Canning Marinara Sauce

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This easy guide to Canning Marinara Sauce will teach you how to turn fresh heirloom tomatoes into delicious jars of homemade sauce for pasta, meatballs and pizza!

Heirloom tomatoes after being processed while canning marinara sauce.

Learn the secrets to using a water bath canner, and discover tips that will make the process easy and fun!

Find out what type of equipment you'll need, the best tomatoes to use, and step-by-step instructions on how to preserve summer's bounty through home canning.

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Why This Recipe Works
Canning For Beginners
What Type of Tomatoes Are Best?
Ingredient Notes
Variations
Equipment Needed
How to Make Marinara Sauce
How to Can Marinara Sauce
Recipe FAQS
Expert Tips
Storage and Freezing
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Reviews

Why This Recipe Works

Fresh: use fresh tomatoes from your own garden or farmer's market for best results.
Versatile: this is the best marinara sauce for all types of recipes.
Great Flavor: brings a taste of summer into your kitchen all year long.
Scratch Made: store-bought sauce doesn't compare to making your own marinara sauce from scratch.
Free of preservatives: you have control over the ingredients, which means you can make them preservative-free!

Canning For Beginners

When my friends Becca and Travis posted their first canning experience on social media, I begged them to share their recipe. I thought it would be fun for folks to learn about canning marinara sauce through the eyes of beginners.

You'll love their small batch sauce recipe which features a tasty blend of basil, garlic and onions that's adapted from the Ball Canning Website. It's perfect served over a variety of pasta, and a great way to enjoy fresh tomato flavor all year long.

The water-bath canning method used is recommended for high acidic foods. It features a boiling water bath to safely seal food in mason jars for several months.

heirloom tomatoes in a colander getting ready to be processed for canned tomato sauce.

What Type of Tomatoes Are Best?

Many folks harvest heirlooms from their home garden to make marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes. That's what Becca and Travis decided to do. With names like Brandywine, Black Prince, Abe Lincoln, and Hillbilly, it's hard to believe these heirlooms started out in a solo cup!

You can use other types of tomatoes like Roma, but tomatoes fresh from the garden taste best. The Ball Canning Recipe calls for 20 pounds of tomatoes. Wow! That sounds like a lot, but they cook down quickly.

Home garden inside a pallet fence growing heirloom tomatoes.

Ingredient Notes

Heirloom Tomatoes are open-pollinated which means they're pollinated naturally from insects like butterflies or bees. These tomatoes are passed down by farmers to their families and become heirloom plants for years to come.

You can use either hybrid or heirlooms in this recipe, but if you don't have a home garden, purchase them from your local Farmers Market, road side produce stand or grocery store.

Heirloom tomatoes can be expensive, so if growing them isn't an option, you can make marinara from canned tomato paste and San Marzano tomatoes if desired.

To add layers of flavor, include vidalia onions, fresh basil, sea salt and garlic to the mix. This marinara sauce recipe calls for a small amount of lemon juice to ensure the correct amount of acidity and ph level.

Variations

Peppers: add green or red peppers to the recipe for an entirely different flavor
Red Pepper Flakes: if you like spicy food, red pepper flakes will heat up this sauce
Fresh Herbs: try herbs like oregano, thyme and rosemary in addition to basil
Lemon Zest: a little grated lemon zest adds tons of flavor
Caramelized Onions: sauté onions with butter and add after caramelizing
Pesto: mix in a spoonful or two of basil pesto for intense herbal flavor

Red and green heirloom tomatoes on a vine.

Equipment Needed

Below is a list of equipment you'll need to create a water bath canner. (Becca said she got the propane burner from her Nana who saved everything her grandfather ever owned!)

propane burner (only needed if your stove isn't big enough for a canning pot)
large stockpot with lid
immersion blender or regular blender
large canning pot with lid (ad)
sieve or strainer (ad)
baking sheet
canning funnel
slotted spoon
jar tongs or jar lifter (ad)
8 pint size mason jars, canning lids and bands (ad) Quart jars are fine to use if necessary.

You can also use a pressure canner to make other tomato products like tomato juice, paste tomatoes, or a another spaghetti sauce recipe.

How to Make Marinara Sauce

Water-bath canning isn't difficult, but it takes a lot of work. It's a good idea to set up cooking and canning stations before you begin so you can follow the steps with ease.

Wash tomatoes well in cold water.
Cut the whole tomatoes into small chunks.
Add vidalia onion and garlic to a large pot with a little olive oil. Sauté for a few minutes until onions are soft.
Place tomatoes in the pot.
Bring contents of pot to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
While tomatoes are cooking, wash canning jars, bands, and lids thoroughly.
Once the sauce cooks down, blend in a blender. Then, strain with a sieve to remove tomato skins and seeds. (This step is done in batches,)
Pour sauce back into pot. Add basil to the sauce.
Cook the blended sauce down further (until it has reduced in volume by half).

tomatoes cut in pieces. — Chop tomatoes into pieces

tomato sauce in a large stock pot. — Chop tomatoes into pieces

How to Can Marinara Sauce

Fill up the canning pot half way with cold water. Cover and let simmer.
Keep lids and bands cool so they won't burn your hands when tightening.
Place canning jars in water bath in the canning pot to preheat.
Carefully remove emptied jars from simmering water with tongs or jar lifter.
Place emptied jars on a baking sheet to reduce mess.
Using a canning funnel, begin to fill jars by ladling tomato mixture into them one at a time.
Leave ½ inch head space from the top of the jar.
Wipe the rims of the jars clean with a dry towel.
Apply lids and lightly screw band using a kitchen towel.
Repeat until all jars are filled and fastened finger tight, but not tightly.
Using tongs, return the jars to the pot of water and make sure it covers jars 2 inches.
Put lid on pot. Heat to boiling. Allow the jars reach a processing time of 35-40 minutes.
Turn off heat and remove lid from pot.
Let the hot jars cool down slowly for 5-10 minutes.
Remove from water with tongs and wipe jars dry with towel.
Store jars upright for 24 hours. Do NOT tighten lids.
Listen for the seals to pop closed.
Fasten lids. Test seals and if they do not close, refrigerate the jar.
Store jars in a cool, dark place for up to 18 months.

Canning marinara sauce on propane stove with jars submerged in water bath.

Recipe FAQS

What's the difference between water bath canning and pressure canning?

Water bath canning uses a lower temperature to can foods that are higher in acid such as tomatoes, jams, fruits, and pickles. Pressure canning is used for foods that are lower in acid like green beans. They require a higher temperature in a pressure canner to safely preserve them.

How does canning work to preserve food?

It's all about time and temperature. Your goal is to prevent any mold or enzymes from spoiling your food. When the jars of tomatoes are processed in the water bath at the right temperature, it creates a vacuum seal that keeps the bacteria out.

How long do canned jars of marinara sauce last?

Tomato sauce that has been canned in a water bath can last up to 18 months on a shelf in a cool and dry location. Be sure to label jars properly with the date.

Expert Tips

It's important to use sterilized jars. Wash and dry lids and bands before using. Use new lids for every recipe so they will close properly.
Be sure to wipe the rims of the jars to keep them clean.
For best results, gather all of your equipment and ingredients in one place. This will help prep time go much faster.
One of the easiest ways to know if the jars have sealed is to listen for them to 'pop.' This is a great sound to hear!
Read these food safety tips from the National Center for Home Food Preservation to ensure a safe canning experience.

Storage and Freezing

Store marinara sauce that has been canned in a water bath for up to 18 months in a cool and dry location. Be sure to label jars properly with the date they were processed.
If you don't want to go through the canning process or use a pressure cooker, you can easily freeze marinara sauce instead. Let the sauce cool, then transfer to an airtight container with a tight fitting lid. Freeze for up to 6 months.

Homemade marinara sauce has a unique flavor that tastes amazing in pasta recipes like Cheesy Skillet Spaghetti, Baked Ziti and Baked Meatballs with Feta. If you're looking for some great recipes that use fresh tomatoes from the garden, check out these favorites:

Tomato Gravy Recipe tastes great with cathead biscuits!
Southern Tomato Pie is everyone's favorite summer indulgence.
Pickled Green Tomatoes are sweet, spicy and sassy.
Heirloom Tomato Tart has a puff pastry crust with a cheese filling.
Fried Green Tomatoes are a southern delicacy!

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