosemary, sage and thyme are Italian herbs. Not sure what you find so alarming about that.
As for the brown sugar, I explain that in the post – today’s tomato varieties leave a lot to be desired and are far less sweet than they used to be. The sugar, a very common addition now to tomato sauces, helps remedy that.
The citric acid: You’ll note from the title that this recipe includes instructions for canning and the citric acid (or lemon juice) is a requirement to get the pH level below 4.6 for safe canning.
zohar arnon says
i make it quite often. made it the other day without peeling the tomatoes before cooking, and while boiling, the peel seperates from the “flesh” and can be lifted with a fork. i add garlik, and yes, can be made without sugar. by the way, uf short of fresh tomatoes, canned, peeles and crashed tomatoes (800 grams can) can be used. enjed your recipe. thank u.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for feedback, Zohar, and I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Gare says
This looks very interesting. How did you calculate your nutritional breakdown and is it accurate? I do find the sugar count high for only 3 tbsp of sugar.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Gare, the software populates the nutrition info automatically. This recipe makes 6 pints and this case the one serving in the nutrition box is referring to one pint.
Alejandra says
This sauce looks amazing! Can it be done in the slow cooker?
If yes, how much time do you recommend?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Alejandra. Yes, this should work really well in the slow cooker – place all the ingredients in the slow cooker (except for the citric acid or lemon juice) and I’d aim for around 2-3 hours on HIGH or 3-4 hours on LOW (you’ll just need to check it to see when it’s thick enough). And leave the lid off so the sauce can evaporate and thicken.
Z.V. says
Making this now. The only difference is I used two 6lb cans of tomatos. Hopefully it turns out ok.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, let us know how it turns out! I’m getting ready to make another batch for canning – it’s so rewarding being able to reach for a jar of ready-made homemade marinara.
Kris Marie says
I’ve never done this before, but I gave it a shot! I had well over a peck but under two pecks of tomatoes and I produced 4 quart jars and 3 pint jars. I couldnt decide whether to puree or not. I pureed two quarts and the sauce turned paler, so the next quart I only pureed half the jar. The fourth quart I didn’t puree at all, I will label that jar spaghetti sauce instead of marinara. The 3 pints I went back to pureeing half the liquid. We’ll see.. It looks thinner than regular spaghetti or marinara sauce to me, so I’m nervous I did it wrong! I let it simmer A LOT with the lid off, maybe 3 hours instead of two hoping it would thicken up which it did a bit but I’m still nervous! Also, I forgot the lemon juice in all the chaos for the 4 quart jars, I’ll just have to use those quicker than normal and hope there was enough acid in the tomato varieties I used! I remembered it for the 3 pint jars though.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kris, depending on the variety of tomatoes you’re using it may very well take longer to thicken (some varieties have much more water than others). And yes, since there’s no lemon juice in them you’ll either want to freeze the sauce or keep it refrigerated and use it within a week.
KAREN says
Hi Kimberley,
Is it ok to use fresh herbs in this recipe or are dried used for a reason? If fresh is ok, what quantity would you recommend please?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Karen, dried herbs often used for dishes that are simmered for a long time because the long cooking process coaxes the oils/flavors out of them and leaves them soft. For those who don’t grow their own herbs, dried herbs are much cheaper. But you can definitely use fresh herbs instead and generally you’ll use 3 times the amount in fresh herbs that you would use for dried (so instead of one teaspoon dried you would use three teaspoons fresh).
KAREN says
Thank you, much appreciated. I’ll definitely give fresh herbs a go
Kathy Anderson says
I have about 1-1/2” left and am out of sauce. Can I just open a can of tomato sauce and add a little to get my last jar full?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kathy, yes, that should be fine.