Look no further for the BEST Marinara Sauce recipe EVER! You won’t find a more flavorful marinara sauce. It’s easy to make and is absolutely PACKED with flavor! Canning instructions are included so you can enjoy the fresh flavor of tomatoes all year long!
What is Marinara Sauce?
Marinara sauce is a popular tomato sauce that is an essential staple in Italian cuisine. It consists of tomatoes, garlic, onions, olive oil, and a variety of herbs and spices. It’s known for its bright and fresh flavor, is highly versatile, and is a key component in many Italian dishes such as chicken parmesan, eggplant parmesan, pasta alla norma, and spaghetti and meatballs.
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! 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.
Marinara Sauce Recipe
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.
Adjustments for canning at high altitude:
- 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:
- Pickled Pepperoncini Peppers
- Pickled Jalapenos
- Dill Pickle Relish
- Giardiniera
- Corn Relish
- Bread and Butter Pickles
- Sweet Pickle Relish
- Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish
- Pickled Onions
- Pickled Carrots
- Pickled Banana Peppers
- Dilly Beans
- Pickled Asparagus
- Pickled Turnips
- Pickled Peppers
- Pickled Beets
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.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet September 8, 2017
Anna says
Hi, if I decide to use fresh onions instead of dried, would the measurements be the same or should I add more fresh onions?
Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Anna, the general guideline for substituting fresh for dried is 3 tablespoons of dried is the equivalent of 1 cup fresh. This recipe calls for 1/2 cup dried onions which is 8 tablespoons.
Mike Miller says
I am about to make this sauce as it sounds delicious and the reviews
are amazing. I don’t see any garlic in the recipe.
A tomato sauce without garlic? Italians would “run away” and hide!
Any suggestions for adding garlic? Fresh? Dried?
Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Mike, there is garlic in this recipe (third ingredient in the list: 6 cloves of garlic). Happy cooking and please let us know what you think!
Jennifer McK says
I made his last year and it was gone by December – so delicious. So 2 batches this year. Batch one canned and ready for hiding. Batch two I realized I had forgot the oil after I had it canned and processed it. Should I worry about its storage-ability or can I add a touch when I go to use it. Thanks in advance for your input. Jen
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Jennifer, thanks so much for the feedback! The olive oil contributes some acidity but as long as you included either the citric acid or bottled lemon juice it’s fine.
Anonymous says
That’s a relief. Thanks again
vinita carlson says
Can I use fresh onions in this recipe? I don’t have balsamic vinegar. Can I use something else? Thanks Vinita
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Vinita, I recommend dried for the best flavor (it’s more concentrated), but if you can’t access them then yes, you can use fresh. If you don’t have balsamic vinegar simply omit it.
Shana says
This sauce is so flavorful! I didn’t have enough tomatoes ripe at the time to make a full batch, so I divided it by three and it still turned out very well. I used it fresh.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Shana, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Chris Markert says
Can I use some fresh herbs instead of the dried?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Chris, dried herbs are preferable for long-cooking sauces as they require a long cooking time to reach their peak flavor and to mellow out whereas the potency of fresh herbs will be long diminished.
Anonymous says
I have fresh tomatoe juice and like to.know if I can make marinara sauce with the juice.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Unfortunately no, tomato juice is too thin, not thick enough for a marinara sauce.
Mark N says
This sauce is 5 star. Tripled the recipe and used all heirlooms. Stuck to recipe, except for almost a bottle of Sangiovese, and some red pepper flakes. Delicious. Very rich.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Mark, thank you so much for the feedback!
Eveline McNeil says
how many tomatoes is 12 pounds? or cups ??
Paul Uzarski says
I’ve made this “best ever maranara” several times to rave reviews. I add some red pepper flakes for just a slight kick. Making some now.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Paul, thanks so much!
Megan Price says
Can I can this in quart sized jars? Would I just change the amount of lemon juice/citric acid.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Megan, yes you’ll need to double the amount of lemon juice or citric acid and process the jars for 40 minutes.
Marcie says
Made this with my tomato bounty from the garden this year. This is only my second year canning and my first attempt at anything tomato based. Thank you for the wonderful instructions and easy to follow recipe. This worked out deliciously! My family loved smelling it all day and we are planning pasta night now for dinner!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so happy to hear that, Marcie, thank you!
Pamela Wallace says
Can you use fresh spices instead? Basil specifically and is rather use fresh onions?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Pamela, while you can use fresh herbs, dried herbs are preferable for sauces like this that have a long cooking time. As one chef in a NYT article put it: “Dried herbs need heat, moisture and about twice as much cooking time to develop full flavor. That is why dried herbs are preferred in long-cooking dishes. By the time an old-style pasta sauce is done simmering, the dried herbs in it will have peaked and mellowed in flavor, whereas the potency of the same herb fresh would have been spent long before.” It’s for the same reason that I recommend dried onions – they’re a powerhouse of flavor in long-simmer sauces like this.
Anonymous says
Thank you for the reply. Makes sense. I’m missed that in the instructions originally.
Kelly says
I read your explanation on why dried herbs are preferred. If you added fresh herbs later in the simmer towards the end would you get the same flavours.
Kim D says
Oh ok thank you, I will leave the recipe as is. Thank you for your response and excited to try this.
Kim D says
I am not a vinegar of any type fan can I omit it or is it absolutely necessary? Planning on using this recipe for my home grown 12 pounds of San Marzanos! Next year I’ll need more plants lol!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kim, you can omit it but you won’t detect a vinegar flavor if you leave it in – it simply helps contribute to a nice rounded depth to the flavor.