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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.

souper cubes with marinara sauce
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There is a time and place for using ripe tomatoes to create a homemade pasta sauce. But when garden-fresh tomatoes aren’t in season, you can still create a fantastic marinara from scratch using canned tomatoes from the pantry.

This sauce is already simple enough, but if you want to make it super easy, use frozen veggies so that you don’t even have to chop a single thing. Related: How to Freeze Onions, How to Freeze Garlic, How to Freeze Carrots, Dehydrating Garlic, How to Dry Basil, and How to Freeze Peppers.

Canned tomatoes from the store work really well, but if you’re a home canner, you might be interested in learning How to Can Whole Tomatoes and Canning Stewed Tomatoes so that your pantry is always loaded with the right ingredients for this sauce.

If you are looking for tomato sauce using fresh tomatoes, check out our Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce and Cherry Tomato Sauce. They’re made with gloriously ripe tomatoes, straight from the garden or farmer’s market. I have also used frozen/thawed tomatoes with great results. Related: How to Freeze Tomatoes.

Does Spaghetti Sauce Freeze Well?

Yes! You can store it in freezer-proof bags, plastic containers, souper cubes, or wide-mouth glass canning jars. It still tastes delicious when thawed, and you get the benefit of a homemade sauce ready to go for a fast weeknight meal.

Is it Ok to Freeze Spaghetti Sauce With Meat?

Yes! Just make sure the meat is cooked to temperature before adding it to the sauce and freezing. Allow the bolognese sauce to fully cool before pouring into freezer storage containers.

Easy Recipes For Using Freezer Spaghetti Sauce

6 photos showing step by step how to make freezer spaghetti sauce

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

  • Feel free to add any other veggies that you love. Grated zucchini (related: How to Freeze Zucchini), mushrooms, butternut squash, or frozen pumpkin all work great.
  • 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 recipe calls for a touch of brown sugar. If you’re out, did you know you can make Homemade Brown Sugar? It’s so easy!
  • 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.
  • Throw in some frozen spinachfrozen swiss chard, or frozen kale at the end of the cooking time for some added greens.
A white bowl of spaghetti topped with cheese and parsley
4.50 from 2 ratings

Freezer Spaghetti Sauce

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 10 minutes
souper cubes with marinara sauce
This delicious homemade Freezer Spaghetti Sauce is so simple to make and is made with common pantry staple ingredients.

Ingredients 

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

Slow cooker Instructions: Combine all ingredients except for butter and baking soda in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours, or high for 4 hours. Add butter and baking soda and then cook for an additional 30 minutes.
 
Will keep in the freezer for 3-6 months.
Feel free to add any other veggies that you love.
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 and cook according to the instructions in the recipe card above.
Any meat you add needs to be fully cooked before being stirred into the sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 90kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 2gFat: 3gSodium: 255mgPotassium: 450mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Fusion
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

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About Sarah

Helping you serve up budget-friendly sustainable recipes with a side of balanced living.
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8 Comments

  1. 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.5 stars

  2. 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!

    1. 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. 🙁

    1. 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.

      1. 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!!4 stars

      2. 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.