Tomato Basil Simmer Sauce with Roasted Garlic
If you have ripening red tomatoes in the garden, and want to preserve every last drop, I bring you this simple sauce, made for home canning!
Servings pints
Equipment
- 1 water bath canner
Ingredients
- 12 lbs ripe tomatoes about 25 good size plum tomatoes, peeled
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt or 4 teaspoons table salt
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups basil leaves fresh, lightly packed, chopped
- 1 cup fresh herbs, assorted, lightly packed such as oregano, thyme, parsley
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons garlic roasted, minced; about 2 heads of garlic
Instructions
- Cut peeled tomatoes into large chunks and place them in 7- to 8-quart nonreactive heavy pot (nonreactive means avoid aluminum. Go for stainless steel or enamel covered cast iron like Le Crueset).
- Add brown sugar, salt, vinegar, and black pepper to the tomato mixture. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a steady simmer (it should be bubbling all over). Continue to simmer, uncovered, for 70 to 80 minutes (a little longer if necessary), stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to about 11 cups and is desired sauce consistency. Remove from heat; stir in herbs and garlic.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon lemon juice into each of six hot, clean pint canning jars (or do 2 tablespoons in each of 3 larger quart jars). Ladle sauce into jars with lemon juice, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims; adjust lids. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 35 minutes (start time when water returns to a full boil). Remove jars; cool on wire racks. Sauce is shelf stable for up to one year.
- Optional add-ins: Stir in 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes with the herbs for a spicy sauce. Or for a double-tomato sauce, add in 1 cup snipped dried tomatoes (not oil packed) with the herbs.
Notes
- This recipe has been written specifically for, and tested, for safe home canning. To ensure food safety, do not stray from the recipe. If you’d like to alter the ingredients and or/ratios, feel free to freeze the sauce instead of canning it. You can also adjust the flavor after opening sealed jars to use them - try sautéing Italian sausage and onions and adding the sauce to simmer, or adding fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
- Nutritional information was calculated per pint.
Nutrition
Calories: 200kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Sodium: 2374mg, Potassium: 2217mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 7980IU, Vitamin C: 133mg, Calcium: 120mg, Iron: 3mg
Calories: 200kcal
Cost: $5
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