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How to Can Tomato Sauce

How to Can Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce is such a handy thing to have in your pantry. You can use it to make anything from sauces to soups and of course, using fresh canned tomatoes will give it the best flavor!

Today I’m going to share how to can tomato sauce with you.

One of my favorite things to grow in our garden are tomatoes.

They are SO easy to grow, but one of the trickiest thing about tomatoes is that when they do start growing, sometimes they literally grow out of control and you will find yourself with more tomatoes than you know what to do with!

If you are looking for ways to use up extra tomatoes this year, then learn how to can tomato sauce, it's so easy!

Early on in our gardening days, I started looking for ways to take advantage of this, and I started to grow my collection of Canning Supplies. If you have intentions of doing more canning in the future, this is a great idea and these are very useful things for years to come. Most importantly, invest in a good Water Bath Canner.

Ball makes a really nice electric water canner that is pretty nice as well. Just remember to select quality canning appliances that will last you though the years, and regardless of what products you use, the directions are pretty simple.

How to Can Tomato Sauce

Ingredients for canning tomato sauce

How to can tomato sauce

Dicing Tomatoes

Step One – Wash the tomatoes well with produce wash. Slice them into pieces that are small enough to go through your sauce maker (I cut mine in quarters).

Saucing Tomatoes

Step Two – Run the tomatoes through the sauce maker following the directions of your model. To get extra pulp, run the scraps back through the sauce maker.

Thickening Tomato Sauce
Step Three – Place the tomato puree in a large stock pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until the sauce begins to cook down and thicken up a bit. The longer you cook your sauce the more it will boil down but the less likely it is to separate in the jars.

Bottling Tomato Sauce
Step Four – Wash your jars thoroughly with warm water and soap. Place the tomato sauce into the jars. You will also need to add your acidic agent at this point. For quarts you need ½ teaspoon citric acid, 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice, or ¼ cup apple cider vinegar per jar. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean towel so that there is no residue on the rims. Begin to warm the water in your water bath canner. You will need enough water to cover all of the lids of the jars.

Step Five – Place the lid and rim on the jar and secure.

Jars in Canner
Step Six – Place the jars of tomato sauce into the canner. Ensure that there is at least 1 inch of water above the lids of the jars. Bring the water to a boil.

Step Seven – Boil the jars in the water bath canner for 30 minutes for pints and 35 minutes for quarts.

Step Eight – Once the time is up. Turn off the heat to the canner and let the water stop boiling. Gently remove the jars with a jar lifter and place on a dry towel on a flat surface. Do not touch the lids of the jars, they should seal on their own within an hour of removing them from the canner.

Tomato Sauce

Note: Times/temps may need to be altered for altitudes. My times are based off 1500 feet above sea level. If any other products are added to the tomato sauce, times and canning procedures may need to be altered. 20 pounds of tomatoes will yield roughly 6 to 7 quarts of tomato sauce or 12 to 14 pints.

It’s such a great feeling to stock your pantry with home canned goods, especially when you find yourself staring blankly into the pantry for a meal idea for your family. There are so many wonderful meal options that can be made with tomato sauce, and I have been so thankful many times to have my canned goods on hand!

And now you know how to can tomato sauce! Will you try making it with your family?

how to can tomato sauce

Print the Recipe for canning tomato sauce

How to Can Tomato Sauce

How to Can Tomato Sauce

If you are wanting to use up tomatoes from your garden, make sure to read this post on how to can tomato sauce. It's so easy and when the winter comes and you are needing tomato sauce, you'll be so glad you did!

Ingredients

  • Water Bath Canner
  • Canning Supplies (lids, rims, jars, jar lifter, etc)
  • Tomatoes
  • Sauce Maker/Food Strainer (this is a nicely priced one that gets great reviews)
  • Acidic agent (ACV, citric acid, or lemon juice)

Instructions

    Step One – Wash the tomatoes well with produce wash. Slice them into pieces that are small enough to go through your sauce maker (I cut mine in quarters).
    Step Two – Run the tomatoes through the sauce maker following the directions of your model. To get extra pulp, run the scraps back through the sauce maker.
    Step Three – Place the tomato puree in a large stock pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until the sauce begins to cook down and thicken up a bit. The longer you cook your sauce the more it will boil down but the less likely it is to separate in the jars.
    Step Four – Wash your jars thoroughly with warm water and soap. Place the tomato sauce into the jars. You will also need to add your acidic agent at this point. For quarts you need ½ teaspoon citric acid, 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice, or ¼ cup apple cider vinegar per jar. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean towel so that there is no residue on the rims. Begin to warm the water in your water bath canner. You will need enough water to cover all of the lids of the jars.
    Step Five – Place the lid and rim on the jar and secure.
    Step Six – Place the jars of tomato sauce into the canner. Ensure that there is at least 1 inch of water above the lids of the jars. Bring the water to a boil.
    Step Seven – Boil the jars in the water bath canner for 30 minutes for pints and 35 minutes for quarts.
    Step Eight – Once the time is up. Turn off the heat to the canner and let the water stop boiling. Gently remove the jars with a jar lifter and place on a dry towel on a flat surface. Do not touch the lids of the jars, they should seal on their own within an hour of removing them from the canner.

Notes

Times/temps may need to be altered for altitudes. My times are based off 1500 feet above sea level. If any other products are added to the tomato sauce, times and canning procedures may need to be altered.

Did you make this recipe?

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Meet the author – Keri Lyn

The creative and frugal mind behind She Saved for over 12 years now, Keri Lyn shares her adventures in parenting along with her love for family travel, country living and brand marketing. A self-proclaimed “brand loyalist”, Keri Lyn is known for her strong and enthusiastic voice when it comes to the products and brands that she loves. She Saved has become a community for like-minded consumers who appreciate saving money, time and sanity by getting the best deals on quality products and experiences.

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5 Comments

  1. I have seen some of the new canning gadgets, but I dont have any experience with them. This takes a lot of the mystery out. Thanks for sharing!

  2. Loved this post!
    I just started canning last year and have had real successful jars and not so successful jars too!
    Thanks for the tips!
    Michelle

  3. Yum, that looks great! Hopefully I’ll have enough tomatoes in the garden next year to try this! Not enough for much of anything this season. 🙁 Thank you for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty

  4. Thank you for the tomato sauce recipe. Do you have a canning recipe that could be used with all fruits to home can jams?

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