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Sooooooooooo.

This isn’t really a cut and dry here’s exactly what you need to add roasted tomato sauce canning recipe.

I’m sorry.  But that’s just not how I operate with my roasted tomato sauce canning recipe.  I go by taste.  Does it taste good?  Then I can it.  No recipe can guess exactly what you need to add to YOUR recipe to make it taste good to YOU.  So just like my homemade salsa canning recipe, this is a guide to start with a base of good flavor and let it blossom into your own delicious concoction.  Kay?

We all love a good guide that leaves you to fly by the seat of your pants to make your OWN roasted tomato sauce canning recipe. I give you the roundabouts of what to add and you take it from there. Because, let’s face it, I can’t possibly begin to guess what your tastebuds like. And thankfully so, because God made us all different.

Now, as you probably already know, this roasted tomato sauce canning recipe isn’t a tested recipe by the USDA or NCHFP.  It’s tested by ME and I deem it safe and delicious.  That doesn’t mean you have to do it, though.  I also don’t acidify my tomatoes normally, but my tomato sauce recipe I do add either lemon juice or citric acid because I do add quite a bit on onions or bell peppers that do cause the pH to dip to a borderline level.  I’ve tested it.  So, to prevent losing jars to rot, I do acidify them.  That’s my choice.  

And, if I’m being really honest, 3 times out of 4 I forget to even acidify them when filling jars and they’ve always been fine :D  Do what you want.  You can even use a pH tester and your eyeballs to determine the acidity of your sauce before canning to decide what YOU want to do.  I know the fear mongers will say BUT BUT BUT BOTULISM, but the pH tests don’t lie.  

Pressure Canner vs Water Bath Canner

My roasted tomato sauce canning recipe is one of those things that you can process either in a hot water bath or pressure canner at a reduced weight.  That’s entirely up to you what you want to do, just if you do decide to pressure can, be sure you leave adequate headspace.  You’ll read that tomato sauce is 1/2-inch headspace, but I’m telling you right dang now that’s for water bath canning.  Pressure canning ALWAYS needs extra headspace since the higher heat makes the food rise more.  Otherwise you’re going to be chancing lids blowing off in your pressure canner and the messsssssssss.  Oh my gosh that’s a mess!

I prefer to steam can my tomato sauce, which is the same times as water bath canning, as it’s much quicker than firing up the pressure canner!  You can always use your pressure canner as a steam canner or water bath canner if that’s all you have.  See this blog post on how to do that :)

Roasting Tomatoes

This is a non-negotiable step for my delicious ROASTED tomato sauce canning recipe. THE WORD IS IN THE TITLE WHICH MEANS YOU ARE LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO DO IT.  

Oven roasting caramelizes the natural sugars and also makes the peels slip right off.  Win-win!  If you don’t have a food mill, this step works nicely in your favor.  I do have a food mill that attaches to my stand mixer, so I just cool the tomatoes slightly and then run them through it.  I save those skins and seeds though and make dehydrated tomato powder.  The flavor is so good!  And contrary to popular belief (which I have no clue where it came from), tomato seeds don’t impart a bitter flavor to the powder.  I have NEVER experienced that and I’ve been doing this for yearzzzzz.

To make oven-roasted tomatoes, if you don’t have a food mill and will be removing peels and blending with an immersion blender, core tomatoes and then place in an even layer on a baking sheet.  I cut really large tomatoes in half, but paste variety like roma and federle or small ones like cherry tomatoes, I leave whole.  

Drizzle the pan lightly with olive oil and place under the broiler in your oven in HIGH.  Leave the tomatoes in for about 10 minutes or til skins are bubbling up and blistering.  You’ll notice tomato juices released into the pan, too.  DO NOT DUMP THAT JUICE OUT, ADD IT RIGHT BACK TO THE SAUCE OR I SWEAR I WILL FIND YOU.  

I mean…ahem….. that’s the flavor and the acidity in that juice so, if you want, add it back in….. or else.  The amount of people I see allowing the pulp of the tomato separate from that delicious, acidic tomato water and then dumping it makes me croak.  That’s such bad advice and creates such a poorly flavored tomato sauce.  I mean, by all means, do you.  

But it’s the same song and dance as the vinegar in broth crowd… just because it’s easier and someone said to do it, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.  You can look it up for yourself, too, if you don’t believe me.  It is worth the extra time of simmering to reduce, I promise.  I’ve even done both with the SAME batch of tomatoes and compared the flavor, and the ones I added all the juice back too won by a landslide. 

Fresh Herbs

I pick fresh herbs from my garden, or get a big bunch from some produce farmin’ friends and wash them, stems and all, and put the whole thing into the sauce to simmer.  I find it to be so much easier than picking off leaves and chopping.  I let the herbs simmer as the sauce reduces and once the stems are just that, stems, and the leaves have fallen off, I pick the stems out with my tongs.  It’s really easy!  I use fresh oregano, basil, and parsley.  A good handful bunch of them all, heavy on the basil.

If using dried herbs, err on the side of less is more as they do get stronger with canning.

Pork Neck Bones?!

Yeah, you heard me.  To make a deliciously flavorful roasted tomato sauce canning recipe, I’m telling you you NEED to add pork neck bones.  It’s been my secret ingredient for a long time.  And if you’re feeling extra sassy, roast the neck bones along with the tomatoes as you work.

Not only are you using ALL of the animal you process (if you don’t process, ASK the butcher for the neck bones… it’s your animal, they’re YOUR bones to have) and save them in the freezer for tomato season.  It gives a lovely bone broth and satisfying flavor to your broth.  And I haven’t had any other type of bones work as well as a pork neck!  I love adding a bit of nutrient density to something as simple as this easy roasted tomato sauce recipe…. spaghetti night just got an upgrade!

Equipment You Might Want:

• Large Stock Pot
• Food Mill
• Rimmed Baking Sheets
• Immersion Blender
• Quart or Pint Canning Jars
• Canning Lids & Screw Bands
• Jar Funnel
• Steam Canner
• Water Bath Canning Pot
• Jar Lifter

Ingredients:

• 20 pounds of tomatoes
• 1 pork neck
• 2 green bell peppers
• 2 large sweet onions
• 2-6 cloves garlic
• 1 big bunch of fresh basil, oregano, and parsley
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Fresh or Bottled Lemon Juice

Let’s make this delicious homemade roasted tomato sauce canning recipe!

Step 1:  Prep

Start by oven roasting the fresh tomatoes (see above blog post for more info) and running through a food mill if desired.

Place over medium high heat and cover.

While the tomato juice heats, roughly chop up the bell peppers, onions, and garlic cloves.  No need for perfection because we’re blending it all later.

Add pork neck, peppers, onions, garlic cloves, and bunch of fresh herbs to the pot and stir.

​Step 2:  Cook

Cover the pot and bring to a boil.  Remove lid and adjust heat to keep at a simmer.  Stir frequently to prevent burning.

This can take anywhere from an hour to several hours depending on if you like a thin sauce or a thicker sauce.  My preference is to boil until it mounds on a spoon, meaning I scoop the sauce from the pot with a spoon and the sauce mounds and doesn’t run off like a liquid.  That’s perfection for me, but also a bit thicker than the approved recipes.  (See also:  I don’t care).

Pick out herb stems with a pair of tongs during the cooking process once the leaves have fallen off.  The pork neck bones are easy to pick out with a slotted spoon, or even the tongs.  It’s cumbersome but the flavor the bones impart (AND the nutrition) is amazing! 

Puree the sauce with an immersion blender thoroughly, leaving no chunks behind.

Season with salt and black pepper to your preference.

Step 3:  Canning

If using, add acidifier of choice to your quart jar prior to filling.  For quarts, add 2 Tbs bottled (or fresh) lemon juice to each jar.  For pints, add half that.

Ladle the hot sauce into prepared quart jars to 1/2 inch headspace (do 1 inch headspace if you’re going to pressure can it).  Remove any air bubbles and add more sauce if needed to maintain headspace.

Wipe jar rims and add lids and secure with a screw band according to lid manufacturer’s instruction.

Process quart jars in a steam canner or water bath canning pot for 40 minutes, adjusting time for elevation if needed.  For a pint jar, processing time is 35 minutes.

Once processing time is complete, shut off heat and remove lid of water bath canner (or cock the lid of the steam canner) to cool slowly as thick sauce can be ornery.  Slow cooling is a must.  

After 10 minutes, remove jars from the canner to a heat proof surface lined with a kitchen towel and allow to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.

Step 4:  Storage

​Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.  

Shelf life is ’til you eat it.  If the seal is good, the food is good.  Aim to rotate canned foods out every 2 years for best flavor and nutritional value but they’ll last much longer than that if needed.

Notes:

I don’t prefer to can a meat sauce as I don’t enjoy the texture the meat takes on.  If I’m in a pinch, I’ll use a pint of ground beef or goat and fry it hard before adding the sauce to improve the texture and flavor.  I think canned ground meat can take on a soft, mealy texture that we don’t particularly enjoy.  

If you do like canning meat sauce, just adjust the times to meat times and go!
I usually don’t even weight my tomatoes out, but wanted to give you a guideline on the batches I make… ish.  I measure in buckets of tomatoes out of the garden, add this and that and go.  It’s not THAT serious!

Now, enjoy your delicious roasted tomato sauce canning recipe and admire sauce on your shelves.  You did it!

If you’d like to see my other tomato canning recipes,

check out this round-up post and save it to your pinterest board for canning season!  

My pizza sauce has become a fan favorite amongst us and friends.

Homemade Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce Canning Recipe

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 6 hours hours

Canning Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 3 quarts

Author: Ruby – Red Feather Farm

Equipment

• Large Stock Pot
• food mill
• Rimmed Baking Sheets
• immersion blender
• Quart or Pint Canning Jars
• Canning lids & screw bands
• jar funnel
• steam canner
• Water bath canning pot
• jar lifter

Ingredients

• 20 pounds of tomatoes
• 1 pork neck
• 2 green bell peppers
• 2 large sweet onions
• 2-6 cloves garlic
• 1 big bunch of fresh basil oregano, and parsley
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Fresh or Bottled Lemon Juice

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Start by oven roasting the fresh tomatoes (see above blog post for more info) and running through a food mill if desired.
• Place the tomato juice over medium high heat and cover.
• While the tomato juice heats, roughly chop up the bell peppers, onions, and garlic cloves. No need for perfection because we’re blending it all later.
• Add pork neck, peppers, onions, garlic cloves, and bunch of fresh herbs to the pot and stir.
• Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Remove lid and adjust heat to keep at a simmer. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
• This can take anywhere from an hour to several hours depending on if you like a thin sauce or a thicker sauce. My preference is to boil until it mounds on a spoon, meaning I scoop the sauce from the pot with a spoon and the sauce mounds and doesn’t run off like a liquid. That’s perfection for me, but also a bit thicker than the approved recipes. (See also: I don’t care).
• Pick out herb stems with a pair of tongs during the cooking process once the leaves have fallen off. The pork neck bones are easy to pick out with a slotted spoon, or even the tongs. It’s cumbersome but the flavor the bones impart (AND the nutrition) is amazing!
• Puree the sauce with an immersion blender thoroughly, leaving no chunks behind.
• Season with salt and black pepper to your preference.
• If using, add acidifier of choice to your quart jar prior to filling. For quarts, add 2 Tbs bottled (or fresh) lemon juice to each jar. For pints, add half that.
• Ladle the hot sauce into prepared quart jars to 1/2 inch headspace (do 1 inch headspace if you’re going to pressure can it). Remove any air bubbles and add more sauce if needed to maintain headspace.
• Wipe jar rims and add lids and secure with a screw band according to lid manufacturer’s instruction.
• Process quart jars in a steam canner or water bath canning pot for 40 minutes, adjusting time for elevation if needed. For a pint jar, processing time is 35 minutes.
• Once processing time is complete, shut off heat and remove lid of water bath canner (or cock the lid of the steam canner) to cool slowly as thick sauce can be ornery. Slow cooling is a must.
• After 10 minutes, remove jars from the canner to a heat proof surface lined with a kitchen towel and allow to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.

Storage

• ​Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.
• Shelf life is ’til you eat it. If the seal is good, the food is good. Aim to rotate canned foods out every 2 years for best flavor and nutritional value but they’ll last much longer than that if needed.

Notes

I don’t prefer to can a meat sauce as I don’t enjoy the texture the meat takes on.  If I’m in a pinch, I’ll use a pint of ground beef or goat and fry it hard before adding the sauce to improve the texture and flavor.  I think canned ground meat can take on a soft, mealy texture that we don’t particularly enjoy.  If you do like canning meat sauce, just adjust the times to meat times and go!
I usually don’t even weight my tomatoes out, but wanted to give you a guideline on the batches I make… ish.  I measure in buckets of tomatoes out of the garden, add this and that and go.  It’s not THAT serious!