Nothing tastes like homemade spaghetti sauce using fresh ingredients from the garden! It blows out of the water the canned sauces from the store. It’s easy to make, and easy to can, and easy to freeze! 

Tomatoes are one crop that usually brings an abundance. It can be hard to know what to do with all the tomatoes one harvests. One delicious way to use some tomatoes is to make your own spaghetti sauce! I will make a batch every year. Plus you know exactly what is in it. This is always a bonus! I grow most of the ingredients myself, but you can get them from the store too. 

This recipe makes enough for a one-year supply for me. I’ll typically freeze it, but only because I don’t have the shelf space at this time to can it. This recipe can be modified to make a roasted or spicy version. You can roast the peppers and onions, use spicy peppers, and even add chili flakes for a little extra kick! If you are canning, make sure you add the proper amount of 100% lemon juice to get the acidity level correct and follow safe canning practices.

If you want a really thick sauce, it will take quite a bit of time. Using the right kind of tomatoes will help too. Sauce or paste tomatoes like San Marzano and Roma will have less liquid than other varieties. 

Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients 

• 5-6 Garlic bulbs
• 3 T Olive oil
• 4 Medium, peppers of any color, any kind, roughly chopped and seeded
• 1 Onion roughly chopped (I always use a sweet onion)
• 12 LB Ripe tomatoes, peeled (about 25)
• 3 T Packed brown sugar
• 4 t Salt (use canning salt if canning)
• 1 T Balsamic vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have on hand)
• 1 t Ground black pepper
• 2 Cups lightly packed fresh basil, chopped
• 1 Cup light packed assorted fresh herbs (such as oregano, thyme, and parsley), chopped
• 100% Lemon juice (only if canning)
• 6 Pint jars with lids and rings (only if canning)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Peel away the dry outer layers of skin from garlic bulbs, leaving skins and cloves intact. Cut off the pointed top portions (about 1/2 inch), leaving the bulbs intact but exposing the individual cloves. Place the garlic bulbs, cut sides up, in a 1 – 1 ½ quart casserole dish. drizzle with about 1 T of olive oil. Cover the casserole dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the cloves of garlic are soft. Cool garlic on a wire rack until cool enough to handle.

2. While the garlic is roasting, peel the tomatoes. Bring a large pot, filled ½ full of water, to a boil. Wash tomatoes and cut off any bad spots. Cut the tops off and place them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove tomatoes from the pot and place them in an ice bath or on a plate to cool.

3. Remove garlic cloves from paper by squeezing the bottoms of the bulbs.

Instructions for using a food processor

Place garlic cloves, onion, peppers, and herbs in a food processor. Cut peeled tomatoes into chunks and add some of the chunks to the food processor. Cover and process until chopped. Transfer chopped garlic, peppers, and tomatoes to a 7-8 quart heavy pot. Repeat chopping the remaining tomatoes, in batches, in the food processor. Add all tomatoes to the pot.

Instructions for hand blender

Add about 2 T of olive oil to a 7-8 quart heavy pot. Heat on medium. Once the oil is hot, add garlic, ruff chopped peppers, and onions to a heavy pot. Cook vegetables until tender, about 4-8 minutes. Cut tomatoes into chunks and add to the pan. Take a hand blender and blend just enough to release the juices from the tomatoes. Add chopped herbs and blend until smooth.

4. Add brown sugar, salt, vinegar, and black pepper to the tomato mixture. Bring to a boil. Boil steadily, uncovered, for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce to about 11 cups or the desired consistency.

Tip: taste through out the process to get the seasoning right. You may find you need to add more of one kind of herb or more garlic. (I’d recommend using garlic powder if that was needed.) If you need to add more herbs, do a fine dice to them before adding to the pot. 

To make a thick sauce

5. To make a thick sauce, you are reducing it down by evaporating the water. This takes time. I recommend starting early in the morning and letting it simmer all day until it reaches the desired thickness. Sir frequently to keep it from scorching.

Instructions for Freezing

7. You can freeze this sauce easily. You can reusable plastic containers. I would not use glass containers as this will be frozen and glass can shatter. Let the sauce cool a bit before covering with a lid and placing it in the freezer. You could also use freezer bags. After they are filled, remove the air and freeze. Label it with the date it was frozen. Either way, it should last around 3 months.

To keep it for longer, vacuum seal it.