Fresh and Simple Tomato Sauce

A quick look at my garden confirms my tomatoes are still going strong. What better way to use up the bountiful harvest than making a fresh and simple tomato sauce?

Last year, my tomatoes didn’t have a great year, It rained the first half of the summer, and they didn’t even start to turn red until late September. I ended up buying sauce at grocery stores and, of course, the organic, high-quality sauce I wanted was super expensive.

This year has been a better produce year overall at Sunny Side Up. I made an epic grape pie with my Concords and several zucchini and squash recipes. My little cherry tomatoes I’m harvesting now are so amazing in salads or even on their own, but my San Marzanos are the star of the show in this deliciously fresh and simple tomato sauce. I’m canning enough up to last for the year, but I’m making it in batches as my tomatoes ripen.

Important Tomato Sauce Tips

I recommend weighing uncut tomatoes on a food scale. Get out your blender to puree the tomatoes and have an extra pan handy because this recipe yields 4 quarts of tomato sauce. If you’re lucky enough to have two stockpots, even better. You’ll be able to make all of your sauce in one pan and use the other stockpot for canning. If your goal is to make only enough sauce for the pasta you’re making for dinner and a little extra, you can cut the recipe in fourths and put your leftover sauce in the fridge to use later in the week. A word of warning: don’t blame me if your head hurts trying to work out the fractions. If you want to save overall time and the fraction headache, make the 4 quarts and either can it or freeze it.

Now, as I mentioned, this recipe has the word simple in it. I assure you it’s about as easy of a homemade tomato sauce you will be able to find. The word canning strikes fear in a lot of hearts. You do not need a pressure cooker or fancy equipment in order to make this sauce, but you will need a large stockpot or one tall enough for water to cover the jar tops if you’re going to can it. You will also need 4 one-quart size clean and sterilized mason jars and their lids and bands, and a trivet or a rack you can put in the bottom of the pan to circulate water flow below the jars. I highly recommend a canning kit like this one, but it’s not absolutely essential. Freezing the sauce is another option and I’ll go over those guidelines shortly.

Fresh and Simple Tomato Sauce Ingredients

To make 4 quarts of this sauce, you will need the following ingredients. Don’t want that much? Halve it or quarter it!

• 10 pounds of tomatoes. I like San Marzano for sauce but Roma tomatoes are another option.
• 1 1/3 yellow or white onions.
• 1/3 cup dried basil
• 8 teaspoons honey
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground lemon peel
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2/3 teaspoon pepper
• 2/3 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

NOTE: If you are going to can the sauce, you MUST use dried seasonings, not fresh and you cannot add any fresh vegetables like peppers or mushrooms with the exception of the onions. Fresh herbs, vegetables and seasonings will alter the pH level of the sauce when it’s processed, which will not make it safe to eat. You are able to add fresh herbs and vegetables if you prefer to freeze the sauce or serve it fresh.

How to Make the Tomato Sauce

• Soften the onions in a large pot with NO OIL added. This is very important.

• Wash and de-stem the tomatoes and then cut them in thirds or fourths.
• Puree the tomatoes in batches and then add the tomatoes to the pans, followed by all the seasonings. No need to seed those tomatoes!

• Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 to 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

If this is dinner sauce and you’ve cut the recipe down, you’re done and can serve it right away. Any extra sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for a week to use for another meal. If you want to can sauce, continue with the canning instructions below.

To Can the Sauce

1. Add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid to each clean and sterilized quart jar, half this amount to pint jars.
2. Ladle the sauce into the jars, leaving 1/2″ of headspace at the top of each jar.
3. Put the lid and band on the jars, tightening the bands until just tight.
4. Put the jars a stockpot filled about three-quarters full of boiling water and boil for 35 minutes. Four jars fit in my stockpot and the weight of the jars got the water level to rise over the jars, which it needs to do.
5. Turn off the heat, remove the jars and let them cool on a kitchen towel on your countertop. If processed correctly, you’ll hear a popping sound as they cool and the lid will be flat with no “bubble” at the top.

To Freeze the Sauce

1. As you’re cooking the sauce, you can safely add fresh vegetables, oil, and seasonings.
2. Once the sauce cooks down, remove it from the heat and cool.
3. Pour into freezer-safe containers once cooled. I prefer glass Mason jars to plastic zip bags but regardless, make sure the sauce is room temp before putting them in the freezer.

I love serving this fresh and simple tomato sauce over fresh pasta with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan. It’s easy to make and you won’t find anything that tastes better than a sauce you make yourself. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!