Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes


I rarely make Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes for several reasons. I used to convince myself it was too much work, but making it this week dispelled that excuse completely. Yes, it does add the step of cutting up the tomatoes, but that's not really that much work. Another reason I rarely make it is the expense. It is quite pricey to buy 10 pounds of tomatoes, particularly organic tomatoes. Years when I've had a garden and my tomatoes have done well, this recipe felt like it made more sense to make. All that said, in a side by side comparison, I'm not so sure this costs that much more than the version I make with canned tomatoes. Making marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes allows more control over the ingredients including the salt content, which makes me happy. Lastly, I will point out that making this in the winter when fresh tomatoes have almost no flavor really doesn't work out very well.

Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes

10 pounds fresh Roma tomatoes*

1 head garlic
1 medium red onion
2 medium carrots
1 stalk celery
1 medium bell pepper
2 small beets (or one medium)**
1 teaspoon black pepper***
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried sage
½ cup water
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
1 cup red wine****
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup fresh basil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
¼ cup fresh oregano
¼ cup fresh marjoram
½ bunch fresh parsley

Roughly chop tomatoes. Set aside. Roughly chop garlic, onion, carrots, celery, and bell pepper. Set aside. Roughly chop the fresh herbs. Set aside.

Heat water in 8-quart pan. Add ground flaxseeds and cook for a few minutes to thicken.

Add onion and garlic, cover, and sweat on medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and bell pepper. Cook 1 minute. Add beets and stir in. Add black pepper and dried herbs and stir together. Add red wine and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a light boil. Reduce and simmer until wine reduces by approximately half.

Add tomatoes.  Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add fresh herbs. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately one hour or until carrots are soft enough to go through food mill.

Remove from stove and cool slightly. Process through a food mill in batches to desired consistency.

Add sauce back to pan.

Scrape leftover bits from the food mill and process in a food processor until a thick paste forms, approximately 1-2 minutes. Stir into sauce.

Bring back to a light boil. Boil for one minute. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for approximately 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Cooking time varies based on the liquid content of the tomatoes.

Let cool enough to handle comfortably and not damage freezer containers. Divide into one meal serving sizes in freezer containers leaving enough room for expansion as the sauce freezes. (I reuse jars.) Freeze for up to 3 months.

To use, thaw a batch, either in the microwave or by soaking in lukewarm water. Use as you normally would.


* I like to use Roma tomatoes but have used several different types of tomatoes for this recipe. You can use whatever tomatoes you want.

 ** I started adding beets to my marinara sauce a few years ago and find that it adds an earthiness that is otherwise missing, so I continue to add them. In fact, I made a special trip to the grocery store to include them in this batch! And I don't even like beets on their own!!
*** I prefer to crush my black peppercorns using a mortar and pestle.

 **** In my opinion, red wine enhances the flavor of the marinara sauce, but you can omit it if you don't like to use alcohol. I use whatever red I happen to have in the house rather than buy a specific one, and I haven't had one that didn't work yet. I am careful to buy vegan friendly wines though. Not all wines are. A great site for determining if a wine is vegan is Barnivore.

 NOTE: I use organic ingredients whenever possible, so I rarely use the word "organic" in my ingredients list.

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