How to Can Tomato Sauce
This homemade tomato sauce is perfect for canning and is packed with garden-fresh flavor. Using a food mill makes the process simple, removing skins, seeds, and cores for a smooth, classic sauce. Whether you use it for pasta, pizza, or soups, this versatile recipe is a pantry staple you’ll love having on your shelf all year long.
Equipment
- water bath canner
- Canning Tools
- 6 Pint-Sized Jars, Rings, Lids
Ingredients
- 15 lbs tomatoes
- 2 tbsp lemon juice per quart jar
- 1 tsp salt per quart jar (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and quarter fresh tomatoes. Cut any bad spots off.
- Add all the tomatoes to a large pot and cook on medium heat until they have softened, about 20 minutes. Stir often so the tomatoes don't burn.
- Ladle the soft tomatoes into the food mill and process so the skins, core, and seeds are separated. Collect the sauce in one pot and the scraps in another. Discard the scraps into your compost or save them to add to broth or to dehydrate into tomato powder.
- Pour the sauce back into your large pot and simmer until it has reached your desired thickness, 1-2 hours.
- Prepare your water bath canner by adding water, and start to heat the water. Clean the jars and heat them on low in the oven or by rinsing them with hot water so they're hot when you add the hot tomato sauce.
- Add 2 tbsp of lemon juice and the optional 1 tsp of salt to each quart-sized jar (1 tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt for pints).
- Fill hot, clean jars with the hot sauce, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims, apply lids and rings fingertip-tight
- Add the jars to hot water in the canner, and make sure they are covered by 1-2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil. Process in the boiling water for 40 minutes for quarts (35 for pints). Adjust for altitude (see notes).
- Once your timer goes off, turn off the canner and remove the lid. Let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes, then remove the jars using a jar lifter onto a towel and let them sit for 12-24 hours.
- After 12-24 hours, remove the rings and check to make sure the jars are sealed. Store with the rings off for up to 18 months in a cool, dry place. If you have jars that didn't seal, keep the rings on and put them in the fridge to use soon.
Notes
Altitude Adjustment:
- 1,001–3,000 ft → add 5 minutes
- 3,001–6,000 ft → add 10 minutes
- 6,001–8,000 ft → add 15 minutes
- 8,001–10,000 ft → add 20 minutes