Annie’s Garden Fresh Homemade Tomato Sauce is the ultimate tomato sauce. Have you ever had fresh tomato sauce made with the ripest tomatoes, garlic, onions and herbs cooked to perfection? You are in for a treat! Expect a bright, fruity aroma with a deep sweet caramelized flavor. That is the taste when you make my tomato sauce. You may even hear the words, JUST SKIP THE PASTA AND HAND ME A SPOON!!
So what makes a good tomato sauce? First, start with ripe summer tomatoes at the peak of the season. Use pulpy paste tomatoes (plums) which are less watery. These tomatoes yield more sauce per pound. The result is the freshest and most delicious flavor EVER. Cooking your sauce slowly, allowing the tomatoes to caramelize will create a rich and balanced sauce that is deep and complex. Annie’s Garden Fresh Tomato Sauce will wow family, friends and even the pickiest eaters.
I like to use the freshest spices available for my sauce, including homemade hot pepper flakes, dried basil and oregano, high quality pepper and bay leaves. Homegrown garlic and onions taste the best so if you don’t grow your own, you may want to visit your farmer’s market or local grocery store for something extra special.
My Garden Fresh Homemade Tomato Sauce does require a bit of time to make as opposed to just cracking open a can or jar, but I promise it is worth it! Making a large batch of fantastic tomato sauce which you can freeze, can, refrigerate and enjoy all winter long will win over the bland chocked full of preservative types available for purchase. So go get some tomatoes, start cooking and don’t forget that SPOON!
Sharing this recipe at Weekend Potluck.
Annie's Garden Fresh Homemade Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 23 pounds plum tomatoes can use other paste tomatoes, quartered
- 3 cups onions chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 3 dried bay leaf
- 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper or more to taste
- 2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes see recipe for my hot pepper flakes blend
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt or more to taste
- lemon juice bottled, quantity in canning directions
Instructions
- Cut tomatoes into quarters.
- Add tomatoes to large stock pot and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Cut onions, garlic and measure olive oil.
- Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft.
- Add sauteed vegetables to tomatoes in stock pot and stir. Cook on low heat, simmering tomatoes and vegetables until entire mixture is soft. Approximately 1 hour.
- Strain tomato sauce in food mill, removing skins and seeds. Return to pot.
- Add oregano, basil, bay leaves, hot pepper mix and ground pepper to pot and mix well.
- Simmer tomato sauce on low heat until mixture is thickened to your preference and reduced by half. You can cover to speed up reduction but partially vent by not covering completely. Stir occasionally. Approximately 2-3 hours. Add salt to taste. Let the tomato sauce cool to handle but keep warm.
- If freezing, pour 1 quart of tomato sauce in freezer bag, squeezing out excess air. Freeze bags individually without touching each other until completely frozen before stacking in freezer. This will prevent bags from sticking together when frozen.
- If canning, sterilize canning jars, lids and rings. See Recipe Notes for how to sterilize.
- Ladle warm tomato sauce sauce into warm jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice to quart size jar after filled. Add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice to pint size jar. Wipe rims and add lid and ring.
- Place in canner filled with boiling water. Water should cover jars by 1-2 inches. Process jars for 35 minutes in boiling water bath. Remove jars.
- Cool overnight. Before storing, make sure lids have sealed.
