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
Anonymous says
I made this last year and it was great! Do you think there is a difference between blending the tomatoes after cooking or can you do it before? Just curious. I used a blender last year and the heat of the sauce made a huge mess. (Rookie mistake!!) I don’t have an immersion blender. Thanks!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
You can do it either way but I prefer to blend it last because it’s easier to see the water content (separated from the tomatoes) for gauging how much longer I want to cook it, and also because pureed tomato sauce tends to splat more as it simmers, making a bigger mess :)
Patricia Woods says
How do your freeze product?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Patricia, let it cool completely and then freeze it either in freezer-proof ziplock bags (laid flat they take up less room) or a freezer-proof container. I’ve started freezing mine in glass containers to avoid plastic.
Gerard Collins says
Just wondering, do you have to discardvthe skins? Could you keep the skins and then use a blender to break it all down? Love the the recipe, very tasty
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Gerard, discarding the skins makes for a smoother, silkier sauce. But I’ll admit, I grow so many tomatoes in my garden and make so many batches of this sauce, that I often don’t even bother removing the skins = it’s still delish!
DJ Tyson says
I too saw this on Garden Answer and after Laura raving about it I decide to try it. I had exactly 12 pounds of mixed, regular to large tomatoes, I even use a meaty yellow one. I made it as the recipe was written with one additional ingredient, 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. I did cook it about 20 extra minutes too to get the thickness
I liked. My house smelled so good and the taste test before putting them up in jars was wonderful. I got 5 full pints. I can’t wait to use the sauce next week.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, DJ, and really appreciate the feedback, thank you! :)
Barbara J Smith says
Hi Kimberly, I’m giving this sauce 5 stars because it sounds so darn good, plus I saw this on Laura’s Garden Answer, and she cooked this up and said it was really good!!! Go Laura Team!!!!
I’m Italian and grew up on my dad’s sauce he made the best but over the years (I’m now 77)I liked to try different sauces. I’m excited to try this one.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m happy you’re going to give this a try, Barbara, please let us know how it goes!
Denise Simmons says
Hi, I haven’t tried this yet, but I saw it On the YouTUbe channel GardenAnswer with Laura. She is amazing and this sounds wonderful.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you stopped by, Denise, and I hope you enjoy the sauce! I’ve been checking out some of Laura’s videos and I’m happy I’ve found a new channel to follow :)
Nan Mc says
If I use 12 lbs of tomatoes. How much should this yield. Weather qts or pints?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Nan, this makes approximately 6 pints of marinara sauce.
C Walker says
Found you via YouTube. Laura from Garden Answer made your recipe & linked your web address.I am definitely going to try it. 💖
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s terrific, thanks so much and I hope you enjoy the sauce! <3
Rebecca says
I just saw a YouTuber use your recipe. She said where to find you. I’ve just finished canning, saved some for dinner tomorrow. It’s delicious, I did keep the fennel in.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s awesome, Rebecca, thanks so much for the feedback and please let me know who the YouTuber was so I can be sure to thank them also!
Angela Myers says
Laura from @gardenanswer used your recipe in her video today. Can’t wait to try it myself. I am an avid canner and make marinara sauce to can every summer.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad, Angela, and I’m thrilled that you’re going to try this. Happy cooking and canning! :)
Emily says
It was Garden Answer :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGKozxKSUVU
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Emily! :)
Kristy says
It was Laura from Garden Answer.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Kristy! <3
Annie says
Disclaimer: I have not made the recipe yet but am going to try it today on a smaller scale. I have faith! I do have a question though; I don’t have balsamic vinegar and really would prefer not to go to the store, can I substitute anything? Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Annie, you can simply omit it. Happy cooking!
Lois says
Thanks so much for this recipe. The marinara is amazing! I’m canning my third batch as I write!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Lois, thank you so much!
Donna says
Two questions
1. Pressure cook time?
2. How much raw onion can replace the dehydrated onion, or not allowed, with canning?
Denise says
Excellent sauce. Better than any store bought sauce. ❤️
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Denise!
Muriel says
Haven’t tried have a questions. I just making fresh, obviously I would downsize, but don’t need to change any ingredients? I no longer can. Don’t have the energy as I get older. thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Muriel, yes, if you’re simply wanting to cut the recipe in half or quarters, all ingredients will stay the same, you’ll simply use half or a quarter of each ingredient.
Cheryl says
Do you need 12 pounds after blanching or before blanching, skinning and seeding.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Cheryl, that’s 12 pounds of tomatoes before blanching, skinning, etc.