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the best marinara sauce that tastes like pizza hut sauce made from canned tomatoes and garden tomatoes

Marinara Sauce

By: Alyona Demyanchuk
The Marinara Sauce that gets rave reviews and recipe requests from all my other canned goods! It's the perfectly thick tomato sauce with herbs that is tasty enough to dip into bread or spread over your favorite pizza dough! Compatible with Pizza Hut's Marinara Sauce, this tomato sauce is the only one you'll need; it's so tasty and versatile! 
Prep Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 33 pints
Course: Canning, condiments and sauces
Cuisine: American, Italian

Equipment

  • 24-quart stockpot
  • blender

Ingredients

Marinara Sauce:

  • 9 quarts tomato juice , (pureed tomatoes)
  • 1 gallon tomato paste
  • 1 quart ketchup
  • 9 onions, (quartered)
  • 4 green bell peppers, (seeded and trimmed)
  • 8 celery sticks

Dried Herbs:

  • 3 Tbsp chili powder
  • 6 Tbsp salt
  • 9 Tbsp parsley flakes
  • 6 Tbsp paprika
  • 3 cups white sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups parmesan cheese
  • 3 Tbsp oregano flakes
  • 3 Tbsp garlic powder
  • 3 Tbsp dry mustard
  • 2 Tbsp black pepper

Instructions

How to Make Marinara Sauce:

  • Prepare the tomato juice* (see notes.)
    ingredients for homemade marinara sauce
  • Blend the celery, onions, and peppers in a blender with some juice. Pour into a large stockpot and add the tomato juice.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Ladle into jars and seal with lids. Process in a water bath for 30 minutes.
    spices and herbs that go into marinara sauce

Notes

Notes: If using a hand blender, bring the veggies to a boil with part tomato juice for easier blending.
  • To make tomato juice: blend fresh tomatoes that have been washed, cored, and trimmed with the skins. Can also use canned diced or whole tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes. Strain the juice from pulp if you wish, although it's more nutritious with it.
  • To make a smaller serving: you can simply scale down the recipe with the serving calculator tool.
  • This Marinara sauce yields approx 5-6 gallons so you need a large pot. Here is the same 24-quart heavy-duty stockpot that I own.
  • To Make Marinara sauce for a 24 oz portion follow these proportions that my friend scaled-down just for this recipe (it's so good!):  
    Homemade Marinara Sauce: 
    • 15 oz tomato juice (can use pureed tomatoes)
    • 6 oz paste 
    • 1/2 tsp chili powder 
    • 1 tsp salt (scant)
    • 1/2 tsp parsley flakes
    • 1 tsp paprika
    • 2 Tbsp sugar + 1 tsp (scant)
    • 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp ketchup
    • 1/2 celery stalk
    • 1/2 onion
    • 1/4 green pepper
    • 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese 
    • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
    • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
    • 1/3 tsp pepper
    Bring the juice and paste to a simmer. Add the celery, onion, and pepper and continue to simmer until softened. Puree using a hand blender and add the remaining ingredients. Heat thoroughly and serve! 
Nutrition Facts
Marinara Sauce
Serving Size
 
1 pint
Amount per Serving
Calories
293
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
3
g
5
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Cholesterol
 
4
mg
1
%
Sodium
 
2572
mg
112
%
Potassium
 
1998
mg
57
%
Carbohydrates
 
65
g
22
%
Fiber
 
8
g
33
%
Sugar
 
49
g
54
%
Protein
 
11
g
22
%
Vitamin A
 
3936
IU
79
%
Vitamin C
 
88
mg
107
%
Calcium
 
174
mg
17
%
Iron
 
6
mg
33
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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