It’s time to put up food for the winter, but this year I didn’t have enough of my own tomatoes to use… so I went to my local farm to get a bunch and support them.
The best tomatoes to use for this recipe is always going to be a paste tomato, like a Roma or San Marzano, but smaller lower-water content tomatoes are great to add as well.
I’ll blend up all of these tomatoes with some onion, garlic, and fresh basil to make large batches of tomato sauce to can in large quart jars (this is the sauce portion and does not include canning instructions).
My method for measuring this recipe is a bit wonky… I usually chop enough tomatoes to fill a blender, with just enough room to also add onion, garlic, basil, and seasonings. I blend this in batches until I have a full pot to cook.
In the stockman on the stove, add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil and start your heat on medium. Then add your batches of tomato sauce to cook over medium heat. Add a bay leaf for each blender-full of sauce you add. Cook it down to reduce by anywhere from a third to a half, but use your best judgment. The longer you simmer, the more water cooks out and the thicker the sauce will be.
Fresh Italian Tomato Pasta Sauce
TIME:
2-3 hours
|
SERVES:
10+ people
GATHER:
Tomatoes, garlic, onion, fresh basil
| INGREDIENTS |
|---|
| 6-8 tomatoes, quartered (depending on size), paste tomatoes or lower water-content styles preferred |
| 1 small/medium yellow or white onion |
| 3 Tbsp. minced garlic |
| Handful of fresh basil leaves |
| 1 Tbsp. homemade Italian seasoning |
| 1 Tbsp. salt |
| 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil |
| 1 bay leaf |
| 1 small can of organic tomato paste to thicken, if you are short on time |
DIRECTIONS:
- Fill your blender with enough tomatoes to almost fill it, along with the onion, garlic, a handful of fresh basil leaves, 1 Tbsp. salt, and 1 Tbsp. homemade Italian seasoning 1-2 Tbsp. Blend until smooth.
- If desired, repeat the blending process in batches to increase the amount of sauce to cook down.
- Add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil to a stock pot and turn the heat on medium. Once the oil is hot, slowly pout in the tomato sauce mixture (be mindful of splattering with the heat).
- Add a bay leaf for each blender-full of tomato mixture you add. Simmer the sauce on medium heat until it cooks down and reduces by around a half (maybe less if the tomatoes are not super watery). The longer you simmer, the more water cooks out and the thicker the sauce will be. But generally this is a 2-3 hour process.
- Enjoy with fresh pasta and Italian bread.
- Stores in the fridge for a week or can it for long-term shelf-stable storage.
NOTE: This recipe should store in the fridge for about a week. Tomatoes are acidic and keep pretty well. But any longer and I would freeze it. You can also make this and immediately water-bath can it for longer shelf-stable storage.
