Did you know you can freeze your excess tomatoes? This easy spaghetti sauce recipe for canning uses up frozen tomatoes that I packed away from this past summer. Of course you can use fresh tomatoes, but as I write this, it is the middle of winter – January. Back in July and August when the tomato crop was booming, my schedule did not allow me to do the canning that was needed. I ended up freezing 9 stuffed gallon freezer bags of tomatoes.  All I did was wash them, core them, remove any blemishes and drop them in the bag.

I can’t wait to fill my winter kitchen with the smell of spaghetti sauce made from my summer garden!

Easy Spaghetti Sauce Recipe for Canning Video

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Easy Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

Easy Spaghetti Sauce Recipe for Canning

This is an excellent recipe to eat freshly made or to can. For canning, you will need to adjust this recipe to the weight of your tomatoes and observe the processing times in the recipe notes.

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Servings 4 Quarts (approx)

Ingredients

  

• 10 pounds tomatoes (about 20 large tomatoes) (peeled and chopped - remove seeds if desired)
• 2 large onions (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped or pressed)
• 4 teaspoons sweet basil
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (non-iodized if canning)
• 4 beef bouillon cubes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 12 oz tomato paste
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (can omit if not canning)

Instructions

 

• Combine all ingredients.
• Simmer over medium-low heat until desired thickness is reached.
• Remove bay leaves. It is ready to put over noodles if eating right away.
• If canning, ladle into hot sterilized jars. Leave 1/4 - 1/2 inch head space.
• Wipe rims and add seals and rings. Tighten.
• Water bath can for 40 - 55 minutes depending on altitude - see notes.

Notes

Additional tomato paste can be added if needed either before canning or when opening a jar to use.

This recipe can also be cooled and frozen in freezer safe containers.

Altitude above sea level and water bath canning time:

• 0-1,000 ft - 40 minutes
• 1,001-3,000 ft - 45 minutes
• 3,001-6,000 ft - 50 minutes
• Above 6,000 ft - 55 minutes

Keyword easy spaghetti sauce recipe, easy spaghetti sauce recipe for canning

Prepare the Tomatoes

If you are using frozen tomatoes as described above, you will want to remove the tomatoes from the freezer the night before and leave them out on the counter to thaw.

Frozen tomatoes are already soft enough to put through a food mill. The food mill removes the skin and the seeds. If using fresh tomatoes, slice them in chunks and cook them down until they are very soft. Then process through the food mill.

Add All Other Ingredients to the Cooking Pot

Once you have processed all of the tomatoes, start adding the rest of the ingredients to the pot.

First, add two large onions, chopped.

Add 4 teaspoons of sweet basil to this easy spaghetti sauce recipe.

Next add 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of oregano. Do not use an iodized salt if canning. Iodized salt darkens the color of the spaghetti sauce over time.

Now add 2 cloves of garlic, chopped or pressed. If you do not have fresh garlic, you can use 2 heaping teaspoons of jarred minced garlic.

The next ingredient is 4 beef bouillon cubes. You should be able to find these in a jar at your local grocery store.

Next add a 12 ounce can of tomato paste.  You can add additional tomato paste if you need to further thicken your sauce. It can be added before canning, or added when you open a jar to use it.

It’s important to add 1/4 cup of lemon juice if you are water bath canning this spaghetti sauce. Lemon juice changes the pH level of the tomatoes and makes it safe for water bath canning. If you do not add the lemon juice, you can still can this easy spaghetti sauce recipe – just use pressure canning instead.

Now stir the spaghetti sauce to combine, and then add 2 bay leaves.  I tied mine in some cheesecloth so that I could remove them easily after the sauce was done cooking.

Simmer the Spaghetti Sauce until You Reach Your Desired Thickness

Use a medium heat to get the sauce to a simmer, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of your cooking pot.  Once you reach a simmer, turn the burner down to low and stir occasionally.

Simmer the spaghetti sauce until you reach your desired thickness.  I cook mine about 4 hours, but I have a friend who cooks hers overnight!

Ladle into Hot Sterilized Jars

Be sure to use hot jars, since you will be putting in hot spaghetti sauce. Leave 1/4 – 1/2 inch of head space.

Wipe the Jar Rims and Add Canning Seals and Rings

I use white vinegar to wipe the tops of the jars and rims. Wiping helps to ensure a good seal.  Tighten down the seals and rings to finger tight.

Water Bath Can According to Altitude Above Sea Level

See the recipe notes on the easy spaghetti sauce recipe card above to determine water bath canning time.

Remove Jars from the Canner and Let Cool Completely

Now your whole house smells like a fine Italian restaurant – don’t forget to save some out for dinner!  If you try this easy spaghetti sauce recipe, leave a comment and let us know what you think. Delizioso!