Homemade pasta sauce can be a bit time consuming but it’s soooo worth it. Little bit depressing when you see the amount of jars you get out of the amount of tomatoes you started with…. But still totally worth it. Knowing exactly what ingredients are in it. No preservatives or additives. Just good, whole ingredients. And you now have a shelf full of pasta sauce for your family to enjoy throughout the winter.
Ingredients:
• 25LBS of tomatoes
• 1-2 whole onions (diced)
• 5 bell peppers (we usually opt out of adding these)
• 4 (6oz) cans of tomato paste
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 10 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 3 tbsp basil
• 3 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 3-4 bay leaves
• lemon juice
1) Peel your tomatoes - you can peel them as is if the skins come off easily or you can blanch them in some boiling water quickly to soften the skins. If you do that - just put an X in the bottom of your tomatoes with a knife before blanching & the peels will come off easier.
2) Chop your onions, peppers (if using them) & mince your garlic. Add to a pan with olive oil and cook until the onions are translucent & the peppers are soft.
3) Once your tomatoes are peeled, dice them up into halves or quarters and add to a big pot or crock pot or roasting pan. Start to cook them down. As they cook down they will release lots of juices, I remove some of the juices (but not all) just to avoid a runny/watery sauce. You can save the juice for tomato juice or make some Clamato for Caesar’s!
4) Once your tomatoes have cooked down for 30-60 mins you can blend it up using an immersion blender or a regular blender. If you like a chunky sauce then do it for less time or do it until it’s smooth.
5) Add your onions, garlic, peppers & all the rest of the ingredients (minus the lemon juice). Mix well.
6) Bring all ingredients to a boil & then let simmer. I do the above process during the day and then let the sauce simmer overnight on warm/low in the crockpot. The longer it simmers the better it’ll taste!
7) Add 1tbsp of lemon juice to the bottom of your clean jars. Pour in pasta sauce leaving an inch headspace. Wipe the rim of your jar & put clean lids on.
8) Add jars to your water bath canner. (Remember if your sauce/jars are hot then have your water hot. If they’re cold then have your water cold) Bring water to a boil & once it’s at a boil, start the timer for 40 mins.
8) Remove jars from canner and leave for up to 24 hours on the counter. Check your seals, label & add to shelf!
Enjoy!
Password for video is “intentional”
