Description

This basic meatless spaghetti sauce recipe combines fresh tomatoes, sautéed vegetables, and aromatic herbs to create a rich, flavorful sauce perfect for pasta. It involves blanching and peeling fresh tomatoes, simmering the sauce until thickened, and canning the sauce for long-term storage.

Ingredients

Scale

Main Ingredients

30 lbs tomatoes
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup bell peppers (or celery), diced
1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced

Seasonings and Oil

2 tbsp dried oregano
4 tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp ground black pepper
4 ½ tsp salt
¼ cup olive oil (or vegetable oil)
¼ cup brown sugar (optional)

Instructions

Prepare Tomatoes: Wash the tomatoes thoroughly, then dip them in boiling water for 30-40 seconds or until the skins split and pucker. Immediately transfer the tomatoes to cold water or an ice bath. Remove and peel off the skins.
Core and Boil Tomatoes: Core and quarter the peeled tomatoes. Place them in a large, uncovered saucepan and boil for 20 minutes. After boiling, run the tomatoes through a sieve or food mill to create a smooth tomato base.
Sauté Vegetables: In a large skillet or pan, heat the olive oil (or vegetable oil) over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, diced celery or bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, and minced garlic. Sauté until the vegetables are tender and fragrant.
Combine and Simmer: Add the sautéed vegetables to the tomato base. Stir in the dried oregano, parsley, ground black pepper, salt, and brown sugar if using. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Continue until the sauce has thickened and reduced by about half.
Prepare Canning Equipment: While the sauce cooks, prepare a pressure canner along with sterilized jars, lids, and rings for hot packing the sauce.
Fill Jars: Once the sauce is ready, fill hot sterilized jars with the sauce, leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top.
Seal Jars: Wipe the rims of the jars clean of any food particles. Place lids and bands on the jars and tighten until fingertip tight.
Load Canner: Load the jars securely into the pressure canner.
Vent Canner: Turn heat to high and allow steam to vent from the canner for 10 minutes to remove air.
Process Jars: Place the weight on the vent and process jars at 11 lbs pressure for a dial gauge canner or 10 lbs for a weighted gauge canner. Process pint jars for 20 minutes and quart jars for 25 minutes. Adjust pressure for altitude as necessary.
Depressurize: When processing time ends, allow the canner to depressurize naturally without opening the vent or lid.
Cool and Store: Carefully remove jars from the canner and place them on a cooling rack or towel. Let them cool undisturbed for 12 hours. Check seals before storing the jars in a cool, dark place.

Notes

Blanching tomatoes makes peeling easier and helps improve sauce texture.
Using fresh herbs can enhance flavor, but dried herbs are convenient and effective.
Brown sugar is optional to balance acidity, adjust to taste.
Stir the sauce often during simmering to prevent it from burning on the bottom.
Ensure jars and lids are sterilized to avoid contamination during canning.
Altitude affects pressure and processing time for canning — adjust accordingly.
This sauce is meat-free but very versatile to add meat or other ingredients if desired later.

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Category: Sauce
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: basic spaghetti sauce, meatless spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce recipe, homemade pasta sauce, canned spaghetti sauce