Basic Roasted Tomato Sauce Recipe – Roast your beautiful summer tomatoes into a delicious basic tomato sauce to can and use throughout the year!
Anybody else growing tomatoes in their back yard this summer? We’ve got a big tomato plant on our back porch that is just starting to produce some sweet, amazing organic tomatoes. At this time of year, I like to put my “do-it-yourself” hat on and make a few batches of tomato sauce. The sauce is then canned and used throughout the year. I love canning… it gets me in touch with how my great grandmother did things on her farm in Nebraska. Cooking and preparing foods the old fashioned way satisfies something inside of me. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. It’s also a great, economical way to enjoy high quality organic seasonal produce throughout the whole year. There is really no comparison between opening a store-bought can of sauce versus a batch of home-canned roasted tomato sauce.
This is my basic recipe for roasted tomato sauce. You don’t have to can it the sauce you don’t want to go through the hassle; I’ve linked to a pressure canning tutorial below for those who are interested. Keep in mind that I’ve purposely kept the flavor somewhat neutral here… this is not a marinara. It’s a simple roasted tomato sauce which you can enhance with herbs and spices based on what you’re cooking. I like to add fresh basil and garlic for a simple pasta sauce, cayenne and pepper flakes to spice things up, or Middle Eastern spices and peppers for a simple shakshuka base. Think of it as a roasted tomato canvas… just add your favorite herbs and spices to create a flavor masterpiece!
For more on home canning, check out these tutorials:
Home Canning – Pressure Canning Method
Home Canning – Boiling Water Method
For more yummy tomato recipes, here are some great ideas from my food blogging friends:
Weelicious: Roast Cherry Tomatoes with Olives and Bowties
What’s Gaby Cooking: Zucchini Noodles with Roasted Tomatoes
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Roasted Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 7 pounds whole ripe tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 3 3/4 teaspoons sugar cuts acidity of the tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
NOTES
Instructions
- Before you begin, sterilize your jars using the boiling water bath method. Simmer the lids in a small saucepan until ready to use. This recipe will fill two quart jars, depending on how far you cook and reduce it (reducing the sauce more to thicken it will render less sauce).Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, toss the tomatoes with 2 tsp of olive oil and 1 tsp kosher salt.
- Place the tomatoes in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with foil or a silpat. You may need more than one sheet pan.
- Roast in the oven for 1 hour.
- Transfer the roasted tomatoes a large mixing bowl and smash with a wooden spoon. This will help them to pass through the food mill more easily.
- Run the smashed tomatoes through a food mill. Turn the handle in both directions to make sure that you are extracting as much juice and tomato flesh as possible.
- Once you have finished with the food mill, place tomatoes in a large sauce pot and add the sugar and remaining salt and olive oil. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until sauce has thickened and reduced to a texture you like. You can cook it for an hour or even longer for a very thick sauce (keep in mind you'll end up with less sauce the longer you reduce it!).
- Using a wide mouth funnel, ladle the sauce into your canning jars.
- Remove the lids from the sterilizing saucepan using tongs or a magnetic lid lift.
- With a clean paper or dish towel, clean the rims of your jars.
- Place the lids on the jars and seal with the bands using just your fingertips so that they are not too tight.Process your jars using the pressure canning method at 11 lbs for 15 minutes.
- After 24 hours you can remove the bands and test your seals by lifting the jar, by the lid, a few inches from the counter top. Jars with good seals can be kept in a cool dark place for up to a year. If the seal is broken, store in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks.
Nutrition
If I plan to use very soon within a few days can I just place them in Mason jars?
Do you have to pressure can this sauce or would a boiling water bath be fine? I just do a boiling water bath when I can diced tomotoes. Does the salt and olive oil change the acidity that much to where you have to pressure can? I would rather do a boiling water bath. Thoughts?
Hi Sandra, Tori’s tutorial above (Home Canning – Pressure Canning Method) lists the reasons vegetables need to be pressure cooked/canned. Always better safe than sorry or sick. Good luck and happy canning!
This is can totally be a safe a hot waterbath recipe, the one thing that I would leave out would be the final 2 tbsp of olive oil, as it is not safe to can with. 35 mins for pints 40 mins for quarts and then adjust for elevation (per NCHFP guidelines). You would also want to add a tablespoon of an acid (I like lemon juice) to each jar before adding in the sauce (also per NCHFP guidelines).
Hello! This is Heston again, I have never put up tomatoes, but really like the idea of this roasted tomato sauce. My canner has a 5, 10 and 15 pound pressure on it… Doing these in in Pint jars instead of quart jars. Can I do this at 10 lbs pressure but with a longer cooking time? So far our tomatoes aren’t doing very well. Praying for a better crop soon! Also going to get a food mill!
Been makingroasted tomato for years vAnd never thought to use MFood mill Vita mix is my newest and most favorite play toy. I put all in blender or now Vita mix
. hit button and voila. Addled some fresh basil pinch of sugar salt and pepper. Have used as Sauce and blended longer and served as soup. My daughter would not believe I had not added cream.
Sandrago, Yes , Vitamix or some sort like that blender is the best , I even freeze fruits and make them in fruit smoothie. Add in ice cubes, coffee or chocolate and milk, Coffee or Chocolate Ice cream will formed. To make roasted Tomato Sauce is not a problem at all with this type of blender !!