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easy to can tomato/spaghetti sauce

julesbai avatar
Recipe by
Julie Bailey
@julesbai
Durham, NC

This recipe to can tomatoes is very easy and a great way to use excess tomatoes from your garden. I cook this sauce in small batches, which helps me keep up with the number of tomatoes growing on our vines, using 5 or 7 pounds of tomatoes at a time, just enough to fill a 6 or 8-quart Dutch oven, or lay everything on a pan and roast in an oven. The end result is a delicious tomato sauce which you can use 'as is' for a basic marinara sauce on pasta, or thin with stock or water to make a wonderful tomato soup, or use wherever tomato sauce is called for in a recipe. DELICIOUS!

yield 6 jar(s)
prep time 25 Min
cook time 1 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For easy to can tomato/spaghetti sauce

  • 5 to 7 lb
    fresh tomatoes (plum tomatoes are traditional, but you can use any variety. i mix varieties when making my sauce.)
  • 1 lg
    sweet onion, rough chopped
  • 2 Tbsp
    chopped garlic (about 8-10 garlic cloves rough chopped)
  • 1/2 c
    balsamic or red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp
    Italian seasoning (adjust to taste - i use 1-1/2 tbs)
  • 2 tsp
    dried basil, or 4-5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp
    kosher salt (adjust to taste)
  • 2 tsp
    ground black pepper (adjust to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp
    optional: red chili pepper flakes (to taste)

How To Make easy to can tomato/spaghetti sauce

  • 1
    NOTE: ignore the 'Prep' information listed here because it depends on which size jar you use and how many tomatoes you're cooking, how much liquid you allow to render out of the tomatoes, etc. The less time you cook, the more liquid in the sauce and option to use as straight tomato sauce. Cooking longer renders out liquid makes the sauce thicker and you can use it straight from the jar as a spaghetti sauce. You decide how thick you want the sauce by cooking time and that will determine how many jars yield. I made mine to use as spaghetti sauce, so allowed it to render longer, about 90 minutes to two hours, and got roughly 4 pints (2 quarts) in one batch. ABOUT THE JARS: you should get around 4 pints or 2 quarts of sauce cooking this small batch method. I always prepare for more 'just in case' it yields more sauce, so prepare 5 pint jars or 3 quart jars, or a mixture of both.
  • 2
    Clean about 6 pounds of fresh tomatoes. DO NOT REMOVE THE PEEL. You will be blending the ingredients, so removing the peel is unnecessary. While many people prefer to use Plum Tomatoes to make sauce, you can use any variety. I use a mixture of whatever is fresh to pick in the garden.
  • 3
    Cut the tomatoes into large chunks, or quarters. Place into your cooking vessel - either a large pot (do not use aluminum; stainless steel or enameled Dutch Oven are best). NOTE: You can also lay the ingredients on a roasting pan to cook in the oven at 400-degrees for about 45 to 60 minutes, however, these instructions are for cooking stovetop.
  • 4
    Add the onion, garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, and other spices and add to the pot or pan. Stir all ingredients together. DO NOT COVER POT.
  • 5
    Bring to a low-boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 45-60 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes to make sure nothing scorches the pan bottom.
  • 6
    Turn off heat and allow to cool for an hour. Once cooled, use an immersion blender to blend the mixture. If you don't have an immersion blender, carefully pour the ingredients into a traditional blend and mix until all ingredients are smoothly pureed. Decide if this consistency is as thin or as thick as you want. If you prefer a thicker sauce, return to the heat on low setting and allow to cook 30 to 45 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching and check for consistency. Once the consistency is where you want it, then you're ready to finish canning.
  • 7
    NOTE - PREPARING YOUR JARS: While sauce is rendering stovetop, prepare your water bath and canning jars. Fill water bath canning pot with enough water to cover the jars one to two inches. Begin heating water on medium-high heat.
  • 8
    PREPARING JARS: Wash jars and lids with hot, soapy water. Rinse well. Place lids and rings in a deep bowl and cover with boiling water to sterilize. To sterilize jars, place empty jars in the water bath when it begins a low boil and allow to sit there until ready to fill with the sauce. Remove jars when ready to fill and dry them with clean paper towels making sure rims are dry.
  • 9
    FINISHING THE CANNING: Fill each jar with the sauce, leaving 1/2 inch head space from top. Insert a wooden chopstick or spoon (wooden or silicone, not metal), and run around the sauce to remove any air bubbles. Clean the rim of the jar with a damp paper towel to remove any tomato sauce.
  • 10
    Remove lids and rims from hot water and dry with paper towel. Place on top of each jar. Do not put rims on too tightly.
  • 11
    Insert jars into the water bath making sure jars are covered with one to two inches of water. Bring water to low boil and cover. Boil for 20 minutes. Remove jars from heat and set on a dry towel or dish cloth. As jars cool you will hear a ping on the lid which indicates the jars properly sealed. Allow jars to cool completely before storing in pantry. Be sure to write the date and contents title on top of the lid.
  • 12
    NOTE: If you prefer, you can vacuum seal your sauce in the jars and store in the freezer. Just be sure to thaw the sauce before using.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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