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Canning tomato sauce is a fairly simple process, but it must be followed carefully in order to ensure a tight, safe seal. You also need to add lemon juice, a natural preservative, to the sauce in order to create a longer shelf life.
Ingredients
- 12 Tbsp (180 ml) olive oil
- 8 lbs (1800 g) fresh tomatoes
- 4 medium onions, chopped
- 12 garlic gloves, chopped
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) salt
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) pepper
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) sugar
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 6 Tbsp (90 ml) lemon juice
Servings
- 3 quarts (3 liters)
Steps
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Select glass canning jars in good condition. You will need about three quart-size (liter-size) glass canning jars, complete with a lid that has a rubber seal. Two-piece lids are ideal. Each one must be free of chips and cracks.
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Wash the jars and lids in hot, soapy water. The jars need to be cleaned and sterilized before they are safe to use. Fill your sink with hot water and mild dish detergent. Scrub the jars clean and rinse them with hot water.Advertisement
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Boil the jars to sterilize them. After washing the jars and lids, you should sterilize them in boiling water. Fill a large sauce pot with water and heat it to boiling. Use canning tongs to dip the jars and lids into the water. Allow them to soak for 15 minutes before pulling them out with the tongs.
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Alternative, wash the jars in a dishwasher. [1] X Research source Use the "sterilize" cycle if your dishwasher has it. If not, wash the jars using a normal wash cycle. Make sure that the jars go through a full rinse cycle to rid them of any excess soap.
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Let the jars dry. You can let them air dry by placing them upside-down in a drying rack or you can dry them out manually with a clean, dry dish towel.
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Choose high quality tomatoes. In general, Roma tomatoes tend to work well for canned sauces because they contain less water and create a thicker sauce. Beefsteak, lemon boy, and better boy varieties also work well. Regardless of the type used, the tomatoes should be ripe and firm. Avoid using tomatoes that are mushy, bruised, or rotten.
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Boil the tomatoes whole. Set a large pot of water to a boil. Plunge each tomato into the boiling water for 30 to 45 seconds before removing it with a heat-resistant spoon or tongs.
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Quickly dip the tomatoes into a bowl of ice water. Immediately after the tomatoes are removed from the boiling water, they should be plunged into a bowl of ice water. This loosens the skins, making them easier to peel off for your sauce.
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Slide the skins off. You should be able to remove the skins by peeling them back with your fingers at this point, but if not, you can slide a smooth, sharp knife in between the skin and the meat of the tomato to begin the process.
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Cut the tomatoes into halves. Remove the stem and the tough parts around the stem. Also remove any bruised, soft sections of the tomato.
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Scoop out the seeds and squeeze out the water. Hold each tomato half over a sink or extra bowl. Gently squeeze the half to drain it of excess water and the remove a good portion of the seeds. After the tomato is mostly dry, take a spoon to clear out the remaining seeds. You do not need to remove every last seed, but you should try to get most of them out.
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Drain the tomatoes. Place the tomato halves into a colander placed over the sink or over a large bowl. Allow the tomatoes to drain for 15 minutes or so. Removing as much moisture as possible will leave you with a much thicker sauce, and it will also reduce the amount of cooking time needed to create the sauce.
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Heat the oil inside a large stockpot. The pot will need to be able to contain at least 4 quarts (4 liters) in order to cook the entire batch at once. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Wait one or two minutes before continuing to allow the oil to heat up appropriately.
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Add the onions to the hot oil. [2] X Research source Cook them for 5 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir frequently to promote even cooking and to reduce burning.
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Add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir the new ingredients into the onions until evenly distributed. Allow the mixture to cook for another minute or two.
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Add the tomatoes, sugar, and basil. Give the contents of the stockpot a good mix. Due to the large volume of tomatoes, it may take a few minutes of stirring before you see that the ingredients have mixed together evenly. Heat to a boil.
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Reduce heat and allow the tomato mixture to simmer. Simmering the mixture for 15 to 30 minutes should be enough to break the tomatoes down and create a chunky sauce. You may need to simmer the sauce longer if you want something a little thinner, though. For a thinner sauce, allow the contents to simmer until the volume is reduced by one-third. For a thick, smooth sauce, simmer until the contents are reduced by one-half.
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Remove from heat. After the sauce reaches your desired consistency, remove the pot from the heat.
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Place a funnel into the mouth of each jar. If you do not have enough funnels for each jar, you can use the same funnel for all of them. Simply fill one jar before removing the funnel and using it to fill the next.
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Pour the sauce into the jars. Use a large ladle to make the process cleaner and easier. Fill the jars, leaving only 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) of headspace or empty space at the top of each jar.
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Add lemon juice to each jar. Stir in 2 Tbsp (60 ml) of lemon juice into each of the three quart-size jars of tomato sauce. Lemon juice is a strong natural preservative and will keep your tomato sauce from spoiling more effectively.
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Screw the lids onto the jars. Make sure that the lids are tightly secured, but avoid over-tightening them since doing so may cause the lids to pop off their tracks. Wipe away any excess tomato sauce with a clean, dry towel.
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Place the jars inside of a boiling-water canner. Make sure that they are well positioned so that they do not slide around or strike against each other. Fill the canner with enough water to completely cover the jars with at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water. Bring the water to a boil before you start the time.
- Alternatively, you can use a clean stockpot to boil the jars, as well. You may need to place a rack or a dish towel into the bottom of the pot to prevent the jars from sliding around, however.
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Cover the canner and boil until the jars are sealed. [3] X Trustworthy Source National Center for Home Food Preservation Publicly-funded center dedicated to educating consumers about research-backed safety practices for preserving food Go to source The amount of time you need to boil the jars for will vary depending on the altitude you live at.
- Boil for 40 minutes if you are at an altitude of 1000 feet (304.8 m) or less.
- Boil for 45 minutes at an altitude between 1,000 feet (304.8 m) and 3000 feet (304.8 m and 914.4 m).
- Boil for 50 minutes at altitudes between 3000 and 6000 feet (914.4 m and 1.82 km).
- Boil for 55 minutes at altitudes above 6000 feet (1.82 km).
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Remove the jars with jar tongs. Allow them to dry and cool in a draft-free area overnight. Do not let the jars touch as they cool.
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Check the seal. Press the center "button" on each lid. If it does not move, the jars are sealed. If it moves up and down or makes a popping sound, the jars have not sealed. You will need to reheat the contents of the jar before attempting to can them again.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionCan the sauce be made a few days in advance and reheated for canning?Community AnswerYes, as long as there isn't anything solid inside (onions and such) and it's kept in a cool place, like the fridge or the freezer. Basil or other leave condiments can be left inside and won't get too soggy.
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QuestionI made homemade sauce cooked with Italian hot sausage. Can I can it with the meat without refrigerating it?Community AnswerNo. Meat should always be refrigerated after it has been cooked. Otherwise, bacteria could begin to grow in it.
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QuestionCanI put my hot sauce in a jar right away? Or do I have to wait?MinimistCommunity AnswerIt's perfectly fine to put hot sauce in a jar, as long as it isn't made of materials that would melt, such as plastic. Keep in mind that this may cause the sauce to become more watery though, because the steam will be trapped inside the jar and end of flowing back into your sauce, instead of evaporating.
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Warnings
- Do not use metal cans to can your tomato sauce. The acidity in the tomatoes can cause the metal to bleed a potentially harmful chemical called BPA into the sauce. Only use glass canning jars to can your sauce.Thanks
- Do not attempt to simply re-can the sauce if the jars do not seal the first time. In order to make sure that the contents are safe, they need to be brought up to boiling again. Alternatively, you can keep the tomato sauce in your refrigerator and use it within a week instead of going through the process again.Thanks
- Make sure you start with clean supplies. Bacteria from dirty supplies could get into your sauce, growing into something heinous as the sauce sits.Thanks
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Things You’ll Need
- Three quart-size (liter-size) glass canning jars with lids
- Large stockpot
- Jar tongs
- Water canner
- Bowl of ice water
- Clean towels
- Sharp knife
- Jar funnel
References
About This Article
Article Summary
X
To can tomato sauce, start by washing your glass jars in hot water with detergent. Then, sterilize the jars in boiling water for 15 minutes before removing them with tongs and leaving them to dry. Next, fill the jars with tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to preserve the sauce, making sure to leave 1/4 of an inch at the top of each jar. Afterwards, close the lids, and boil the jars in a stock pot for 40 minutes to seal them. Finally, let the jars cool overnight before storing them. To learn how to make your own tomato sauce, keep reading!
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Reader Success Stories
- "I was worried that I needed to have all the fancy doodads in order to can sauce, but these instructions allowed me to go through the process with ease. Very straightforward and simple to follow. I didn't use the recipe, just the canning instructions." ..." more
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"I was worried that I needed to have all the fancy doodads in order to can sauce, but these instructions allowed me to go through the process with ease. Very straightforward and simple to follow. I didn't use the recipe, just the canning instructions."
..."
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