Freezer cooking is definitely convenient, and it is great to have a one dish meal in your freezer that you can just pull out and stick in your oven. But it is also really great to have components of a meal frozen so that you can add other fresh ingredients but save yourself a bunch of time with the main part of the meal. Homemade marinara sauce has got to be one of the yummiest, most versatile of foods right? The thing with a good marinara sauce though is that it has to simmer for a long time to let the flavors blend and really become delicious. This is what makes it a perfect freezer food. When you have some extra time (yeah right, what is that??) then you can whip up a big double batch of this and freeze it for later. I love this sauce because you can pack in the veggies making it chuck full of nutrients, but it is blended and so it helps with texture issues kids might have. This also gives it a lot of flavor and depth. Yum.
This Freezer Friendly Fresh Marinara Sauce Recipe can be used for so many different meals! Some of our favorites:
Baked Spaghetti Pie
This sauce does need to simmer for a while, but the actual hands-on time really isn’t too bad at all! When I made this sauce I was also canning peaches at the same time……..lets just say my kitchen was a bit of a disaster. But what I’m telling you is that you will have no problems whipping this up!
Begin with your veggies. I used onion, garlic, green bell pepper and red bell pepper. I was also going to add some carrot because I like the sweetness it provides, but I totally spaced it. Saute your veggies until they are tender.
Next combine your sauteed veggies with 1 can crushed tomatoes in your food processor. If you like your sauce super chunky you can skip this step, but it will make it thick and some kids don’t like chunky veggies in their marinara sauce.
Throw in a handful of fresh basil.
Pour your sauce into a pot and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Simmer on low for 1 hour. Then remove your sauce from the heat and let it cool. This step can take a while! I like to freeze my sauces and soups in ziplock bags because they flatten and take up way less space in your freezer! Once your sauce has cool, pour into bags. You will want to remove as much air as possible from your bags. Label and date the bag.
Then place in your freezer – this should stay good for up to 3 months. Then when you want to use your sauce, place it in the fridge the day before you want to use it to thaw. You will then have delicious homemade marinara sauce to use on so many different meals!
Freezer Friendly Fresh Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 medium onion
- 1 medium bell pepper, green
- 1 medium bell pepper, red
- 4 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 can crushed tomatoes, canned
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
- 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried
- 2 medium bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vinegar, balsamic
- 1/4 cup cooking wine, white
- 1 cup chicken broth, low-sodium
Instructions
- Chop onion and bell peppers; mince garlic.
- Saute veggies in olive oil until tender.
- Combine with 5 (14 oz) cans crushed tomatoes in a food processor. Pulse until well blended.
- Pour into a large stockpot and combine with the remaining ingredients.
- Simmer on low for 1 hour.
- Place in freezer bags removing air, and lay flat.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
www.superhealthykids.com
