Italian Tomato Sauce Recipe With Fresh Tomatoes

Italian tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes is usually very simple, I only add some basil and preserve it in glass jars for the winter. I can add seasoning afterward depending on the recipe I want to make. However, I never add a lot of flavors, I like a simple tomato sauce recipe, flavored with just garlic and basil leaves.

Jump to:

• What tomatoes are good for tomato sauce
• The Italian tradition of making tomato sauce
• Do you have to peel tomatoes to make sauce?
• How to peel a tomato
• Equipment you need to can tomato sauce
• Step by step instructions with images
• How long will the preserved fresh tomato sauce keep?
• What jars to use
• Top tips
• How I use it
• CANNED RECIPES YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
• 📋Tomato Sauce Recipe With Fresh Tomatoes

What tomatoes are good for tomato sauce

To make the classic Italian tomato sauce recipe with fresh tomatoes, you need to use long tomatoes; the best are the San Marzano tomatoes growing in the South of Italy, specifically around the Etna in Sicily or the Vesuvio in Naples.

There are 3 natural factors that make those tomatoes so tasty and sweet:  the sun, the sea being close by and the volcanic earth where they grow. That is why, even if tomatoes are not originally from Italy, in these Italian regions they achieve a perfection of flavour.

If you cannot find San Marzano, Roma tomato or any general long tomato will do.

This year I planted tomatoes in my garden, and if you want to know more about planting tomatoes, you can read detailed articles from my friend Beth: How to start a garden

The Italian tradition of making tomato sauce

For many Italians, making canned tomato sauce is a yearly event, an excuse to get family or friends together.

I invited Eliana De Matteis to make the sauce together, it is fun and we had plenty of time for a good chat.

My cousin in Italy, for example, invites a couple of friends over and the garden transforms into a canning tomato factories where jars get sterilized in barrels.

If you want to know more, you can read the article here:

THE TRADITION OF CANNING TOMATOES SAUCE IN A BARREL

Do you have to peel tomatoes to make sauce?

There is no skin in the tomato sauce but you don't necessarily have to peel them as there are grinder machines that will do that for you.

In this recipe, I use a KitchenAid vegetable grinder and you can find out more about it on my page review. I use it also to make gnocchi and jam. Though it is expensive.

Another cheaper option is the manual grinder that you can find in any kitchen shop. It is perfect for small quantities, but if you need a grinder and plan to use it regularly you may want to invest in an electrical one.

How to peel a tomato

If you really do not want to spend any money or you are cooking in a remote place with no utensils, there is a simple way to peel a tomato.

1. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes
2. Leave the tomatoes in hot water for 5 minutes
3. Take them out with a ladle
4. Make a cut with a pointed knife
5. The entire peel will come off easily

To make the sauce (only recommend for small quantities)  boil the peeled tomatoes for 1 hour, they will eventually break apart. You can make the sauce just by mixing it with a wooden spoon or a fork.

Equipment you need to can tomato sauce

Before you get started make sure you have all the necessary equipment:

• Depending on the quantity of sauce you are making, you need at least 2 large pots for boiling the tomatoes, the sauce, and the jars. You can buy a 21-quart pot specific for canning or use regular large pots you already have at home. However, I do recommend having a minimum of 2 pots if not even 3 or 4 depending on the amount of tomatoes you are processing. As I usually can my tomatoes with my friend Eliana, she brings 2 of hers and I have another 3. Having several pots will save time as while you are grinding the boiled tomatoes from one pot and pouring the sauce into another pot, you can have more tomatoes boiling on the stove in the other pots.
• A grinder, and I recommend an electrical one if you are making a lot of sauce. I use the KitchenAid vegetable grinder
• Jars for canning, I use different sizes: Jars for canning. Make sure the jars are not too tall compared to your pots as they need to be covered with water and boiled
• Ladle with a spout to pour the sauce in the jars
• Fire Gloves BBQ to hold the jar while you are filling them with hot tomato sauce
• Old kitchen towels to protect the jars from hitting against each other while they are boiling

Step by step instructions with images

Cleaning and boiling the tomatoes

1. Wash them thoroughly in cold water
2. Cut them in half removing any green or any damaged parts
3. If you don't have a grinder, peel the tomatoes as described above and remove the seeds
4. Cover, and let them boil until the tomatoes become soft

Grinding the tomatoes

1. Drain the water
2. Grind the tomatoes through the grinder
3. The skins will be removed automatically...but it can be messy!
4. Reprocess the skins twice as there is still a lot of pulp in the skins
5. When all the pulp is gone, the skins will look dry

Making tomato sauce or preserving it

At this point, the tomato sauce recipe made with fresh tomatoes is ready to use for your recipes. You can make a simple tomato sauce for pasta as it shows in the video and you can find the recipe here.

I always like to prepare a large amount so that I can it and use it during the entire winter until the next summer season yields more fresh tomatoes.

It is very easy and really worth the effort, although you really need to follow all the procedures below to make sure the jars are sealed, properly sterilized and a vacuum created inside the jar to preserve the sauce.

Preparing the sauce and filling the jars

1. Prepare the jars by sterilizing them. I just wash them in the dishwasher at high temperature and use new silicon sealers
2. In the meantime boil the tomato sauce for 1 hour
3. Put a basil leaf in each jar and fill it with the sauce
4. Seal it tight

Sterilizing the jars

There is one more step to take if you want to preserve your tomato sauce for the winter, sterilizing the jars.

1. Once the jars are filled and sealed, place them in a large pan
2. Put some tea towels or dish cloths around them so that they do not bang against each other
3. Fill the pan with water until the jars are covered and boil the jars for 1 hour
4. Leave the jars in the water and let them cool down until the next day

5. The next day, remove them from the pan and store in the cupboard. They will last the entire winter

How long will the preserved fresh tomato sauce keep?

It will keep for years but I like to use it within the year. It is very important that you leave the jars in the water to cool down, as that is when the vacuum forms inside the jars.

When you open the jars you will notice that it is difficult to open, that is why there is a little tongue on the silicon seal. You pull the tongue to fill the vacuum with air so that you can open the jar.

If the jar is difficult to open, you know the vacuum has been created and the tomato sauce has been preserved.

Once the jar is open, it is recommended to use the sauce within a few days and store it in the fridge.

What jars to use

I like to use jars with a silicone seal so that I can better control if the food is still preserved in a vacuum.

I also like to use different dimensions so if I need only a small amount of sauce I can open the small jars.

Always remember to label the jars with the date and the contents.

Top tips

• Use long tomatoes, San Marzano are the best if you can find them
• Make it an annual event and invite friends and family to help
• There is no skin in the tomato sauce but you don't necessarily have to peel them as there are grinder machines that will do that for you.
• If you don't have a grinder you can peel the tomatoes by immersing them in hot water for 5 minutes. The skin will then come off very easily.
• Remove the green or damaged part of the tomatoes before pre-boiling them.
• Drain the pre-boiled tomatoes before grinding them, otherwise, the sauce will be too watery.
• When you grind them, make sure no skin falls back into the pan with the sauce.
• Re-process the discarded skin at least twice as there will still be plenty of tomato pulp to be recovered.
• To can the tomato sauce, follow all the procedures exactly to make sure the jars are sealed, properly sterilized, and a vacuum created inside the jar to preserve the sauce.
• You need to sterilize the glass jars before using them. The easiest way is to wash them in the dishwasher at a high temperature. Otherwise, you can just boil them
• While you can reuse the glass jars, every year you should buy new silicon sealers.
• Make sure the jars are covered with water when you boil them. If the water goes below the level of the jars, add more but it has to be boiling water.
• Once you boil the jars filled with tomato sauce, it is very important you leave the jars in the water to cool down as that is when the vacuum that preserves the sauce forms inside the jars.
• Once the jar is open, it is recommended to use the sauce within a few days and store it in the fridge.
• Use jars of different dimensions so that if you only need a small amount of sauce you can open a small jar.
• Always remember to label the jars with the date and the contents.

How I use it

Because there is no seasoning in the tomato sauce jars, I can use these sauces for any recipes. The most common is a simple tomato sauce recipe that I make in this video.

I also use it for bolognese sauce, lasagna, polpettone Italian meatloaf or pasta with eggplants sauce.

CANNED RECIPES YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

For more canned recipes, check out the category: Canned & Jams

Also check the recipes below:

• Apricot jam without pectin
• Caramelized Peach Jam
• Quince Paste Recipe
• The Tradition of Canning Tomato Sauce in a Barrel

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