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September 27, 2018 by Mariel

Homemade Marinara Sauce ~ Great for Freezing!

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I LOVE homemade marinara sauce.  Love.  It tastes so much better than the jarred stuff, it’s a great way to hide veggies from the kids, and it’s easy to make a big-mama batch and freeze for later.  This was my first attempt at making a ton of homemade marinara sauce, and it really was so easy.  I love knowing that I have these bags of yumminess just waiting for me in my freezer.  Making a large batch was really not any harder than making enough for one meal, you just need to make sure you have some big pots and pans.

My favorite homemade marinara sauce... PERFECT for freezing for quick meals! #marinara #easymeals #dinnertime

Homemade Marinara Sauce

To make a large batch (18 quarts…I filled about 10 or 11 freezer bags with 5 cups each), you’ll need:

1 TBS. olive oil
2 TBS. sugar
30 cans (15 oz.) stewed tomatoes (or 15 of 28 oz. cans)
4 cans tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, large
5 TBS basil, fresh
1/3 cup salt
2 tsp. pepper
4 – 6 lbs. ground Jimmy Dean sausage (I did 4, but I’ll do 6 rolls next time.)
8 oz. package mushrooms
1 1/2 lb. mini carrots
1 bunch celery
1 – 2 white onion, large (I did just one)
2 zucchini

The fun thing is that you can add any kinds of veggies that you love…peppers, squash, whateva…or take out anything you don’t love.

First, use a food processor to chop up your veggies (carrots, onion, celery, zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, etc.), to whatever size you like.  I was using this opportunity to hide as many veggies from my kids as I could, so chunks weren’t really an option.

My veggies were so chopped, that when mixed together, it looked like raw meat.  Kinda yuck…but, oh so good for you!  Plus, they were perfectly hidden in the tomato sauce.  Anyway, you dump all your veggies into a extra large pan, heated up with a little olive oil.  Saute until veggies soften (since mine were so fine, this just took a couple minutes.)  Add the sugar, salt, and pepper to the veggies, mix well. (You can also add red pepper flakes if you like a little spice to your sauce.)

If you want a meat sauce, now is the time to cook it up.  For this recipe, I used 4 rolls of the Jimmy Dean sausage.  Next time, I’ll use even more…maybe 6 or 7.  Me like meat.

Dump all of your cans of stewed tomatoes and tomato paste into a large pot.  If you’re doing a monster batch, like me, you’ll probably need a big stock pot.  Anyway, if you want your sauce tomato-chunky, leave it be.  If you want it smooth, like me, dip your immersion blender in it and blend until you reach desired smoothness/chunkiness.  If you don’t have an immersion blender and want a smoother sauce, you can dump your cans into the blender, then pour into the pot.

Add your veggie mixture to the tomato sauce, mix well.  If you’re adding meat, dump that in too.  Let the sauce simmer on the stove for 3 to 5 hours, without a lid.  The last half hour of cooking, add your basil.

Taste the sauce and see if it needs anything else…salt, pepper, sugar, seasoning.  I liked mine just the way it was.

To freeze the sauce, I let it cool down for a while on the stove, then scooped about 5 cups into each bag, wrote the date, placed them on cookie sheets and set them in the freezer so they would freeze flat…then I took the cookie sheets away.  These marinara bags have been so fun to have!  It tastes super good and is perfect for whipping up lasagna, spaghetti, taco spaghetti, or meatball sandwiches.  I think I filled about 10 or 11 bags.  The recipe says it makes 18 quarts.  I’m so doing this every year.  Buy your canned tomatoes during case lot sales, and you’re set!

Homemade Marinara
Deals to Meals

My favorite homemade marinara sauce... PERFECT for freezing for quick meals! #marinara #easymeals #dinnertime

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Homemade Marinara Sauce ~ Great for Freezing!

Ingredients

  • 1 TBS. olive oil
  • 2 TBS. sugar
  • 30 cans 15 oz. stewed tomatoes (or 15 of 28 oz. cans)
  • 4 cans tomato paste
  • 3 garlic cloves large
  • 5 TBS basil fresh
  • 1/3 cup salt
  • 2 tsp. pepper
  • 4 - 6 lbs. ground Jimmy Dean sausage I did 4, but I'll do 6 rolls next time.
  • 8 oz. package mushrooms
  • 1 1/2 lb. mini carrots
  • 1 bunch celery
  • 1 - 2 white onion large (I did just one)
  • 2 zucchini

Instructions

  1. Use a food processor to chop up your veggies (carrots, onion, celery, zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, etc.), to whatever size you like.
  2. Dump all of them into a extra large pan, heated up with a little olive oil. Saute until veggies soften (since mine were so fine, this just took a couple minutes.)
  3. Add the sugar, salt, and pepper to the veggies, mix well. (You can also add red pepper flakes if you like a little spice to your sauce.)
  4. In a separate pan, cook up your meat, drain, and set aside.
  5. Dump all of your cans of stewed tomatoes and tomato paste into a large pot. You'll probably need a big stock pot. If you want your sauce tomato-chunky, leave it be. If you want it smooth, dip your immersion blender in it and blend until you reach desired smoothness/chunkiness. If you don't have an immersion blender and want a smoother sauce, you can dump your cans into the blender, then pour into the pot.
  6. Add your veggie mixture to the tomato sauce, mix well. If you're adding meat, dump that in too.
  7. Let the sauce simmer on the stove for 3 to 5 hours, without a lid.
  8. The last half hour of cooking, add your basil.
  9. Taste the sauce and see if it needs anything else...salt, pepper, sugar, seasoning

Recipe Notes

To freeze the sauce, let it cool down for a while on the stove, scoop about 5 cups into each gallon sized freezer bag, write the date, place them on cookie sheets and set them in the freezer so they freeze flat. Once frozen, you can take the cookie sheets away.

Some products used to make this marinara recipe:

Cuisinart FP-8SV Elemental 8-Cup Food Processor, SilverCuisinart FP-8SV Elemental 8-Cup Food Processor, SilverCuisinart FP-8SV Elemental 8-Cup Food Processor, SilverCuisinart 622-36H Chef's Classic Nonstick Hard-Anodized 14-Inch Open Skillet with Helper HandleCuisinart 622-36H Chef’s Classic Nonstick Hard-Anodized 14-Inch Open Skillet with Helper HandleCuisinart 622-36H Chef's Classic Nonstick Hard-Anodized 14-Inch Open Skillet with Helper HandleCook N Home 20 Quart Stainless Steel Stockpot and Canning Pot with LidCook N Home 20 Quart Stainless Steel Stockpot and Canning Pot with LidCook N Home 20 Quart Stainless Steel Stockpot and Canning Pot with LidKitchenAid KHB2351CU 3-Speed Hand Blender - Contour SilverKitchenAid KHB2351CU 3-Speed Hand Blender – Contour SilverKitchenAid KHB2351CU 3-Speed Hand Blender - Contour SilverHefty Slider Freezer Bags (Gallon, 96 Count)Hefty Slider Freezer Bags (Gallon, 96 Count)Hefty Slider Freezer Bags (Gallon, 96 Count)18-Inch Long Handle Wooden Cooking Mixing Spoon, Birch Wood Set of 218-Inch Long Handle Wooden Cooking Mixing Spoon, Birch Wood Set of 218-Inch Long Handle Wooden Cooking Mixing Spoon, Birch Wood Set of 2

If you liked this post for homemade marinara sauce, check out:

Baked Ziti ~ Kid Friendly and Awesome!

Turkey Meatball Subs

Cheese Stuffed Breadsticks

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Comments

  1. Sarah says

    April 16, 2016 at 9:54 pm

    Can you give me a recipe for just one batch? I’d like to try it on my family first before making so much. Love this idea though and it looks delish!!

    • Mariel says

      April 17, 2016 at 10:24 am

      We all love this! I actually don’t have it figured into a smaller batch, you would just have to half the recipe, cut it in thirds or fourths, whatever you feel comfortable making. I checked the blog where I found the recipe and they only have the large batch version, as well. Sorry!

  2. Nicole says

    May 14, 2018 at 10:06 pm

    What size should the cans of tomato paste be?N

    • Mariel says

      June 5, 2018 at 11:51 pm

      Oh, gosh… I’m not home right now. But, they’re about half the size of a regular size can… pretty small.

  3. WWF Farms says

    April 15, 2021 at 12:51 pm

    Could this recipe be Freeze Dried?

    • Mariel says

      April 20, 2021 at 7:51 pm

      Yes! I would definitely freeze dry it. Just be sure to use the leanest ground beef you can find, rather than sausage or higher fat (if you choose to add meat to the sauce.) The higher fat meats won’t freeze dry as well.

  4. WWF Farms says

    April 16, 2021 at 10:47 am

    Could this sauce be freeze dried?

    • Mariel says

      April 20, 2021 at 7:51 pm

      Yes! I would definitely freeze dry it. Just be sure to use the leanest ground beef you can find, rather than sausage or higher fat (if you choose to add meat to the sauce.) The higher fat meats won’t freeze dry as well.

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