As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This delicious homemade freezer spaghetti sauce is so simple to make and is made with common pantry staple ingredients. You can simmer it on the stove or set it and forget it in a slow cooker.
There is a time and place for using ripe tomatoes to create a homemade pasta sauce. I mean, our crockpot spaghetti sauce uses fresh tomatoes, and it is freaking delicious.
But when garden-fresh tomatoes aren’t in season, you can still create a fantastic marinara from scratch using canned tomatoes from the pantry.
Use this homemade pasta sauce in our ravioli lasagna, our ground beef and zucchini casserole, or alongside our air fryer meatballs.
Store the fully cooled spaghetti sauce in freezer-safe bags, freezer containers, or in Souper Cubes (my favorite method).
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- If you have picky eaters, saute the veggies until softened. Then add 1 can of diced tomatoes and blend using an immersion blender, traditional blender, or food processor. Then add the rest of the tomatoes/tomato sauce and cook according to the instructions in the recipe card below. All those extra veggies are now our secret.
- This freezer pasta sauce gets better the longer you let it simmer. It’s a perfect candidate for the slow cooker if you don’t want it on your stove for 2+ hours.
- The (optional) baking soda is a great way to neutralize the natural acidity of tomatoes without adding additional sugar.
Homemade Freezer Spaghetti Sauce with Canned Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic {minced}
- 3/4 cup onion {chopped}
- 1/2 cup carrots {shredded}
- 28 oz diced tomatoes {with juices}
- 45 oz tomato sauce
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1.5 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp butter {optional}
- 1/8 tsp baking soda {optional}
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a heavy saucepan, saute onions, garlic, and carrots in olive oil until softened (~10 minutes).1/4 cup olive oil, 5 cloves garlic, 3/4 cup onion, 1/2 cup carrots
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, parsley, oregano, brown sugar, and bay leaves. Stir to combine.28 oz diced tomatoes, 45 oz tomato sauce, 2 tsp dried basil, 2 tsp dried parsley, 1.5 tsp dried oregano, 2 tsp brown sugar, 2 bay leaves
- Bring to a boil for 1 minute (stir to prevent popping). Reduce heat to a simmer.
- Place a lid slightly ajar on the saucepan to allow steam to escape. Cook down for 1-2 hours until it has reached your desired consistency.
- {optional} Add 1 tbsp of butter, and cook sauce for an additional 15 minutes.1 tbsp butter
- {optional} Add 1/8 tsp baking soda, and stir well to combine. The baking soda will react with the tomatoes and cause a bit of foaming.1/8 tsp baking soda
- Salt & pepper to taste.salt and pepper to taste
- For best results: allow sauce to cool to room temp in the saucepan. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Transfer cooled sauce to freezer containers and freeze until solid.
Notes
- Will keep in the freezer for 3-6 months.
- Feel free to add any other veggies that you love.
- Any meat you add needs to be fully cooked before being stirred into the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We made the crockpot version of this with canned tomatoes from Costco. I used my prepped and frozen garlic, onions, carrots, and celery that I always keep on hand because Sarah told me to. It turned out great and my entire house smelled delicious! My mom is visiting and asked if we could modify our menu to have it while she is here because the smell was so amazing. Another 5 star recipe to add to my rotation.
It sounds like a fantastic freezer prep meal to me! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this! I just have one question. If I want to freeze it in the 800 canning jars I have in my basement (thank you Covid), do I need to do anything special before hand? Or can I just clean the jars, put the sauce in, put the lids and rings on, and pop in the freezer?
Thank you!
Clean, sauce in, lids, and freeze are all you need to do.
That being said, only freeze in wide-mouth jars and leave at least 1 inch of headspace so that the sauce can expand while it freezes. Thaw the jar at room temp for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. Never microwave a frozen jar or add it to boiling water or it will absolutely break. 🙁
What is the baking soda for ?
It helps neutralize the acidity of the tomatoes to balance out the flavors without a bunch of sugar. It’s optional but a highly awesome cooking trick that works wonders for anything tomato-based.
In all the years that I have been making sauce for just family Spaghetti, macaroni, meatballs, chicken
cutlet Parjam or any thing with sauce, I have Never put any Sugar in any of my sauces, My Main Sauce is Just Marina. No salt either. I find I just use Spices. Sometimes you just add a little pinch more. I also use Can Tomatoes and also Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes.. Red Pepper, Parsley and Basil Once in a while Oregano.. That’s it a Sauce like that is also great for a Fish sauce.. I usually make extra, especially the Holidays!!
That’s what I love so much about cooking – you can personalize everything to your and your family’s tastes. Glad you have found something that works for you.