Name: Kitchen-made San Marzano Marinara at Home
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 10 cups
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 large yellow onion; 4 cloves garlic (peeled and left whole); 6 ounces tomato paste; 1/4 cup chianti; 84 ounces San Marzano Tomatoes (whole peeled (or 3 (28-ounce) cans)); 1 parmesan cheese rind; 2 tablespoons fresh basil (torn); 1½ teaspoons oregano (chopped); 1½ teaspoons thyme leaves (chopped); kosher salt (to taste (about 1½ to 2 teaspoons)); freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

This time of year I like to make a big batch of San Marzano Marinara.

I like having kitchen-made sauce on hand throughout winter for pasta dishes, soups and for dunking crispy mozzarella sticks or grilled cheese sandwiches. And believe you me, I have one I’ll be sharing this week that is Deeply good! I can’t wait.

This sauce recipe is so unfussy. As it should be! Sautéed onions and garlic simmer with San Marzano Tomatoes and wine for hours and is finished off with a plethora of fresh herbs.

To cook this Kitchen-made San Marzano Marinara Set out:

olive oil
yellow onion
garlic
tomato paste
Chianti wine
whole san marzano tomatoes
parmesan rind
fresh basil, oregano and thyme
kosher salt

In a deep sided pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 large diced yellow onion and 3 to 4 (medium) whole garlic cloves with a pinch of kosher salt.

Stir until the onions are soft and translucent and the garlic is golden in spots.

Transfer the garlic to a small dish to cool and set off to the side.

To the sautéed onions, add 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste. Stir and cook 1 minute to caramelize.

Next pour in 1/4 cup chianti, stir and cook until reduced.

Add in 3 (28 ounce) cans whole san Marzano tomatoes.

Why San Marzano?

Because they are the dependable. It’s true. They have great flavor and are low in acidity.

Lastly, drop in the parmesan rind and finely grate those garlic cloves into the sauce.

Stir well to combine. I even use the flat side of my spatula to press on a few of the tomatoes.

Cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours or up to 4 hours.

It should smell rich!

Remove the parmesan rind before using an hand-held blender and pureeing. (I’ll link to mine in the recipe printable)

Once the sauce has been pureed, add in 1 generous tablespoon of torn fresh basil, 1/2 tablespoon both chopped oregano and thyme leaves.

Stir and taste. Season with 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt or to your personal preference.

Allow the marinara to cool completely before storing or freezing.

How To Freeze Marinara Sauce:

Divide the sauce. Since this dish makes 10 cups of sauce, I measure out the into 4 freezer safe quart resealable bags. I end up with two bags with 2 cups of sauce and 2 bags of 3 cups of sauce. Squeeze out as much air before sealing each bag. Then lay them flat on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze until solid.

How To Thaw Marinara Sauce:

The day before, remove the bag from the freezer and place it into your refrigerator over night.

Enjoy! And if you give this From-scratch San Marzano Marinara recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

From-scratch San Marzano Marinara at Home

Forget jarred sauces when you can easily make an striking Kitchen-made San Marzano Marinara at home. Sautéed onions and garlic simmer with San Marzano Tomatoes and wine for hours and is finished off with a plethora of fresh herbs. This method yields 10 cups of sauce.

Serves 10 cups

Prep 20 minutes

Cook 2 hours

Total 2 hours