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. 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.
Marinara Sauce Recipe
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:
- 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). Â Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 2 hours, stirring every now and then. Â Discard the bay leaves. Â Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Â 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. Â
- 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
Jesse Einhorn-Johnson says
Wondering if I can use fresh oregano, basil and rosemary from my garden in addition to my tomats?
Anonymous says
Yes you can. Tripe the chopped fresh herbs for dried. Thats how I do it. Lots of basil.
Tracie Okimi says
Just made this with tomatoes fresh from my garden. It is delicious and very tasty!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Tracie, thank you!
Zora says
I made my second batch today for canning. It is amazing. I did not change anything,made it according to the recipe with mix of tomatoes that I had in my garden.Would highly recommend.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Zora, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Anonymous says
Too salty for me. I could cut the salt in half and still think it salty.
Jen says
I’ve made 2 batches. The first I didn’t have sea salt so I used regular salt – 1-3/4tbsp. It was perfect. The second batch I used sea salt-course and WOW is it salty. So I’m thinking it’s the difference in the types and grinds of the salt as much as the quantity.
Laura Sheridan says
Great stuff! We made 21 jars using an assortment of tomatoes from our garden and store bought and no matter which combo we used it turned out delicious! Highly recommended!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s so awesome, Laura, thank you for the feedback!
Jillian says
Have a batch going right now, and it smells amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
Tracy Battle says
Can you substitute kosher or canning salt for the sea salt?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Tracy, yes, I would go with kosher.
Andrea says
This recipie is amazing,I already made one batch and now i have loads of garden tomatoes and want to make at least 2 more batches but was wondering if this can be made over night in a crock pot?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Andrea, yes you can definitely do that. So glad you enjoyed the sauce, thank you!
Heather S. says
Roughly how many pints doors this recipe make?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Heather, it makes about 6 pints.
Denae Tuff says
When canning this, and putting in the hot water, does the water go over the cans? And then boil for time? Thansk!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Denae, yes they need to be completely submerged under water by several inches. If you’re new to canning I’d recommend checking out a YouTube video on how to water bath can so you can be confident that you’re doing it correctly and safely.
Dar says
I’m going to make this. Sounds delicious. I have fresh fennel in my garden. Would you have a recommendation on how much or if I can use fresh? Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Dar, I’ve only used fennels seeds for this. If using some fresh fennel bulbs you’ll just have to experiment with quantities – staring with less is always best. The other thing to consider is that once you start adding other ingredients like a fresh vegetable you run the risk of altering the pH level of the sauce if you’re planning on canning it.
Kelly MacNaull says
Can’t wait to make it this weekend. Question – can I use fennel seed instead of crushed fennel?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kelly, sorry for the confusion – the crushed fennel refers to fennel seeds that have been crushed.
Amber says
Looking to make this recipe, do you use white onion or red onion?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Amber, you can use either but I recommend regular yellow onions.
Allen Riley says
This is an excellent recipe for marinara! The taste is spot on. I used a mixture of tomatoes from my garden including yellow and purple. Mixed with the red, they were fine. I have a suggestion about regulating the sugar and salt. I waited until the end of the cooking process then added the sugar and salt to my taste since not all tomatoes are created equal! This is my new “go to” recipe for marinara!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Allen, and thanks for the tip!
Judy Allen says
My question is regarding the tomato seeds. Will the purée process take care of the seeds or do I get rid of them after I blanch? Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Judy, the seeds are squeezed out after the tomatoes are blanched and peeled.
Paula says
hey! Your recipe looks amazing , I’m planning to can this sauce for long term storage , could I leave put the sugar ?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Paula, the pH level is key to safe canning and I’m not sure how omitting the sugar will impact that.
Lillian says
Can you use freshly chopped onions and is it necessary to remove the seeds?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lillian yes you can and no, removing the seeds is just personal preference.