No store bought tomato sauce compares with the flavor of homemade. Capture summer in a jar with this seasoned tomato sauce recipe for home canning.
I talk about canning tomato sauce a lot here at Grow a Good Life, especially this year as I faced the challenge of preserving a bumper crop. It seems I constantly had baskets of ripe tomatoes to work through for the last two months. Now that the last tomato harvest is simmering on the stove, I thought it was time to share the tomato sauce recipe and method I use to preserve the majority of my homegrown tomato harvest.
Growing up in an Italian household, the only tomato sauce we were aware of was the homemade kind made from tinned or fresh tomatoes in season. There were no jars of purchased tomato sauce in our pantry. As an adult, I continued the tradition cooking up large batches of homemade tomato sauce and freezing it for future meals.
When I began growing a garden of my own, one of the first things I learned to can was tomato sauce from homegrown tomatoes. Eventually, I made it my yearly goal to grow enough tomatoes to provide a sufficient amount of canned tomato sauce to last us until the following season.
Tips for Canning Tomato Sauce
Follow a Safe Canning Recipe: If you are canning tomato sauce, is important to use recipes that are formulated and tested for safe home canning. When I make tomato sauce for canning, I follow the tomato sauce recipe in the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving for “Seasoned Tomato Sauce.” This is the closest to the homemade tomato sauce I grew up with.
The only differences between the recipe below and the Ball Seasoned Tomato Sauce is this recipe is cut in half. The ratio of ingredients is the same. I just find working with 22.5 pounds of tomatoes is much easier to manage since I only have two large pots to cook down the sauce.
I also reduce the sauce by slow cooking it over low heat for a longer period to preserve flavor rather than cooling over medium-high heat as indicated in the Ball recipe. Sometimes this takes all day, but the flavor is worth the effort.
Prevent Botulinum: When canning tomatoes, an acid must be added to your jars before filling to prevent the growth of C. Botulinum bacteria, which causes botulism. I’ve used bottled lemon juice in the past, but now find it easier to use Citric acid. Citric acid also doesn’t change the flavor like lemon juice can.
Select meaty, plum type tomatoes for a thick and flavorful sauce. My favorites are Amish Paste, Juliet, Roma, and San Marzano. Paste tomatoes are meaty with thick walls and have very little water content. You can still use other types of tomatoes, but it will take longer for the extra water to cook out.
Initially cooking your tomatoes with the skins and seeds aids in extracting the natural pectin that will help thicken the sauce. After the tomatoes have softened, I run them though a through a food strainer or food mill to remove skins, seeds, and to smooth out the sauce. Then return the pots to the stove, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer on low heat until the sauce is reduced by half.
The way I do the initial cooking depends on the temperature. If it is hot outside, I fill my largest pots with sliced tomatoes and cook them on the stovetop until they soften and reduce their juices. If the weather is cooler, I turn on my oven I fill my roasting pans with sliced tomatoes and roast them in the 325°F/ 177°C oven for about an hour or until they are soft. Roasting helps to reduce the extra moisture and adds a lovely, deep tomato flavor to the finished sauce.
Equipment:
- Water Bath Canner
- 8 pint jars or 5 quart jars
- Lids and bands
- Food strainer or food mill, or sieve
- Lids and bands
- Canning tools: lid lifter, jar lifter, canning ladle, funnel, and bubble popper
Plus basic kitchen supplies such as a large sauce pot, large bowl, small pot, towels, knife, large spoon, potato masher, and a cutting board.
Prepare your tomatoes by washing in plain water. Cut them in half or quarters and add to your sauce pots.
Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, then add to the saucepans.
Remove skins and seeds. As the tomatoes simmer, they will release their juices. After the tomatoes and the vegetables are soft, turn off the heat and allow the sauce to cool. Run the cooled tomato sauce through a food strainer or food mill to remove skins, seeds, and to smooth out the sauce. Return the sauce to the stove, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer until the sauce is thickened.
- 22.5 pounds paste tomatoes
- 3 cups chopped onions about 3 large onions
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 3 dried bay leaf
- 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 4 1/2 teaspoons cane sugar
- 1 teaspoons red pepper flakes optional
- citric acid or bottled lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
- Prepare your tomatoes by washing in plain water. Cut them in half or quarters and add to your saucepots.
- In a large frying pan, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add to the saucepans with the prepared tomatoes. Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally so to prevent sticking.
- As the tomatoes simmer, they will release their juices. After the tomatoes and the vegetables are soft, turn off the heat and allow the sauce to cool.
- Run the cooled tomato sauce through Food Strainer or Food Mill to remove skins, seeds, and to smooth out the sauce.
- Return the strained tomato sauce to the saucepan(s) to cook down further to thicken the sauce. Add oregano, bay leaves, pepper, sugar, and crushed red pepper. If you are using multiple pots, roughly divide the ingredients for each pot. All the ingredients will be combined into one pot as the sauce cooks down. Simmer over low heat with the cover vented so the excess moisture evaporates. As the sauce reduces, combine it into one pot. Use your ladle to avoid splashing.
- Once the volume is reduced by half, your tomato sauce should be nice and thick. Use a clean spoon and taste the sauce. Add salt and stir in. Taste again. Add more salt if needed. Keep the sauce warm over low heat.
- Prepare your jars and lids by washing in warm, soapy water and rinsing thoroughly. Place jar rack into water bath canner, set jars in the canner, add water, and boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize. Warm your lids in a small pot over low heat. Keep jars and lids warm until ready to use.
- Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Use your jar lifter to remove warm jars from canner, drain, and line up on the towel. Add citric acid or bottled lemon juice to each jar. For pints, add 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid or 1 Tablespoon of bottled lemon juice to each jar. For quarts, add 1/2 teaspoon citric acid or 2 Tablespoons of bottled lemon juice to each jar.
- Use your canning ladle and funnel and add tomato sauce to warm jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe the rims. Use your magnetic lid lifter to lift lids out of the warm water, center lid on the jar, and screw on band until it is fingertip tight.
- Using a jar lifter, place jars carefully into canner leaving space in between them. Once jars are all in canner, adjust the water level so it is at least one inch above the jar tops. Add more boiling water if needed so the water level is at least one inch above the jar tops. When adding water, use the hot water from the small pot your lids were in. Pour the water around the jars and not directly onto them.
- Cover the canner and bring to boil over high heat. Once water boils vigorously, process pints for 35 minutes and quarts for 40 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000 ft. (adjust processing time for your altitude if necessary).
- When processing time is complete, turn off heat and allow the canner to cool down and settle for about 10 minutes. Spread a kitchen towel on the counter; remove the cover by tilting lid away from you so that steam does not burn your face. Use a jar lifter to lift jars carefully from canner and place on the towel. Allow the jars to cool for 12 to 24-hours. You should hear the satisfactory “ping” of the jar lids sealing.
- After 12 to 24-hours, check to be sure jar lids have sealed by pushing on the center of the lid. The lid should not pop up. If the lid flexes up and down, it did not seal. Refrigerate jar and use up within a few days.
- Remove the screw on bands and wash the jars. Label and date the jars. Store your jars in a cool, dark place and use within 12 months. Yields about 6-7 pint jars or 3-4 quarts depending on how much the sauce reduces.
Additional Canning Information:
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
How to Can: Getting Started at the Ball Website
6 Tips to Prepare for Canning Season
You May Also Like:
- Crockpot Tomato Sauce
- Homemade Applesauce for Canning
- Honey Sweetened Concord Grape Jelly
- Granny’s Bread and Butter Pickles
- Fresh Summer Tomato Sauce
Good planning is key to a successful vegetable garden.
Whether you are new to growing your own food or have been growing a vegetable garden for years, you will benefit from some planning each year. You will find everything you need to organize and plan your vegetable garden in my PDF eBook, Grow a Good Life Guide to Planning Your Vegetable Garden.
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Ann
About how many Roma medium sized tomatoes would be 22.5 pounds do you think?
©Rachel Arsenault
About 65 according to the Ball Blue Book.
sue fitzwilliam
my sauce is kind of grainy is there do i need to put back into the blender again, and what speed.
©Rachel Arsenault
Sue, you could strain the sauce through a mesh strainer. That will remove some of the larger peels and seeds that didn’t break up when blended.
Ashley
I followed this recipe except I added about a cup of chopped fresh basil and oregano instead of the dried herbs. Could this potentially lower the PH to an unsafe level? I did use citric acid in each jar.
©Rachel Arsenault
Ashley, There are very few tested canning recipes that use fresh herbs. The safety of substituting fresh herbs in this recipe is unknown. It could alter the pH, but we don’t know for sure.
Linda
Great recipe. I did not peel or put the tomatoes through a food mill. Placed it all in a blender and processed it. Tasted wonderful.
LParry
I have been letting my sauce simmer for about 45 minutes and it hasn’t reduced at all. I have the recipe exactly so far, what could I be doing wrong?
©Rachel Arsenault
LParry, If you are simmering with the lid vented, chances are you are indeed reducing the sauce. You may need to simmer longer depending on the water content of your tomatoes.
Leigh
Is it okay to use a combination of different varieties of tomatoes for this recipe?
©Rachel Arsenault
Leigh, Yes, you can use any types of tomatoes.
Mary
I want to do this sauce in a smaller batch and use half pint jars. Could I half this recipe and, if so, would the correct amount of citric acid be 1/8 teaspoon per half pint jar?
©Rachel Arsenault
Yes, you can half this recipe and yes, the citric acid is 1/8 teaspoon per half pint jar.
Amy Doty
I’m behind on my canning this year, so my question is this: if I can and properly process tomato sauce in jars today, can I use that sauce tomorrow, or next week, so make chili or spaghetti sauce and recan it?
©Rachel Arsenault
Amy, If you are trying to get a lot of tomatoes processed quickly, consider canning plain crushed or diced tomatoes. That way the tomatoes will be on your storage shelf and you can use them any way you want when you are ready. I would not be able to advise you on re-canning other types of sauces that are not made using a tested safe canning recipe.
Brandi Unwin
Can I add peppers to this?
©Rachel Arsenault
No, adding peppers will make this recipe unsafe for canning. If you really want to add peppers, freeze the sauce instead.
Risemary
I canned tomato sauce from the Williams Sonoma canning book. But I’ve read that using Extra virgin olive oil can go rancid. I noticed in your recipe you use EVOO when cooking the onions and garlic.
What is your opinion of canning with olive oil.
©Rachel Arsenault
Canning with olive oil is not recommended UNLESS you are following a tested safe recipe. As mentioned in the article above, this is a safe canning recipe from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving for “Seasoned Tomato Sauce.”
Desirae Bleth
Would it be ok to leave out the sugar? I’m trying to make some sugar free sauce.
©Rachel Arsenault
Yes, you can leave out the sugar. It is there for flavor and doesn’t affect the canning process if it is left out.
Mary Porter
Good recipe. I too grew up in an Italian-American family. My mom and aunts canned everything we grew in our huge city garden. I i herited their canning equipment. I tresure my Aunt’s Squeezo strainer. I picked up my preodered 2 bushels of tomatoes from a nearby Amish farm this week. Got 21 quarts of sauce. Now on to another bushel for diced tomatoes.then peaches..
Alex
How do you ensure your sauce does not turn brown?
©Rachel Arsenault
Alex, I have never had that problem before. When exactly does the sauce turn brown? What color tomatoes are you using?
Christine Dollman
Awesome
Ana
Thank you so much. I love to can and right now our local store has plum tomatoes on sale, 2lbs for a dollar. We live in a townhouse with not much space so 3-4 quart jars is the perfect amount.
©Rachel Arsenault
Ana, That is a great price. Too good to pass up. I am glad this small batch recipe will work for you.
Elyce
Hi! I followed all the steps in the recipe and canning but I didn’t slide the bubble thing down the side to release air. Am I okay?
©Rachel Arsenault
Yes, you are fine. Unlike other canning recipes, there are no large chunks of vegetables to hold in the bubbles.
Sandra
My husbands mother use to can tomatoes and called it a chili sauce ,they would use it on meats or to spoon over vegetables.Do you know of a recipe of this kind?
©Rachel Arsenault
Sandra, There is a Chili Sauce canning recipe on Ball’s website, called Grandma’s Chili Sauce.
camille
Just wondering. What happens if I leave out the acid. I am new to this and forgot to get the citric acid. Should I just freeze jars then? thank you
©Rachel Arsenault
Camille, Do you have bottled lemon juice on hand? You can use bottled lemon juice instead of citric acid. Add 1 Tablespoon of bottled lemon juice to each pint jar. 2 Tablespoons of bottled lemon juice to each quart jar. Citric acid or bottled lemon juice insures that the sauce is acidic enough to be canned safely. It prevents the growth of C. Botulinum bacteria, which causes botulism.
cindy phipps
I just canned my sauce and did not put any lemon juice in. Should I open up the jars and put in the lemon juice? I know I would need to replace with lids that have not been used before. And then put in the water bath again?
©Rachel Arsenault
Cindy, I have been there and done that too. Unfortunately, without the lemon juice or citric acid, your canned tomato sauce may not be acidic enough for safe canning.
To be on the safe side, you’ll need to open the jars, and put the sauce into a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a good boil for 10 minutes. Start over from step 7 above and re-process your sauce (using fresh lids). It is best to do this right away, or within 24-48 hours (refrigerate the jars if you need to wait).
Tracy
Can you substitute lime juice for lemon juice as the acid? I ran out of lemon juice but have lots of lime.
Thanks,
©Rachel Arsenault
Tracy, Yes, you can substitute bottled lime juice for the bottled lemon juice per UMN Extension: http://www.extension.umn.edu/food/food-safety/preserving/tomatoes-salsa/canning-tomatoes/
Nakysha
I’m a total newbie to canning. Usually I make my sauce and freeze it but am running out of room in my freezer! With that said, I have already got the ball rolling with this next big batch (and am now recognizing my space issue). My sauce thus far is simple: tomatoes, onions, dried herbs, couple glugs of EVOO, garlic, and a little bit of sugar and salt (very close to your above recipe). My question is: If I have no other ingredients in it (such as eggplant, peppers, fresh basil, etc.), how important are the ingredient ratios? Nothing was measured out since my original intention was not to can, but the ingredients are all the same. If I continue on and do “proper” canning with a water bath, think I’m good?
©Rachel Arsenault
Nakysha, I can only recommend that you use a safe canning recipe.
Nakysha
I had a feeling you’d say that 🙂 Thanks!
Mary
It looks like you used red onions in the picture. Do you use red for all 3 of the onions. also if you roast the tomatoes in the oven, when do you add the onion garlic mix? Thanks, mary
©Rachel Arsenault
Mary, You can use any type of onion. If you are roasting your tomatoes in the oven first, begin will step 1 in the instructions and add the roasted tomatoes to your pot. Step 2 explains what to do with the onion and garlic. Step 3: Let everything simmer in the pot for a while to combine flavors.
FeathersInTheWoods (@la_murano)
This sounds delicious! Thanks for the recipe…wish I had more tomatoes to try it! I’ll hold onto it till next year though.
Thanks for linking up with Green Thumb Thursday. I hope to see you again this week!
Lisa
bringingruralback
I always enjoy canning tomatoes. They are probably to most forgiving things to can. Thanks for sharing on the Homestead Blog Hop.
jesthepilgrim
Your tomato sauce sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing this week on the Art of Home-Making Mondays! 🙂
Margaret
The first time I canned tomatoes it was an all day event with tomatoes (and sauce) everywhere – the kitchen was a right mess & I think I only got 7 pints of sauce from it. Boy – what a learning curve! It was so worth it, though – we haven’t purchased tinned tomatoes since and it always gives me such a wonderful sense of satisfaction every time I open a jar.
©Rachel Arsenault
Margaret, It always takes me a few times to get into a canning rhythm each year. I find it so much easier to break up the steps over a few days. During canning season, my small kitchen is overwhelmed with pots and other dishes to wash.