This is my favorite "all-purpose" tomato sauce.

Spaghetti Sauce (Chunky Basil Pasta Sauce)

he recipe comes from Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard. This makes 8 cups.

Ingredients

8 cups (2 L) coarsely chopped peeled tomatoes -- (about 9-12 tomatoes or 4 lb/2 kg)
1 cup chopped onion -- (250 mL)
3 cloves garlic -- minced
â cup red wine -- (150 mL)
â cup red wine vinegar (5 % strength) -- (75 mL)
½ cup chopped fresh basil -- (125 mL)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley -- (15 mL)
1 teaspoon pickling salt -- (5 mL)
½ teaspoon granulated sugar -- (2 mL)
1 6-oz/156 mL) can tomato paste

Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, wine, vinegar, basil, parsley, salt, sugar and tomato paste in a very large non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until mixture reaches desired consistency, stirring frequently.

If canning, remove hot jars from canner and ladle sauce into jars to within ½ inch (1 cm) of rim (head space). Process 35 minutes for pint (500 mL) jars and 40 minutes for quart (1 L) jars in a BWB.

Hints, tips, tricks and how to cheat
If the sauce is too tart, add a tablespoon of sugar or grape jam. If you are not canning the sauce, try omitting the vinegar and upping the red wine to 1 cup total. Use a wine you like to drink. I have used white wines before as well as white zinfandel. Red wines that work well are Black Opal Merlot, Little Penquin Merlot, Yellow Tail Merlot, Marcus James Merlot, Swedish Hill Svenka Red. The sauce also freezes nicely.

Balsamic vinegar can also add a bit of character

Good idea! I've never experimented with different vinegars. Never canned with wine, either. Thanks!

I made this tomato sauce from Small-Batch Preserving (same book booberry used, different recipe - I'll have to try the other one this year) and I love it. Fortunately I made several batches because I have used it on pizzas, in pasta sauce, in casseroles, in soups.... itÂs main function though has been as a pizza sauce. I make pizza about twice a month and this sauce has been wonderful for it. I will definitely be making it again.

Seasoned Tomato Sauce

12 cups chopped ripe tomatoes (about 5 lb.)
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp chooped fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
2 tsp granulated sugar
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt

Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, sugar, pepper, and bay leaves in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, until very thich, about 1 ¼ hours, stir frequently Add lemon juice and salt.

Remove hot jars from canner and ladle sauce into jars to within ½ inch of rim. Process 35 minute for half-pint or pint jars.

Makes about 4 cups.

Variations when using
Combine 2 cup seasoned tomato sauce, ½ tsp each dried oregano, dried basil, and dried parsley, and 1 clove crushed garlic.

One question: when it calls for chopped ripe tomatoes, do you remove the peels and seeds? Drain the juice? I'm never quite sure how to measure tomatoes.

Thanks,
Julie

I peel the tomatoes but some people don't mind the skins and leave them in. You do have to be extra-careful the tomatoes are clean.

Also, it depends on whether you're canning the sauce chunky or puréeing it first. If you're running it through a food mill, then you may not want to skin the tomatoes because the food mill will strain the peels out.

Seeds can add a bitterness which some find unappetizing. Again, you can leave them in or thumb out the goo, which will take care of the majority of the seeds and help the sauce get thicker faster. It's a personal choice. It also depends on the variety of the tomato and how meaty it is.

As you can see, it's pretty much up to you as to how you choose to approach the recipe, but I'd say blanching and peeling is definitely the choice of the majority.

Carol

Unless you like those little rolled up red twigs in your tomato sauces, they should be removed. The seeds also tend to give off a bitter taste. If you want to use larger sized pieces of tomatoes, a quick dip in boiling water will loosen the skins and they fall off easily. Cutting them open after skin removal and using your thumb to scoop out most of seeds can give you a decent tomato mixture. Plum types tend to offer less liquid and seeds compared to a larger better boy, big boy, early girl, or other similar large round type.

I also peel and seed the tomatoes.

Thanks, everyone! I'm very familiar with peeling tomatoes, but usually for salsa, we toss whole peeled tomatoes in the food processor. Today I tried "thumbing out the goo" for the first time, and it's a good thing I did, because I was trying a different recipe and it came out awfully watery!

When using Romas or another past-type tomato, will there be less "goo" than with a big slicing tomato? And do you remove the whole middle core, or just the seeds and goop?

Not just paste-type tomatoes. There are a number of varieties, particularly among the heirlooms, that are quite meaty.

I do core, but how much you have to remove again depends upon the variety. Last year I used a giant white heirloom tomato in my canning (amongst others). It had great flavor but a very pronounced core. I had to do a lot more cutting.

Carol

The big round tomatoes tend to have many cavites all of which are filled with liquid and seeds. In a few of the plum varieties, the insides are nearly dry and the seeds cling to the inner core like peppers. Its more difficult to remove most of the liquid from a big round tomato because its much more watery. This year, I am growing a few tomatoes but don't need any for sauces, just for eating fresh, so plums are not necessary. San Marzano is a great plum type, and I have grown some really big ones here that measure over 6 inches long and 2-3 inches in diameter.

Williams Sonoma has a plastic tomato press ($29) that I've been using for about four years. You blanche your tomatoes in boiling water until the skin breaks (less than a minute), quarter the tomatoes and put them through the press. The skin and seeds go out one side and the puree goes out the other. I put the skin and seeds residue through the press a couple times to get all the puree out of it that I can. I then place the puree in a colander that has a paper towel in the bottom to get rid of some of the excess water. Then place the now thicker puree in tupperware or zip lock bags with basil leaves and put in the freezer. I use this puree in "gravy" for pasta, chili, sloppy joes, etc. If I'm really pressed for time, I take a jar of Barilla marinara sauce and add my puree to it. It gives it a great fresh flavor. I've frozen enough to use as late at April or May.

I am looking for a good spaghetti sauce recipe also - I really do like the consistency of a good thick commercially canned sauce. How do these recipes compare?

Hi Sherry,
This is the recipe for the sauce I make every year, It's very very good.

10 lbs fresh tomatoes (yielding 16 cups puree)
3 tblsp oil
4 cups chopped or diced onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp oregano, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 tblsp plain salt ( non-iodized)
1 tblsp granulated sugar ( I always use more, I like it sweet sometimes 1 cup)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tblsp dried parsley
1 tblsp celery leaves, minced

Prepare tomatoes yielding approx 16 cups of puree.
Saute onions in oil until soft and transulent. Combine with remaining ingredients in heavy saucepan. Simmer 2 hours stirring often until desired consistency. About 15 minutes before it's done I add 1/4 cup of lemon juice.
REMOVE BAY LEAVES.
Pour into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
Wipe jar top and threads, put on bands and rings. Place in water bath canner and bring to gentle boil for 35 minutes.
Should yield 7 pints.
Recipe can be doubled.
Quarts, process in wbc 45 minutes.
If you use all romas the sauce should be thick.
I always use more sugar than called for because I like my sauce sweet and ready to use.
I have alreay canned 40 pints this season. Should last through next summer.

Happy canning
Diane

Hi. I am new to gardening and canning. I am looking for a recipe to make home canned marinara or spaghetti sauce. I read another topic on this site mentioning the importance of approved recipes. What is the rule when it comes to using recipes you find on the web? Is it advisable to use them if there is no official guide cited to show the recipe is tested safe? Thanks Ken