on Sep 12, 2022, Updated May 13, 2024 Traditions are extremely important to me and in Bulgaria we have been preserving and canning food for as long as I can remember, but without the fancy machines! I know every family makes sauce differently depending on the region, so let me know how you make yours in the ⌨️ comments and share your tips! This sauce is what I use in every single one of my recipes and the most requested tutorial over the years. It tastes like liquid gold!
Why You’ll Love Italian Tomato Sauce
There’s just something about preparing this Italian Tomato Sauce that makes it so much more than simply 🍅 tomatoes. It’s about traditions, family, making big batches to store all year and preserving the absolute best of late ☀️ summer tomatoes. The results speak for themselves: the freshest sauce you’ll ever taste. This is by far the most incredible sauce for soups, stews, and as a base when we make 🍝 pasta with meatballs, with ribs, cutlets, and many other recipes. This base sauce will add so much flavor to your favorite recipes all year long.
How to Prepare Italian Tomato Sauce
🍅 Buy bushels of tomatoes. 🔪 Use a paring knife to cut off the green stem and any blemishes on the tomato. 💦 Place the tomatoes in clean, cold water and wash. 🔥 Now, hook up the propane tank to the gas burner and then light the burner. Put your big pot with water on top. ⏲️ Once the water has boiled, add the tomatoes. Let them boil for 15 minutes or until they are soft, and the skins are falling off. 💧 Now, remove them from the boiling water using a big metal strainer and place them in a basket with holes to drain. 🪣 In the meantime, set up the electric tomato squeezer machine with two buckets on each end. One bucket to catch the peels/seeds and the other to catch the tomato sauce. 🍅 Put the boiled tomatoes in the top funnel of the machine and press down with the tamper. The sauce will come out of the spout and the skins come out on the side. ✌️ Once all the tomatoes have finished, take the bucket with the peels and pass those through again. 🧂 Once the sauce is in the pails, add salt to taste or leave it plain.
Filling the Jars
🌿 Now, wash and dry the basil leaves using a salad spinner and then add a small handful to each mason jar. 🥄 Take a funnel and put it on top of the jar and use a small pot to scoop the sauce into the funnel, filling each jar to the rim. 🧻 Wipe the rim clean with a paper towel and tighten the lid. 💦 Dump out the water that the tomatoes boiled in and add fresh new water. 🔥 Put a thick cloth inside the pot and fill it with water and let it boil. 🌡️ Once it’s boiling, take the closed jars and put them in the hot water with heatproof gloves or a canning jar lifter. ⏲️ Boil the jars for about 30 minutes, then take them out and place them lid-side down onto a blanket. You should hear a “pop” and that’s how you know the lid is fully sealed. 🌀 Cover the jars with a blanket (or a few) and let them rest overnight. 🫙 The following day, flip them over, store and enjoy!
Variations and Substitutions for Italian Tomato Sauce
Best Served With
Pasta and meatballs, of course! This Italian Tomato Sauce is great in soups or stews. Use this Italian Tomato Sauce on top of pizzas or in chicken parmigiana or my Eggplant Ricotta Lasagna Rolls. With eggs in my Creamy Feta Shakshouka.
Common Questions
