Marinara Sauce Using Canned Tomatoes

I started making my own marinara sauce and freezing it many years ago. Over time I've adjusted the recipe as needed to better fit my lifestyle, health needs, and tastes. I've made it using fresh tomatoes and canned tomatoes. This is my recipe using canned tomatoes. I use canned tomatoes that are low in salt and only contain tomatoes. I started making my own because I wanted to control what was in the sauce, so I could customize it for my tastes as well as my health needs. This recipe isn't difficult, but it does take a full day to make it.

Marinara Sauce with Canned Tomatoes

1 head garlic

1 medium red onion

2 medium carrots

1 small beet

1 stalk celery

1 medium bell pepper

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons dried marjoram

2 tablespoons dried basil

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 bay leaf

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

½ cup red wine

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

4 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes

4 28-ounce cans tomato puree

¼ cup fresh basil

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons fresh oregano

1 tablespoon fresh marjoram

½ bunch fresh parsley

Roughly chop garlic, onion, carrots, beet, celery, bell pepper and the fresh herbs with the exception of the rosemary.

Heat ¼ cup of water in bottom of an 8-quart pan. Add ground flaxseeds and cook for a few minutes to thicken.

Add chopped vegetables and cook until onion is slightly opaque. Add black pepper and dried herbs and stir together. Add red wine and red wine vinegar. Bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer until wine reduces by half.

Add canned tomatoes and tomato puree. Add fresh herbs. Bring to a slight boil. 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 back to pan, place back over medium heat. Bring back to a slight boil. Boil for one minute. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for approximately 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally, until reaches desired consistency.

Cool enough to handle. Divide into one meal serving sizes in freezer containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To use, thaw a batch, place in the refrigerator until thawed, microwave for approximately 4 minutes,  or soak in lukewarm water until thawed enough to pour from jar. Use as you normally would.

I use this marinara sauce for many recipes including pastas and pizza.

Note: I use organic ingredients whenever possible, so I don't list every ingredient as organic. I recommend using organic ingredients as much as you can for both health reasons and because I think they taste better.