marinara sauce

Marinara Sauce

Ripe tomatoes are simmered with garlic, onions, olive oil, and herbs such as basil and oregano to create a bright, aromatic marinara sauce. Slow cooking allows the flavors to meld while reducing the liquid slightly, producing a balanced, savory base with natural sweetness and acidity from the tomatoes.

As the sauce simmers, the aromatics infuse the tomatoes, creating depth and complexity. Gentle stirring ensures an even texture, while seasoning with salt and pepper enhances the overall flavor. The preparation emphasizes simplicity and freshness, producing a versatile, flavorful sauce suitable for pasta, pizza, or other Italian-inspired dishes.

Print Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Sauces
Italian
Servings: 10

Equipment

  • stock pot
  • canning pot
  • 4 pint Mason jars

Ingredients

  • 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 35 oz. can whole tomatoes, hand crushed
  • 1 yellow onion, grated and finely chopped
  • 6 to 8 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • 4 Tbsp. lemon juice

Instructions 

Prep

  • If you don’t want to can the sauce, just skip the prep and canning stages and make the sauce
  • Fill the canning pot with water and put on high heat to boil.
  • Clean 4 pint or 2 quart mason jars with their lids and rings.

Sauce

  • Add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil to a 4-quart pot on medium heat.
  • Once the oil is shimmering, add the onions and sauté until they are soft (about 5 minutes).
  • Add the crushed garlic and olive oil and sauté for 1 minute.
  • Add white wine and allow to reduce by half, about 4-5 min.
  • Add the tomatoes, basil, and oregano and stir.
  • Add sugar, salt, and pepper and stir.
  • Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.
  • Simmer the sauce for 30 minutes until it is reduced by about one third.

Canning

  • With about 10 minutes left for the sauce, immerse the empty jars in boiling water in the canning pot
  • Bring a kettle of water to boil in case it is needed to cover the jars in the canning pot.
  • Remove the jars from the boiling water and add 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice to each jar.
  • Fill each jar with sauce, leaving ½ inch of head room.
  • Wipe the jar openings with a clean, damp cloth.
  • Set a lid on each jar and tighten the lid rings, finger-tight.
  • Place the jars in the canning pot and return the water to a boil. Add additional boiling water so there is an inch of water covering the jars.
  • Boil jars for 40 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat for the canning pot and remove the lid.
  • After 5 minutes, remove the jars from the canning pot and set them out to cool overnight.