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
Anonymous says
This was delicious 10 out of 10 . Followed recipe exactly . I would highly recommend 😊
Pam Martin says
There are several comments about time in a slow cooker, but I can’t find that info in the blog. Did I miss it? Also, are you weighing your tomatoes after peeling, coring and seeding? Going to try this this weekend.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Pam, 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. The weight is prior to peeling/coring/seeding. Happy cooking!
Tavia says
I tweaked this a bit. Used yellow and red tomatoes. Added more garlic because I love garlic! Not a fan of sugar in recipes. I used one tablespoon of brown sugar then added puréed carrot – WOW! The natural sweetness of the carrot was perfect! I puréed the entire batch several times to get a smooth consistency because my kids don’t like chunks, lol. Kids and husband loved the flavor – will definitely make again.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Tavia, thank you!
Sarah Schutt says
Can I can this in 8 oz jars and if so, how long should it be in the water bath? I have pint jars ordered, but tomatoes that I need to take care of and only 4 & 8 oz jars on hand.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sarah, yes you can use both 4 and 8 ounce jars and the processing/boiling time in the water bath will be the same.
lori bartholomew says
Can you use a pressure canner instead of adding the lemon juice ?
Linda Rivard says
Its perfect dont change a thing.
JayDee says
USDA recommends adding citric acid or lemon juice even when pressure canning tomatoes, so the only thing you get for that is a shorter processing time.
Wanda says
Can you tell me how many cups of chopped tomatoes 12 lbs is equal to? Getting ready to try this but I was wanting a more accurate way to judge how many tomatoes to use.
Anonymous says
I figure 8 ounces per tomato which equates to 24 cup sized tomatoes Hope this helps
Karie says
This is the BEST!! I have tried several other recipes and this one has them all beat. I think the dehydrated onions make the difference. Thanks for sharing.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Karie, thanks so much!
Autumn says
Can you use fresh onion with this recipe? Will it throw off the pH or does the citric acid take care of that?
Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Autumn, yes you can use fresh onion, I just prefer the flavor of the dehydrated onion for this particular sauce.
Debbie says
Thank you for this amazing recipe! This was my first time making sauce and I highly recommend this recipe! I used fresh basil as I had it on hand. 5 🌟
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Terrific, thanks so much, Debbie!
Lisa Johnson says
Can I use fresh lemon juice instead of bottled?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lisa, bottled is always recommended for canning because it is a precise pH level whereas fresh lemon juice can vary in pH level.
Marybeth says
How many cups of chopped tomatoes for this recipe
C says
Does the flavor vary between canning vs frozen? I’ve canned the first batch and LOVE it
Thought about freezing this one but ONLY if the flavor is a strong as my first canned batch
Best
C
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, C! I haven’t tried freezing this though from what what I understand tomatoes do lose some of their flavor when frozen.
C says
Hi. I made one run of canned and LOVE it
Does the floor profile vary in canned verses frozen?
Thought about freezing the next batch but only if the flavor is the same!- otherwise I will can
Best
C
Pam Schell says
I have been searching for a recipe to duplicate “Victoria White Linen Marinara” sauce from Costco, and I believe this is it! This recipe is delicious. I changed a few things,,,,,
I added FRESH basil and Rosemary and used Oregano from the Greek mountains. I did not add in the salt, but instead after gutting the tomatoes, I strained the guts from the tomatoes through a fine strainer, and boiled that down before adding to my mixture,,,,*in this mixture I added some salt” JUST canned this and couldn’t fill the recipe as called because we kept eating it haha. LOVE THIS RECIPE! Going to do another batch with hot peppers for a something different!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Pam, thanks so much for the feedback!
Debbie says
I have made multiple batches ever since I found your recipe. It is definitely the best recipe ever. My son-in- law is allergic to fresh onion, so using the dehydrated onion allowed him to eat the sauce. Thank you for such a great recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Debbie, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!
Wendy says
This sounds amazing. Just wondering if I should use more fresh lemon juice? As thinking bottled might be more concentrated. Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Wendy, bottled lemon juice is recommended for safe canning because, unlike fresh lemon juice, the pH level is consistent.