How to Can Spaghetti Sauce With a Pressure Canner
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Pressure canning spaghetti sauce is a great way to preserve the flavors of summer harvested from your vegetable garden. This thick homemade sauce with tomatoes, vegetables, and herbs is perfect for preserving your harvest.
If your garden produces more tomatoes than you know what to do with, this homemade spaghetti sauce is a delicious way to preserve the harvest. The sauce is thick, hearty, and packed with flavor from tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, peppers, garlic, and herbs.
Unlike many tomato canning recipes, this spaghetti sauce is pressure canned without needing lemon juice or citric acid, resulting in a rich, balanced flavor that’s ready to use straight from the jar.
Having jars of homemade spaghetti sauce on the shelf makes weeknight meals easy. Simply heat and serve over pasta, use it for lasagna or baked ziti, or add it to your favorite casseroles. It’s a wonderful way to enjoy the taste of your summer garden all year long.
Why This Spaghetti Sauce Must Be Pressure Canned
Unlike plain tomato sauce, this spaghetti sauce recipe includes vegetables such as onions, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic. These ingredients are considered low-acid foods, which means they cannot be safely processed using a boiling water bath.
A pressure canner reaches temperatures higher than boiling water, allowing the sauce to be safely preserved for long-term storage.
If you prefer a pasta-ready sauce that can be processed in a boiling water bath canner, try my Seasoned Tomato Sauce for Canning, which contains only tomatoes, onions, garlic, dried herbs, and added acid for safe water bath processing.
Best Tomatoes for Canning Spaghetti Sauce
Paste tomatoes, also called plum tomatoes, are ideal for making spaghetti sauce. These oval-shaped tomatoes have thick, dense flesh, fewer seeds, and less moisture than slicing tomatoes, which helps produce a thicker, richer sauce.
While any ripe tomatoes can be used, paste varieties reduce more quickly during cooking and create a better texture for sauce.
Most of the tomatoes I grow in the garden are paste-type tomatoes for preserving. Some of my favorites include:
- Amish Paste: Large, meaty tomatoes with excellent flavor.
- Roma: A reliable canning tomato that is easy to find at farmers’ markets if you don’t grow your own.
- San Marzano: One of my favorite varieties for sauce and salsa thanks to its sweet flavor, dense flesh, and very few seeds.
You can also use slicing tomatoes from your garden. These tend to contain more juice, so the sauce may need to simmer longer to reach the desired thickness.
Ingredients for Canning Spaghetti Sauce
This spaghetti sauce combines tomatoes with vegetables and herbs to create a flavorful pasta sauce that holds up well to pressure canning.
Tomatoes
Fresh tomatoes form the base of the sauce. Paste tomatoes such as Roma, Amish Paste, or San Marzano produce a thicker sauce because they contain less moisture, but any ripe garden tomatoes can be used.
Select good-quality tomatoes with no signs of rot, insect damage, or disease. Ripe tomatoes should have firm flesh that gives slightly when pressed with your thumb.
Do not use tomatoes from diseased or frost-killed vines for canning because they may harbor harmful pathogens that may not be destroyed during processing.
For more information, see this Michigan State Extension article on whether damaged tomatoes are safe for canning.
Mushrooms
Fresh mushrooms add texture and savory flavor to the sauce. Choose mushrooms with smooth, unblemished caps. The stems may be slightly dry on the ends but should not be shriveled or cracked.
Both white button and baby bella (cremini) mushrooms work well in this recipe.
Onions
Onions add sweetness and depth of flavor to the sauce. You can use any variety of bulb onion, including red, yellow, white, sweet onions, or a mixture. The strong flavor of raw onions mellows as the sauce cooks and processes.
Peppers
Bell peppers add flavor and color to the sauce. Select fresh peppers that are brightly colored and firm with no blemishes, soft spots, or bruises.
The recipe calls for bell peppers, but you may substitute another mild pepper variety in equal amounts. In my garden, I often grow Italian frying peppers such as Carmen, Marconi, or Corno di Toro, which add wonderful flavor to the sauce.
Seasonings and Aromatics
- Garlic: Fresh garlic provides classic Italian flavor.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A small amount of oil is used to sauté the vegetables before simmering the sauce.
- Herbs and Seasonings: Dried oregano, basil, salt, and optional sugar balance the flavor of the tomatoes.
The ingredient amounts are carefully balanced to ensure the sauce remains safe for pressure canning.
Safe Ingredient Adjustments
When canning recipes come from trusted sources such as the USDA or university Extension programs, the ingredient proportions are carefully balanced to ensure the finished product can be processed safely. For this reason, it’s important not to increase the amounts of low-acid ingredients such as onions, peppers, mushrooms, or garlic in this recipe.
However, you can make several adjustments to suit your taste or the ingredients you have on hand:
- Vegetables can be reduced or omitted: If you prefer a smoother sauce, you may reduce or leave out the onions, peppers, mushrooms, or garlic. Reducing the amount of vegetables will not affect the safety of the recipe.
- Peppers may be substituted with celery: You may replace some or all of the peppers with chopped celery if you prefer the flavor.
- Dried herbs and seasonings may be adjusted: Feel free to adjust the amounts of dried herbs such as oregano or basil. You can also add small amounts of other dried spices to customize the flavor.
- Fresh herbs can be added to the jars: If you enjoy the flavor of fresh herbs, you may add up to two small sprigs of fresh herbs per jar, such as a sprig of basil in each jar of tomato sauce.
- Sugar is optional: The brown sugar in this recipe helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes but can be reduced or omitted if you prefer. You may substitute white sugar for brown sugar if preferred.
- Oil can be reduced: Oil is used for sautéing vegetables and can be reduced if desired. You can also safely swap the olive oil for vegetable oil, avocado oil, or another plain cooking oil.
These adjustments allow you to personalize the flavor of the sauce while keeping the recipe within safe canning guidelines.
Do not add meat or additional vegetables. Adding ingredients such as ground beef or sausage, or increasing the amount of vegetables, would change the sauce’s density and require a different tested recipe and processing time.
If you would like to learn more about safely adapting tomato recipes for canning, see my guide on How to Safely Modify Tomato Canning Recipes.
Tips for Removing Tomato Skins and Seeds
Removing the skins is the most time-consuming step when preparing tomatoes for canning, but it is an important part of the process. Tested tomato canning recipes are developed using peeled tomatoes, and the processing times are based on that preparation.
According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation:
“The National Center for Home Food Preservation continues to recommend peeling tomatoes for canning… because most tested recipes were developed with the skins removed, and the processing times are based on peeled tomatoes. Skins may interfere with heat penetration during the canning process.”
See the NCHFP explanation: Why Should You Peel Tomatoes Before Canning?
The easiest way to remove the skins and seeds is to briefly cook the tomatoes to soften them, then run them through a food strainer or food mill, which removes the skins and seeds while pureeing.
If you don’t have a food strainer, you can blanch and peel the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds before making the sauce. See my guide on How to Peel Tomatoes for an illustrated step-by-step tutorial.
How to Make and Can Spaghetti Sauce
Before starting this recipe, make sure you’re familiar with the pressure canning process. My guide walks you through the basics: Pressure Canning for Beginners.
I also offer a free printable Home Canning Checklist to help keep everything organized while you prepare and process your jars. Download it here:
Grab your Free copy
Home Canning Checklists
This canned spaghetti sauce recipe is adapted from the “Spaghetti Sauce Without Meat” recipe found in So Easy to Preserve, the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, and the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
I have adjusted the seasonings, reduced the amount of salt, and used less oil to sauté the vegetables.
You can find the complete and printable recipe at the bottom of this article, but these are the steps for canning spaghetti sauce:
Step 1: Gather Your Kitchen and Canning Equipment
You’ll need:
- Pressure canner and canning rack
- 8 pint-sized canning jars, or 4 quart-sized jars
- Canning lids and bands (new lids for each jar, bands can be reused)
- Kitchen scale
- Food strainer or food mill, or sieve
- Canning tools: jar lifter, canning ladle, funnel, and bubble popper
- Plus basic kitchen supplies such as a large saucepan, several large prep bowls, large skillet, kitchen towels, measuring cup, large spoon, knife, and a cutting board.
Step 2: Prepare the Ingredients
Use a kitchen scale to weigh 30 pounds of fresh tomatoes for this recipe.
Rinse the tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers under running water and spread them out on clean towels to dry.
Cook the Tomatoes
Heating the tomatoes quickly after cutting helps preserve the fruit’s natural pectin, which thickens the sauce and prevents separation.
Place a large stainless steel saucepan on the stove over medium heat.
Cut each tomato in half, remove the core, and trim away any damaged spots. Add the tomatoes to the saucepan as you work.
Crush the first few tomatoes with the back of a spoon to release their juices and prevent sticking.
Once all the tomatoes are in the pot, bring them to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Strain the Tomatoes
Remove the pot from the heat and allow the tomatoes to cool slightly.
Run the cooked tomatoes through a food strainer, food mill, or sieve to remove the skins and seeds. Return the strained tomato pulp to the saucepan.
Prepare the Remaining Vegetables
While the tomatoes are cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Mushrooms: Slice into 1/4-inch pieces.
- Onions: Remove the peel and chop into 1/4-inch pieces, and measure 1 cup.
- Peppers: Remove the stems and seeds, chop into 1/4-inch pieces, and measure 1 cup.
- Garlic: Peel and mince.
Step 3: Make the Sauce
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the prepared mushrooms, onions, peppers, and garlic, and sauté until tender.
Add the sautéed vegetables to the tomatoes along with the brown sugar, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low.
Continue simmering uncovered until the sauce thickens and reduces by about one-half, which may take 1 to 2 hours, depending on how juicy your tomatoes are. Stir the sauce frequently as it cooks to prevent sticking.
Step 4: Prepare the Canner and Jars
Set up the canner, prepare the jars, and organize your work area when the sauce is almost ready.
Wash the canning jars, lids, bands, and canning tools in hot soapy water, and rinse well. Check the jars over carefully for nicks and cracks. Discard any jars with cracks or nicks, as they may break during processing. Set the lids and bands aside until you are ready to use them.
Place the pressure canner on the stove, and insert the canning rack. Place the jars in the canner on the rack. Add water according to your pressure canner manufacturer’s instructions.
Fill the jars halfway with hot water, and then place them on the rack in the canner. Bring the canner to a simmer for 10 minutes (180˚F). Keep the jars hot until you are ready to fill them.
Step 5: Fill the Jars with Spaghetti Sauce
Spread a dry kitchen towel on the counter. Use the jar lifter to remove a jar from the canner. Carefully pour the hot water from the jar into the sink or a separate container (do not pour it back into the canner), and place the jar on the towel. Keep the remaining jars in the canner to keep them hot.
Place a canning funnel on the jar and ladle the hot spaghetti sauce into the jar, leaving 1 inch headspace.
Run the bubble popper through the jar to remove air bubbles, check and adjust the headspace if needed, and wipe the rim with a damp towel.
Center a lid on the jar, place the band over the cover, and screw it on until fingertip tight. Immediately place the jar back on the rack in the canner, and repeat with the rest of the jars. If you have leftover sauce, refrigerate it and use it within a few days.
Step 6: Process in a Pressure Canner
Place the lid on the canner and lock it. Bring the canner to a boil over medium-high heat. Follow your pressure canner’s instructions for venting, bringing the canner to pressure, and processing the jars for the time indicated in the recipe card below.
Step 7: Cool and Store
When the processing time is complete, turn off the heat and let the canner depressurize naturally.
Follow your pressure canner’s instructions to open the canner. Let the jars sit in the canner for 10 minutes to adjust to the pressure change.
Spread a clean, dry towel on the counter. Use the jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner, keeping them upright, and place them on the towel with at least one inch of space between each jar. Do not tighten the bands or check the seals yet, let the jars cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.
After cooling, check the seals by pressing the center of each lid. If the lid doesn’t flex up or down, the jar is sealed. Remove the bands, wash the jars, label with the date and contents, and store in a cool, dark location.
For the best flavor, use within 12 to 18 months. Refrigerate any opened jars or jars that didn’t seal properly and use them within a few days.
Ways to Enjoy Home Canned Spaghetti Sauce
This sauce makes quick meals easy throughout the year. To use, empty the jar into a saucepan and heat on the stove. Adjust the seasonings to taste and serve with your favorite pasta, such as zucchini rollups, homemade pasta, ricotta gnocchi, and zucchini lasagna.
Spaghetti Sauce Canning FAQs
If you’re new to canning spaghetti sauce, you may have a few questions before you get started. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about safely making and pressure canning spaghetti sauce at home.
Can this recipe be canned in a water bath canner?
No. This spaghetti sauce recipe contains low-acid ingredients such as onions, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic. Because of this, it must be processed in a pressure canner to safely preserve it.
If you are looking for a tomato sauce that can be processed in a boiling water bath canner, try my Seasoned Tomato Sauce for Canning, which contains only tomatoes, herbs, and added acid.
Can I add meat to this spaghetti sauce recipe?
No. This recipe is designed for spaghetti sauce without meat. Adding ground beef, sausage, or other meats alters the acidity and density of the sauce, requiring a different tested recipe and processing time.
If you prefer a meat sauce, prepare the meat separately and add it when reheating the sauce.
Do I need to add lemon juice to the jars?
No, lemon juice or citric acid is not required for this recipe. This spaghetti sauce recipe was developed by the University of Georgia and published in So Easy to Preserve, the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, and on the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.
Because this recipe was specifically tested with the listed ingredient amounts, additional acid is not needed. Simply follow the recipe as written for safe results.
How long does home canned spaghetti sauce last?
For best flavor and quality, use home canned spaghetti sauce within 12 to 18 months. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark location.
Always inspect the jar before using. If the seal is broken, the lid bulges, or the sauce shows signs of spoilage, discard the contents.
What tomatoes are best for spaghetti sauce?
Paste tomatoes such as Roma, Amish Paste, and San Marzano work best because they contain less moisture and produce a thicker sauce.
However, any ripe garden tomatoes can be used. Juicier tomatoes may simply require a longer simmering time for the sauce to reduce.
Can I change the vegetables in this recipe?
You may reduce or omit vegetables such as mushrooms, onions, or peppers, but do not increase the total amount of low-acid ingredients.
For more information about safe ingredient adjustments, see my guide on How to Safely Modify Tomato Canning Recipes.
Pressure Canning Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 30 pounds paste tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms sliced (optional)
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped bell peppers
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Ingredients
- Wash the tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers well under clean running water.
- Cut the tomatoes in half, remove the cores, and place them into a large saucepan over medium heat. Crush the first few tomatoes with the back of your spoon as they heat to release the juice, and occasionally stir to prevent sticking.
- Once all the tomatoes are in the pot, bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook for 20 minutes. Then, turn off the heat, and let the tomatoes cool slightly before straining out the seeds and skins.
Prepare the rest of the vegetables while the tomatoes are heating:
- Cut the mushrooms into 1/4-inch slices.
- Peel the onion, chop it into 1/4-inch pieces, and measure 1 cup of chopped onions.
- Remove the stems and seeds, chop the pepper into 1/4-inch pieces, and measure 1 cup of chopped peppers.
- Remove the papery skins, trim the root end, and mince the garlic.
- Once the softened tomatoes have cooled slightly, remove the skins and seeds with a food strainer, food mill, or sieve. Return the strained tomatoes to the saucepan.
Cook the Spaghetti Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, peppers, garlic, and sauté until tender.
- Add the sautéed vegetables to the pot with the tomatoes, along with the brown sugar, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens and reduces by one-half. This will take 1 to 2 hours, depending on how juicy your tomatoes are. As the sauce simmers, frequently stir to prevent sticking.
Prepare the Canning Equipment
- Wash the jars, lids, and rings in hot, soapy water, then rinse thoroughly. Set the lids and rings aside until you are ready to use them.
- Place the jar rack into the pressure canner, and fill with water per your pressure canner manufacturer’s instructions: Presto is 3 quarts, Mirro is 2 quarts, and All American is 2 to 3 inches.
- Fill the jars halfway with hot water, and then place them on the rack in the canner. Bring the canner to a simmer for 10 minutes (180˚F). Keep hot until you are ready to fill them.
Can the Spaghetti Sauce
- Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Use your jar lifter to remove a jar from the canner. Pour out the water (save it for washing dishes), and place the jar on the towel. Keep the remaining jars in the canner so they stay hot.
- Use the ladle and canning funnel to fill the jar with the hot spaghetti sauce, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
- Run the bubble popper through the jar to release air bubbles, adjust headspace if needed, wipe the rim, center a lid on the jar, and screw on the band until it is fingertip tight.
- Place the jar back into the canner, and repeat with the remaining jars.
- Cover the pressure canner and secure the lid. Leave the vent open, adjust the heat to medium-high, and bring the canner to a boil. Allow the pressure canner to vent steam for 10 minutes, then place the weight on the vent.
- Once the canner has reached the correct pressure (10 pounds for weighted gauge and 11 pounds for dial-gauge pressure canner), set a timer, and process pints for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes at altitudes below 1,000 feet, adjusting pressure for higher elevations (see notes). Regulate the heat as needed to maintain steady pressure.
- When the processing time is complete, turn off the heat and let the pressure canner cool and depressurize. The time will depend on your brand and should be between 30 to 60 minutes. Follow the instructions for your pressure canner.
- Once the pressure canner depressurizes, spread a kitchen towel on the counter, remove the weight from the vent pipe or open the petcock, and wait 10 minutes for the jars to adjust to the change in pressure.
- While wearing pot holders, unlock the cover and remove the lid, tilting it away from you so the steam does not burn your face. Allow another 10 minutes for the jars to adjust to the pressure change.
- Use a jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner and place them on the towel. Keep the jars upright, and don't tighten bands or check the seals yet. Let the hot jars sit undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours to cool.
- Wait until the jars have cooled for at least 12 hours, and then check to be sure jar lids have sealed. Test the seal by pushing on the center of the cover. The lid should not pop up. If the top flexes up and down, it failed to seal. Refrigerate the jar and use it up within a few days.
- Remove the screw-on bands and wash the jars. Label, date, and store the jars of spaghetti sauce in a cool, dark place between 50 and 70˚F.
- For the best quality, use within 12–18 months. Refrigerate the sauce once opened and consume within a few days.
- Yield: About 8 pint-sized jars or 4 quart-sized jars, depending on how much the sauce reduces.
Notes
- 1,001–2,000 ft. — 11 pounds
- 2,001–4,000 ft. — 12 pounds
- 4,001–6,000 ft. — 13 pounds
- 6,001–8,000 ft. — 14 pounds
- 1,001 ft. and above — 15 pounds
Nutrition
More Ways to Preserve Tomatoes
If you have a big tomato harvest, here are a few more ways to preserve tomatoes for later:
- Tomato Basil Sauce for Canning
- Seasoned Tomato Sauce for Canning
- Pressure Canning Stewed Tomatoes
- Rotel-Style Tomatoes and Green Chilies
- How to Freeze Tomatoes for Cooking or Canning Later
Enjoy Your Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Canning spaghetti sauce is a wonderful way to turn a big harvest of garden tomatoes into convenient meals you can enjoy all year long. With tomatoes, vegetables, and herbs simmered together into a thick and flavorful sauce, each jar captures the taste of summer.
Once your pantry is stocked, homemade spaghetti sauce makes weeknight cooking easy. Simply heat a jar and serve it over pasta, use it as a base for lasagna or baked ziti, or add it to your favorite casseroles and skillet meals.
If you grow tomatoes in your garden, this recipe is a satisfying way to preserve the harvest and keep wholesome, homemade food ready on the shelf whenever you need it.
40+ Meals in a Jar Pressure Canning Recipes
In this eBook, you will find 50 pressure canning recipes, including 44 meals, along with homemade stocks and bone broths. Recipes include soups, stews, chilis, beans, beef, pork, and poultry. Explore the world of preserving delicious home-cooked meals for all seasons.
Do I need to add lemon juice to the jars?
Penny, No, you do not need to add lemon juice to the jars for this particular recipe. The University of Georgia extension office has thoroughly tested this pressure canning recipe and acidification is not required in this case. You can confidently follow the instructions provided for safe and delicious results.
Can the mushrooms and other veggies be blended in a blender—will you still get the same flavor from the mushrooms? Thanks!!
Jenilee, I would advise against altering the recipe in this way for home canning. The original recipe was developed and tested with chopped veggies. Pureeing them could cause density issues that affect how heat penetrates the jars as they are being processed. If you’re considering changes, it’s best to freeze the sauce instead.
May I increase the sugar by a lot, like almost one cup. My boys like their sauce very sweet. Thank you, I was looking for a sauce that I could pressure can.
Suzie, The addition of a significant amount of sugar can alter the pH level of the sauce, making it less acidic. Lower acidity can create an environment where bacteria can thrive, which is not safe for canning. If you prefer a sweeter sauce, it’s safer to add sugar to the sauce after opening the jar to heat and serve it, rather than adjusting the recipe for canning. This way, you can enjoy the desired level of sweetness without compromising the safety of your canned spaghetti sauce.
Thank you for this recipe. I have found that it is easier to pressure can this sauce than water bath, which used gallons of water just to cover the jars. Also, many blogs do not say how to heat the jars before putting in the sauce, some peope like the oven method, which I have used but it is not recommended. I prefer your method.
I go to this awesome blog quite often for recipes.
Cate, I also find it much easier to pressure can sauce if I have a large batch to process.
You are correct. The manufacturer does not recommend heating jars in the oven because it can cause the glass to be brittle: “While canning jars are designed to withstand high temperatures in moist environments, such as those in a canner, they are not suitable for use in the dry heat of an oven.” ~ Ball Complete Book of Home Canning, page 414
Heating jars in the canner also pre-heats the canner, and it takes less time to bring it to a boil once the jars are in the canner.