This is my pasta/marinara sauce recipe. This recipe can be used for canning.
Who doesn't love a great marinara/pasta sauce? We do use our sauce for everything including pizza and dipping. My fam isn't crazy about chunks of tomatoes in their food.
This recipe is the reason for the Tomato Basil Garlic Salt that I also have posted. So if you're seeing this first... I don't think I've met a tomato I didn't like. Family and friends always had them in their gardens and I knew I would one day have them in mine. Summer just wouldn't be the same without fresh maters! All their beautiful colors and shapes.... I love them in salads, on sandwiches, in soups, on eggs, as salsa, pretty much anything and sometimes right off the vine. In the previous years that we have been growing tomatoes I only saved them by making and freezing salsa and pasta sauce. I usually only can green beans, mainly due to the work involved. This year I wanted to do more! I wanted to try new ways and save freezer space! We almost never have room for the big birthday ice cream cakes we get a couple of times a year. Meat sale buys are like a game of jenga! We are also trying to be more aware of the foods we eat, where they come from and save money. So if any of that sounds like you than this is for you! I have taken many many pics and videos of food that I have made and somehow this is the only picture of my spaghetti with sauce that I could find.
Angela's Homemade Pasta Sauce
Ingredients:
You're going to need an oven (broiling function needed), a food processor or a blender, a large stockpot, and your canning supplies if you're going to can this. This recipe makes approx 10 pints/5 quarts. You will have time to get your canner ready after you broil the tomatoes.
About 16 pounds (14 cups) of tomatoes. We mainly grow and use Romas, Amish Paste and a variety of cherry type tomatoes. You can use what you like but I love Romas. Some varieties are more watery than others so you may need to add more paste.
3 medium bell peppers, chopped, color doesn't matter to us we just use what we have
3 medium onions, chopped, we usually grow white and red
2 to 3 cans of tomato paste (6oz) whichever brand you prefer
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp canning salt, you can use other salt if you are NOT going to can this sauce
2 tbsp minced garlic, fresh is best but we have used store bought as well
2 tbsp dried basil
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 to 2 bay leaves
1 to 2 tsp dried parsley, sometimes we use it sometimes we don't
1 to 2 cups store bought lemon juice for the canning jars
REMEMBER this is a recipe designed for safe canning... If you are not going to can it, you can use fresh herbs and lightly sauté your veggies with oil and all that stuff. I absolutely do all those things on a normal basis.
Directions:
The most time-consuming part of this recipe is prepping the tomatoes and removing the skins. Some people like the bath/ice method but as stated above we are always low on freezer space and do not have room for random big bags of ice. In my opinion this is the quickest way to remove the skins.
Turn on the broiler function of your oven. If you use that as a storage area, make sure you take all the pans out first! We can adjust the temp on ours, so I went to 450F. If you have a broiler with high/low function and you aren't familiar with it, I would go with low to start. I also moved the rack I would be using to the highest space under the broiler.
Wash up your tomatoes. Cut off any bad spots and slice the tomatoes in half. You can leave the seeds in if you want. They will blend well in the sauce and leaving them in saves time.
Place the tomatoes cut side down on an ungreased baking sheet or baking pan.
I would use something with a lip especially if you leave the seeds in because juices will be generated.
Broil the tomatoes just until the skins start to blister. About 5 minutes or so. You don't want to cook or burn them. You just need them to be able to slide off the tomatoes. I had a few get crispy and I just threw them in the food processor with the whole tomatoes.
Very carefully separate the skins from the rest of the tomato and discard them OR save the skins and make my Tomato Basil Garlic Salt. Place the rest of the tomatoes in your food processor. It will take a couple of batches to get them all done depending on the size of your food processor. I think it is easier to start with a smooth consistency than to try and achieve one later. I hardly use our immersion blender so it's always in the back of the cabinet. The tomatoes will be HOT. I used a pair of tongs to remove most of my skins.
Repeat the broiling and skinning process until all your tomatoes are done.
Whewwwwww you still with us!!!! Hard part is over!! If you are CANNING and you do not have your canner ready yet. This is the time when I would start heating up your canner.
You can even throw the onions and peppers in the food processor to save more time and why wouldn't you? You already have it out....
Combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the lemon juice in your stock pot on medium to high heat and bring them to a boil. Stir it, love it, and get it all mixed up. If your sauce is more on the thin side you can add that third can of tomato paste. If you use romas you should be good.
Reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour.. Simmer is just below a boil..medium heat. If you didn't use the food processor, now is the time to get out that immersion blender and smooth it all up.
IF YOU ARE NOT CANNING, you could now add your meat and finish cooking and serve.
IF YOU ARE CANNING.... KEEP GOING WE ARE IN THE HOME STRETCH
Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice to each pint jar OR 2 tbsp to each quart jar
Pour your sauce into the jars leaving a 1/2 inch of head space. Wipe your jar rims. I use a paper towel dipped in vinegar on mine just because that's what I do for all my other canning.
Put your lids and rings on, hand tight
Water Bath process your pints for 30/35 min and 40 min for quarts
Weight Gauge Pressure Canner it seems the concensus is 20 min at 10 PSI
After elapsed time for processing be sure to let your canner cool down before opening. Remove your jars with care and let them sit overnight. Make sure your lids are sealed. Take the rings off and wipe down the jars. Label them up! Should be good for up to a year! Once opened you should use asap and refrigerate any leftovers. I would say this recipe should also freeze well.
Thanks for making it to the end. Did you taste test some before you canned it?? What did you think? Are you as excited as we were?? When you try this let us know.