This is another Ball recipe, this time from The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving. With my bumper crop of tomatoes, I’ve been on the hunt for some easy-to-fix dinner ideas, and this sauce definitely fits the bill. I’ll be able to throw some chicken in the Crockpot or InstaPot and open a jar of this sauce, and dinner will be ready in half an hour – definitely a plus in my book when I’m too tired to cook but still want a hot meal. Since “cacciatore” traditionally means “hunter’s stew,” I imagine that any type of meat you want, whether chicken, pork, or even game meat, would taste good smothered in this sauce.

If you think this sounds similar to a spaghetti sauce, you’re right. However, I don’t add red peppers, mushrooms, wine, or red pepper flakes to my spaghetti sauce (though I sometimes do after I open a jar to make a meal), so these jars have everything already included – meaning an even faster prep time for me.

Cacciatore Simmer Sauce

12 pounds tomatoes

1-1/2 cups diced onion (about 2 medium)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup diced baby portobello mushrooms

1/2 cup dry red or dry white wine (I used red)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper (optional)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon citric acid**

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash tomatoes; pat dry with paper towels. Cut tomatoes in halves or quarters to make uniform-sized pieces. Arrange pieces in a single layer on large baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until very soft and beginning to brown. Cool. (Note: My tomatoes didn’t take nearly this long, so keep an eye on yours as your oven may be different).

Place onion, red bell pepper, and mushrooms in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or just until beginning to brown. Transfer onion mixture to a 6-quart stainless steel or enameled Dutch oven.

Remove skins and seeds from tomatoes by pressing through a food mill into Dutch oven. Discard skins and seeds.

Stir in wine and next 7 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Stir in citric acid. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Ladle hot sauce into a hot jar, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band and adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.

Process pints for 40 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat; remove lid and let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool. Test lids for seal after 12 hours.

**1/4 cup bottled lemon juice may be substituted for citric acid.

Yield: 4 pints

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