BEST Marinara Sauce
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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.
Ingredients
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!
I am often asked if you can use fresh onions instead of dehydrated onions. I recommend dehydrated onions for two reasons 1) fresh onions are high in water and can dilute and interfere with the pH level of the tomato sauce (this is not important however if you are not canning the sauce and 2) dehydrated onions are especially suited to canning because their flavor is more concentrated and they contribute a better flavor long-term.
Can You Freeze Marinara Sauce?
Yes, this marinara freezes really well and there is no need to add lemon juice or citric acid. Put the cooled marinara sauce in freezer ziplock bags and lay them flat to take up less space or freeze the sauce in containers. It will keep for up to 6 months. Simply thaw and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
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 10 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.
How to Can Marinara Sauce
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
- Pickled Okra
- Dill Pickle Relish
- Giardiniera
- Corn Relish
- Bread and Butter Pickles
- Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish
- Pickled Onions
- Pickled Carrots
- Pickled Banana Peppers
- Pickled Green Beans
- Pickled Asparagus
- Pickled Beets
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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 * omit if canning (see note)
- 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
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Hello. This looks like a very tasty recipe; thank you! Can I use maple syrup instead of sugar in it? And is this a tested recipe please-I only ask because I’m new to canning & was told only to use “tested” recipes-when I asked what that meant I was told for safe pH? Would it still be considered tested & safe if the sugar substitute was used? Thanks again & looking forward to hearing from you on these 2 points.
Hi, using maple syrup is perfectly safe in canning and yes, this marinara sauce per its pH level is safe for canning.
Just used this recipe this morning with about 12 lbs of tomatoes from my urban garden. I pureed it at the end in my blender and it tastes divine! I got 7 pints with a wee bit leftover that my daughter is drinking as soup currently lol :-)
Both my husband and daughter taste tested it before it went into jars, and approved! Now just waiting on the jars to remove from the canning pot and will try one in a few days to see how the flavour held. FYI yes the rich red colour faded once it was pureed but the flavour exploded! I was going to leave a few jars without blending but decided to do them all blended after taste testing it again. Great recipe :-) …I have also never made marinara sauce to can and it was a super great recipe to follow and understand. Thank you!!
Wonderful, Loleen, I’m so glad you all enjoyed it, thank you very much! :)
Going to make this weekend. Does it seem right that it is 58 cups of tomato. Also, can I just put the jars in the bath. I don’t have a canning set so I want to make sure my jars don’t crack right in the pot. Thank you.
Hi Michelle, where are you getting 58 cups? That definitely isn’t correct. As for canning, you can use a regular pot but it’s critical that you put something on the bottom of it like a folded dish towel to prevent the jars from making contact with the metal bottom (that will cause the jars to crack). Also make sure the pot is deep enough so that the jars are covered by at least 3 inches of water.
Hi Kimberly,
Marinara sauce simmering as I type this…
I’m just curious about seeds and skin. What is the reason they are removed?
If you use immersion blender after anyway, can they be included, or do they change the flavor?
Thanks, love your site!
Hi Carol, there are a couple of reasons for removing the skins and seeds. The skins are tough and even when they’re blended up the sauce won’t be quite as smooth. Also, the skins and seeds both impart a slightly bitter flavor to the sauce. So optimally both the skins and seeds should be removed. Do I usually remove them? Yes. Do I always remove them? No :) Sometimes I’m lazy and just throw everything the pot and the result is still a delicious sauce, though not quite as perfect as it otherwise would have been! ;)
This sauce is just so delicious! Used Italian seasonings instead of individual spices and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cooked for and extra 10 min to reduce and thicken. I added the lemon juice to the bottom of the pint jars as suggested. Our house smelled like an Italian Restaurant!! Will definitely make this again. What a perfect way to use our abundance of garden tomatoes!
So appreciative in NC! Joan Weaver
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Joan, thank you very much for the feedback!
Excellent Thank-you
Hi, I am new to using dried or dehydrated onions. which brand do you recommend? Where do you find this item in the grocery store? Thanks.
Hi Laura, the brand doesn’t matter. You can find them in the spice section of the grocery store. For example, McCormick makes them (here’s a link to them on Amazon just for reference but you can get them cheaper in store).
Hi. Is it necessary to peel the tomatoes? Or can I just purée everything when it’s finished cooking? I’ve seen other recipes that only require puréeing but wasn’t sure how that would change this one.
Hi Christie, removing the skins yields a smoother sauce but there have been several times when I’ve been too lazy to do that and just left the skins on. And the sauce is still good :)