Forget jarred sauces when you can easily make an incredible Homemade 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 recipe yields 10 cups of sauce.

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

I like having homemade 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 SO good! I can’t wait.

This sauce recipe is so easy. 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.

Homemade San Marzano Marinara ingredients

To Make This Homemade San Marzano Marinara You Will Need:

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

onions, garlic and oil in a deep skillet

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.

satueed onions in a skillet.

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

remove garlic cloves

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

add tomato paste to skillet.

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

pour in chianti wine.

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

3 cans whole san marzano tomatoes to the pan.

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

Why San Marzano?

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

grate in the garlic an drop in a parmesan rind.

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

stir to combine.

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

cover and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 to 3 hours.

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

after simmering for hours

It should smell heavenly!

puree the marinara

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

sprinkle in fresh basil, thyme and oregano.

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 San Marzano Marinara

How To Freeze Marinara Sauce:

Divide the sauce. Since this recipe 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 Homemade San Marzano Marinara recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
4.72 from 14 ratings
Leave a Review »
Yield: 10 cups

Homemade San Marzano Marinara

 Forget jarred sauces when you can easily make an incredible Homemade 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 recipe yields 10 cups of sauce.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

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

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Add olive oil, onions and whole garlic cloves with pinch of kosher salt to a deep sided pan or dutch oven.
  • Saute over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent and garlic is golden in spots. Remove the garlic to a clean dish and set off to the side.
  • To the onions, add the tomato paste. Stir and cook for 1 minute before pouring in the wine. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until reduced.
  • Next add in whole tomatoes, parmesan rind and grate in the garlic cloves. Stir to combine, smashing a few of the tomatoes with the back of your spatula.
  • Cover and simmer the sauce over low heat for 2 hours, or up to 4 hours. Stirring ocassionally.
  • Remove the parmesan rind before using a handheld blender and pureeing until smooth.
  • When sauce is smooth, stir in basil, oregano and thyme. Seasoning with salt to taste.

Notes

FREEZING HOMEMADE SAN MARZANO MARINARA:
Divide sauce among freezer safe resealable bags; two 2-cup bags and 2 3-cup bags. Lay the bags flat on a rimmed metal baking sheet and freeze until solid.
Sauce will keep best frozen for 4 to 6 months. But can be enjoyed even longer than that.
To use, place bag in fridge over night to thaw.
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 81kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 0.1mg, Sodium: 477mg, Potassium: 654mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 580IU, Vitamin C: 28mg, Calcium: 93mg, Iron: 3mg
Author: Laurie McNamara
Course: Homemade Ingredients & Condiments
Cuisine: Italian