What’s bright red and goes with almost everything?
A tomato!
And once you learn how to can tomato sauce, you can have it all year long.
This versatile recipe can help you make thin sauce (perfect for marinades and soup starters) or thick sauce (for noodle-based dishes).
It also contains no salt or herbs, so you can modify it when you’re cooking.
Easy Recipe for Canning Tomato Sauce With a Water Bath Canner
Tomatoes are safe to can in a water bath as long as you follow the directions very carefully.
I recommend reading this recipe from start to finish before you get started, so you don’t miss anything.
Equipment Needed
- Sharp knife
- Stainless steel pan
- Potato masher
- Food mill
- Ladle
- Canning funnel
- Pint jars
- Lids
- Rings
- Lid lifter
- Jar lifter
- Water canner with lid
Ingredients
- Tomatoes (21 pounds for nine pint jars)
- Bottled lemon juice (1 tablespoon per pint jar)
Step 1: Select Your Tomatoes
Tomato sauce starts as tomato juice. For the best results, use tomatoes made specifically for canning projects. Typically, that means using Roma tomatoes.
Roma tomatoes have a lot of meat for juices and sauces. Their skins slip right off, too. Choosing Romas could make your job a lot easier. However, in a pinch, you could use standard tomatoes like these guys.
Get as many tomatoes as you can. For a full load of nine pint jars, you’ll need about 21 pounds of tomatoes.
Step 2: Wash Your Tomatoes
Rinse all of your tomatoes in very warm water, and use your fingers to remove any dirt and debris.
You’ll remove the skins as part of the canning process, but washing ensures you don’t contaminate your sauce with bits that shouldn’t be there.
Step 3: Core Your Tomatoes
With a very sharp knife, cut the core out of each tomato. Cut straight down into the tomato and cut around the stem that once held the tomato to the plant.
The core is a bitter part of a tomato, and it doesn’t break down easily during the cooking process. By removing it, you’ll make the saucing process move a little quicker.
Step 4: Chop Your Tomatoes
With your sharp knife, dice your tomatoes and place them in a stainless steel saucepan.
When you have enough to cover the bottom of the pan, use your potato masher to squish them and release some juices.
Bring to a boil.
By crushing the bottom layer of tomatoes, you’ll speed up the cooking process (and get yourself out of the kitchen a little quicker).
Add the rest of your chopped tomatoes on top while keeping the mixture at a boil. Keep stirring when you add new pieces to ensure the bits on the bottom don’t stick.
Step 5: Cook Your Tomatoes
When all of your tomatoes are in the pot, simmer them for 5 minutes. This step ensures that your tomatoes are cooked through, and it will help the skins to slide off your fruit.
Step 6: Separate Your Tomatoes
Place a food mill over a collection bowl. I use a saucepan, as I can grab the handles of the mill and the pan at the same time as I work.
With your ladle, spoon the tomatoes from your pan into the food mill. Turn the crank until the mill holds only skins and seeds. The juice will collect below.
Repeat until you’ve processed all of the tomatoes from the pan and collected the juice. Discard the skins and seeds.
Step 7: Simmer the Juice
Place your collected juice in your stainless steel pan and boil until it’s at your desired consistency.
If you’d like a thin sauce, reduce the volume by about a third. If you want a thicker sauce, reduce the volume by about half.
Step 8: Prepare Your Jars and Lids
While your juice simmers, get your jars ready.
Inspect your jars for cracks, chips, and damage that could keep them from sealing properly. Place your approved jars in your canner, fill with water, and bring them to a simmer.
Place your lids in a saucepan and cover with water. Turn the burner on low and leave the lids in place.
This step ensures the adhesive is ready to activate when it’s time to process.
Step 9: Acidify Your Sauce
Tomatoes are low in acid. Foods like this can harbor bacteria when they’re processed in a water canner.
Acidification can help, as a shift in pH makes food bacterial spores easier to kill. For tomato sauce, you’ll add the acid directly to the jars before you fill them.
With your jar lifter, remove your jars from the canner. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice to each jar.
Step 10: Fill Your Jars
With your jar funnel and ladle, spoon sauce into each jar. Leave ¼ inch of room at the top of each jar for the sauce to expand as it cooks.
Dampen a paper towel, and wipe down the top of every jar to remove any sauce splashed there. Debris can keep your jars from sealing tight.
With your lid lifter, pull the lids out of the water. Place one on each jar and affix with a ring.
Screw down that ring until the lid is firmly in place, but down screw down the lid so hard that the lid is warped or buckling.
Step 11: Process Your Sauce
Place each jar in your canner, and ensure each one is covered with an inch of boiling water. Put the lid on the canner.
Process your pint jars for 35 minutes. Adjust for your elevation as needed.
When your time is up, take the lid off the canner and turn off the heat. Leave the jars in place for 5 minutes to allow the pressure to stabilize.
Step 12: Let Your Jars Cool
With your jar lifter, carefully remove your tomatoes from their water bath.
Place them on a wooden cutting board or towel. (Don’t put them on something very cold, like a marble countertop, or the jars might shatter or crack.)
I like to rest jars on a lazy Susan. This allows me to rotate the jars to look at them as they cool without moving them or picking them up.
Leave your jars undisturbed for 24 hours. During this time, you may hear them hiss or pop as the lids affix.
Resist the urge to help them by pressing on them or moving them. If you’ve followed every step properly, they’ll seal in no time.
Step 13: Label and Store
After 24 hours, check the seal on each jar. Remove the ring, and with your finger, press down on the lid. It shouldn’t move or pop beneath your fingers or slide around.
Write the date on each jar.
Tomato products are shelf-stable, but they need protection to maintain their vitamin punch.
As much as you may want to decorate your kitchen with your pretty jars, keep them in a dark and cool space (like your basement).
How Long Does Canned Tomato Sauce Last?
The USDA says any home-canned products (including your amazing tomato sauce) should be eaten within about a year.
At this point, properly canned products are still safe to eat while retaining their ideal flavor.
Some people eat home canned foods they’ve retained for more than a year. I’m not one of them.
I rotate my canned items regularly, and I always eat things before they hit their first birthday.
This method ensures I’m eating things at their peak.
Ideas for Using Canned Tomato Sauce
Tomato sauce is remarkably versatile, and there are so many amazing things you can do with it. These ideas can get your creative (tomato) juices flowing:
- Add herbs, salt, and garlic for a quick pasta sauce.
- Boil down to make tomato paste.
- Add to any kind of ground meat and simmer for a tasty meal.
- Scramble eggs and mix with sauce for a healthy breakfast.
- Add a layer to grilled cheese sandwiches.
- Add ricotta to make a lighter sauce for pasta.
- Add beans and simmer. Mix with peppers for a spicy supper.
- Pour over steamed vegetables and serve with rice.
- Steam seafood (like clams or shrimp) and mix with tomato sauce.
Equipment
- 1 Ladle
Ingredients
- 21 lbs Roma tomatoes (or other canning tomatoes)
- 1 Tbsp Bottled lemon juice per jar
Instructions
Prepare The Tomatoes
- Select Tomatoes: Use 21 lbs of Roma tomatoes for best results. Romas are meaty and have easy-to-remove skins, making them ideal for sauces.
- Wash Tomatoes: Rinse thoroughly under warm water, removing dirt and debris.
- Core: Use a sharp knife to cut out the cores of the tomatoes, removing the tough stem area.
- Chop and Crush: Dice tomatoes and place a layer in your stainless steel pan. Use a potato masher to crush the bottom layer to release juices.
Cook and Process Tomatoes
- Simmer Tomatoes: Add the rest of the chopped tomatoes to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Simmer for 5 minutes to soften the tomatoes.
- Strain: Use a food mill to remove skins and seeds, collecting the juice in a separate pan. Discard the skins and seeds.
- Simmer Juice: Boil the collected juice until it reaches your desired consistency. Reduce by 1/3 for a thinner sauce or by 1/2 for a thicker sauce.
Prepare Jars and Lids
- Sterilize Jars: Inspect jars for cracks or damage. Place clean jars in your canner, cover with water, and bring to a simmer.
- Warm Lids: Place lids in a saucepan with warm water on low heat to activate the adhesive.
Fill and Seal Jars
- Acidify Jars: Add 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice to each pint jar to ensure proper acidity.
- Fill Jars: Use a funnel to ladle sauce into jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace.
- Remove Air Bubbles: Run a knife or air bubble tool along the jar’s interior to release trapped air.
- Clean Rims and Seal: Wipe rims with a damp paper towel. Place lids on jars and screw rings until fingertip-tight.
Process and Cool Jars
- Process in Canner: Place jars in the water bath canner, ensuring they’re covered by at least 1 inch of water. Process pint jars for 35 minutes, adjusting for altitude if needed.
- Cool: Turn off heat and remove the lid. Let jars rest in the canner for 5 minutes before transferring to a towel. Cool undisturbed for 24 hours.
Inspect and Store
- Check Seals: Press the center of each lid. If it doesn’t flex, the jar is sealed.
- Label and Store: Write the date on each jar. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
Notes
- Tomato Type: Roma tomatoes are recommended, but other varieties can work if they’re ripe and firm.
- Acidification: Always add lemon juice to ensure safe acidity levels.
- Consistency: Adjust simmering time for thinner or thicker sauce as desired.
