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The Best Tomato Pasta Sauce For Canning

How to Can Tomato Sauce

This is the best tomato pasta sauce for canning! Follow this delicious recipe and learn how to can your own fresh, homemade tomato sauce.

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It’s tomato season, the time of year when you can find juicy, ripe tomatoes everywhere. Whether you shop at the farmer’s market or grow your own fresh garden tomatoes, nothing beats that straight off the vine taste.

There’s a good reason grocery store tomatoes can’t compete. Sun-ripened tomatoes just have so much flavour!

My favourite use for all this produce is to make a fresh tomato pasta sauce. This basic tomato sauce is a great way to use that abundance of tomatoes you have growing in your garden.

The chopping takes a bit of work, but the combination of fresh tomatoes, fresh herbs, and other fresh produce, creates a rich flavour you just can’t replicate with store bought. We also love to make this homemade salsa recipe which is great if you have a few leftover tomatoes!

roma tomatoes

The best tomatoes for sauce:

There are many types of tomatoes, but Roma tomatoes, sometimes called plum tomatoes,  are absolutely perfect for creating sauces and soups. They are very “meaty”, meaning there is a lot of tomato “flesh” and not as much water as other varieties that are often just filled with seeds and tomato juice.

I also like to make freezer spaghetti sauce for easy weeknight meals! So if you want to skip the canning, be sure to check out that recipe.

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Canning Pasta Sauce

Basic Canning Supplies:

Ingredients:

  • 10 lbs roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 1 large white onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Canning Pasta Sauce

How to Can Tomato Sauce:

1. Dice and chop up all of the vegetables and put them into a large stock pot.

Canning Pasta Sauce

2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Canning Pasta Sauce

3. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool for 10 minutes.

Canning Pasta Sauce

5. Use the immersion blender to mix the sauce to your desired consistency.

6. Using a ladle and funnel, pour the mixture into sterilized jars leaving 1 inch of head space from the rim.

7. Wipe the rims of the jars clean with a damp paper towel.

8. Seal with snap lids and rings.

9. Fill the processor half full of water and bring it to a boil.

10. Place the jars in the processor, making sure that they are covered in water and process at a boil for 20 minutes.

11. Remove jars from the canner with a jar lifter and place them on a towel on the counter to seal. Snap lids will “pop” and be indented when the cans have sealed.

12. Mark with the date and contents.

13. Once cooled, store in a cool dark place.

Canning Pasta Sauce

Trips and tricks:

  • Be sure to check out my Complete Guide to Canning for all of the tips and tricks to get started with the process of canning.
  • For an extra smooth sauce with fewer seeds, use a food mill or food processor. A potato masher works very well for a chunky sauce.
  • You can saute onions before adding them to your pot.
  • This easy recipe for a simple marinara sauce is the perfect way to use up other vegetables you may have. Try shredded zucchini or chopped red bell pepper.
  • Roasted tomatoes have a uniquely delicious flavour. Make roasted tomato sauce by spreading whole tomatoes out on a sheet pan and cooking for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F before dicing.
  • If you don’t enjoy tomato skins in your sauce, blanch them first to remove it. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add tomatoes and cook for just 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a large bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Now the skins will peel off easily.
campfire spaghetti bake recipe

What to serve with tomato sauce:

  • We take a jar of this camping to make this delicious Campfire Spaghetti Bake!
  • A glass of red wine pairs perfectly with a plate of pasta smothered in homemade spaghetti sauce.
  • For meat lovers, cook up some ground beef, then add in your red sauce.
  • Sprinkle your meal with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes for a little extra kick. Finish the plate with a garnish of fresh basil leaves.
  • This homemade marinara sauce makes a great pizza sauce too!

Next time you want to whip up one of your favourite pasta recipes, just head to your pantry and pull out a jar of this homemade tomato sauce, and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Easy Canning Recipes:

If you love this tomato pasta sauce, please give it a five star review and help me share it on Facebook or Pinterest so that others can enjoy it too!

Canning Tomato Pasta Sauce

Canning Pasta Sauce

Yield: 6 Quarts
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

This is the best tomato pasta sauce for canning! Follow this delicious recipe and learn how to can your own fresh, homemade tomato sauce.

Ingredients

  • 10 lbs roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 1 large white onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Dice and chop up all of the vegetables and put them into a large stock pot.

2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

3. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool for 10 minutes.

5. Use the immersion blender to mix the sauce to your desired consistency.

6. Using a ladle and funnel, pour the mixture into sterilized jars leaving 1 inch of head space from the rim.

7. Wipe the rims of the jars clean with a damp paper towel.

8. Seal with snap lids and rings.

9. Fill the processor half full of water and bring it to a boil.

10. Place the jars in the processor, making sure that they are covered in water and process at a boil for 20 minutes.

11. Remove jars from the canner with a jar lifter and place them on a towel on the counter to seal. Snap lids will “pop” and be indented when the cans have sealed.

12. Mark with the date and contents.

13. Once cooled, store in a cool dark place.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 73Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 42mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 3g

All values are approximate and based on ingredients used by the recipe writer. Always calculate your own individual nutritional values for the most accurate calculation.

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about heather

Hello, I’m Heather!

I'm an active mom of twin boys who is always looking for opportunities to inspire creativity through fun crafts, do-it-yourself projects and delicious recipes. This blog has been an integral part of supporting my little family and I am so grateful to have you become a part of our journey! Let's create together... Read more...

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Do you know what the pH is for this sauce? Just wanting to know if it is safe to can in a boiling water bath, or if pressure canning is needed.

I would like to try this, you do not need to peel the tomotoes? Thanks!

I was looking for a recipe that used some carrot and celery, and found this one! However, I noticed a few things that might have been a typo: headspace (other recipes call for 1/2”), lack of acidification, and process time (most other recipes call for 35-45 minutes depending on jar size and altitude). Have you made this recipe before and was it shelf stable for a year?

Just another follow up: the recipe calls for 10 lb tomatoes to yield 6 quarts. I usually used metric, so I’ll show my math that way:

1 qt = 1 L = 1 kg of water (or tomatoes)

Assuming all of the other ingredients add up to about a kg, wouldn’t starting with just 4.5 kg of tomatoes make a very thin sauce? The total mass of all ingredients is only 5.5 kg, which might barely fill the 6 quart jars.