Homemade Spaghetti Sauce - printable recipe

We've been making spaghetti 

sauce over the last few days. 

It's SO good!

I know this is normally a summer activity 

for most gardeners, but cooking & canning 

all day doesn't appeal to me while I'm melting 

in the warmer weather. So I throw all my 

tomatoes in the freezer and wait for 'wood stove' 

cooking season.

With the latest cold front bringing in this chilly 

weather, mid-November, it appears the season 

has arrived!

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

(printable recipe)

½ bushel of tomatoes (more or less)

½  cup olive oil

6 - 8 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon salt

pinch of black pepper

8 - 10 ounces tomato paste

¼ - ½ cup sugar

¼ cup oregano

¼ cup parsley

¼ cup basil

1 cup zucchini, shredded (optional)

1. peel tomatoes

2. puree tomatoes in blender/food processor 

    for a thinner sauce

    OR mash them if you like a chunky sauce.

3. In a large pot (at least 10 quart) cook garlic in oil.

4. when garlic is tender, add tomatoes and 

    remaining ingredients.

5. IMPORTANT- taste periodically. 

6. Boil until sauce cooks down to desired thickness.

notes:

1. Paste tomatoes such as Roma or Amish have higher

levels of sugar and acids along with less moisture,

making them a better tomato to "cook down" than other 

tomatoes. They are sometimes called sauce tomatoes.

If using only sauce tomatoes, start with less sugar

than listed above.

Personally, I use whatever tomatoes I have on hand,

(Roma, Amish, Beefsteak, even Large Red Cherry) and

just adjust the seasonings as they're cooking.

2. To easily peel tomatoes, dip in boiling water for 

about 30 seconds or until skins begin to crack.

This is the personal recipe of Maria Matter @ Five Simple Things.

If canning, when your sauce reaches your desired

thickness, pour hot into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch [6mm]

head space. Process pint jars 30 minutes in boiling 

water bath.

one more note:

As I mentioned above, I put my fresh tomatoes

in the freezer until I'm ready to process them.

I core them first and cut off any bad spots, then

fill up a freezer bag, removing as much air as

possible.  

When you remove them from the freezer, place

them in a colander in the sink. As they start to

thaw, some of the water will drain reducing your

cooking time and the skins will crack on their own

eliminating the need to dip in boiling water. Let

them continue to drain for a while longer after 

peeling.

If you've never made your own sauce, I encourage

you to give it a try and I would be happy to answer 

any questions you may have.

Enjoy! 

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