I’ve canned spaghetti sauce for a long time, and I’ve tried several different recipes over the years. I’ve tried the ones you find in the Ball canning book. I’ve even tried one where I roasted the tomatoes, onions, and garlic and then pureed everything to make a sauce. But the one I keep coming back to, and the one my sons request the most, is a recipe I received from a cousin. I’ve never put it on my blog, and I keep having to ask her for the recipe because I lose it—so I’m finally remembering to post this so I can quit bugging her!

Her original recipe calls for peeled, cored, and diced tomatoes, and that’s how I’ve done it for years, but this year I decided I wanted to try a smoother tomato sauce base and then continue on with the recipe as written. I’ve decided I like the smoother sauce best, but it’s delicious however you want to prepare it.

For a smoother sauce, wash your tomatoes thoroughly, and place them in a large stockpot. (I had so many tomatoes that I had to use my water bath canner to cook them all.)

If you are using strictly paste-style tomatoes (Roma, San Marzano, etc.), add about a 1/4 cup of water to the stockpot to prevent the tomatoes from sticking when you start to heat them. Turn up the heat and stir occasionally to prevent sticking/scorching. The tomatoes begin to soften and release their juice. Let this cook over medium heat for about an hour or so—time will depend on the kind of tomatoes you are using (paste-type tomatoes usually take longer). Once soft, turn off the heat, and let everything cool slightly before you start to work with them.

After everything has cooled (so that you don’t burn yourself), run all the tomatoes through a food mill to remove the skins, seeds, and cores. I picked up a reasonably priced one on Amazon for less than $30, but there are fancier ones if you prefer. Place all the pressed sauce into a second large stockpot, and continue with the recipe as below.

Spaghetti Sauce for Canning

30 cups of tomatoes, peeled, cored, and diced (can use tomato puree —see instructions above)

6-1/2 to 7 cups diced onions (I usually use 3 large yellow onions)

10 garlic cloves, finely minced (about 1 head of garlic)

2/3 cup olive oil

30 ounces tomato paste

3 tablespoons leaf basil, crumbled

6 whole bay leaves

2 tablespoons salt

6 tablespoons oregano

5 tablespoons leaf thyme

2/3 cup sugar

**Note: If you use fresh herbs instead of dried, double the amount listed above.

Place diced tomatoes (or tomato puree if you use a food mill) in a large stockpot. In another pot, heat the olive oil, and saute diced onions for 5 minutes. Add minced garlic to the onions, and saute for an additional 5 minutes. You want the onions to be soft and translucent, not brown. Stir frequently to prevent scorching – and garlic burns easily, so keep your eye on it. When soft, add the onion mixture to the stockpot with the tomatoes.

Add remaining ingredients to the tomatoes, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. You don’t want it to boil but cook at a nice simmer. Cook until it reaches your desired consistently. This may take several hours depending on the type of tomatoes you use and how thick you like your sauce (I usually cook for about 2-3 hours). If it isn’t thick enough for you, you can add more tomato paste as well. Taste as you cook, and adjust spices and salt as needed.

When finished cooking, remove bay leaves (and other stems if using fresh herbs). Ladle hot sauce into prepared jars. Add lids and adjust rings until just finger tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 45 minutes (quarts) or 35 minutes (pints). Remove from canner to the counter, and let jars sit for at least 12 hours before removing rings. Wash jars and store in a cool, dark place.

Yield will depend on how many tomatoes you do and how thick you make your sauce. I can usually get about 14 pints from this recipe when I use tomato puree. You may get more than that if you use diced tomatoes.

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