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Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce is FAR better than anything you can find in a store. You’ll love the rich, savory flavor. The best way to use fresh garden tomatoes!
Featured with this recipe
- Ingredients in Canned Spaghetti Sauce
- Tomatoes: A Family Tradition
- Family Tested, Dad Approved
- How Can I Use Canned Spaghetti Sauce?
- Water Bath Canning Spaghetti Sauce
- Pressure Canning Spaghetti Sauce
- Frequently Asked Questions about Canned Spaghetti Sauce
- More Delicious Pasta Recipes
- How to Make Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce
- Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
This canned spaghetti sauce is HANDS-DOWN, the very best with home-grown tomatoes. We are kind of crazy about our tomatoes over here. The taste of this savory tomato sauce stays fresh and turns any pasta dinner into something special.
Ingredients in Canned Spaghetti Sauce
All you need for perfect spaghetti sauce are some herbs, spices and of course, fresh ripe tomatoes! This sauce couldn’t be simpler to make:
- Tomatoes – about 25 pounds. This recipe makes a huge batch of tomato puree.
- Onions – I start with about five large yellow onions. You’ll end up with 7-8 cups chopped onions.
- Red bell peppers – four large peppers work great.
- Green bell pepper – dice one large pepper
- Tomato paste – four 6-ounce cans should do the trick.
- Soy sauce – Sounds weird, but trust us, it deepens the tomato flavor like you won’t believe!
- Worcestershire sauce – stir in a little sauce to enhance the flavor of the tomatoes and give the sauce a meaty flavor.
- Brown sugar – a little sweetness balances the acidity of the tomatoes and all the herbs.
- Salt – a quarter cup, plus more to taste.
- Garlic – you’ll need a LOT of garlic, chopped or minced. Start with ten cloves.
- Oregano – I usually use dried herbs for this recipe.
- Basil – again, dried works great!
- Red pepper flakes – a little goes a long way with these spicy flakes. Start with a teaspoon and add more depending on your tastes.
- Bay leaves – two leaves give such delicious flavor.
- Lemon juice – for the jars
Tomatoes: A Family Tradition
Growing tomatoes is a “family tradition” of sorts for us. Our Uncle Larry is arguably the best gardener ever. He always has an immaculate garden and has studied and taught about gardening. The man knows ALL the tricks to get plants to grow. Uncle Larry has 10 green thumbs! His techniques have been passed around the family, luckily for us. He shared his secrets with our mom, who also grows a bountiful garden every year. To learn more about our tips and tricks for growing tomatoes, see our full guide.
Tomato growing is our family’s way to connect year after year. We compare notes on everything, from how our crops are faring, to what varieties we planted, to what has been canned so far. And of course, we love talking about all the delicious ways we can eat them! Along with the abundance of tomatoes comes a million ways to prepare them. One of our fondest memories growing up with our mom was making her delicious Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce. We’ve tweaked the recipe over the years and now it’s darn near perfection!
Family Tested, Dad Approved
Part of the reason we worked so hard to perfect this canned spaghetti sauce recipe is because of our dad. To know him is to know his passionate love for Italian food. He is super picky about spaghetti sauce; it has to be just right. Well, we’re happy to report that we served this sauce at family dinner recently and our dad loved it! He couldn’t get enough. In fact, he used a spoon to get all the excess off his plate. He’s crazy about this savory sauce, and you will be too!
How Can I Use Canned Spaghetti Sauce?
The name may say spaghetti, but this marinara sauce is so versatile, it’s sure to become one of your favorite staples, and not just on pasta night. Try it in these delicious recipes:
- Lasagna
- Stuffed Shells
- Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Minestrone Soup
- Pizza Sauce, simply add a little extra tomato paste to thicken it up.
Water Bath Canning Spaghetti Sauce
This particular recipe for canned spaghetti sauce hasn’t been “officially” tested for a water-bath canner. However, after MUCH research, we’ve found that if you add lemon juice to the jars, this recipe is acidic enough for canning. Tomatoes are in the “gray area” of having enough acidity, so they might be just fine on their own. But adding a bit of lemon juice ensures their acidity. If you’re still worried, you can pressure can them or add more lemon juice or red wine vinegar.
UPDATE: This recipe has been tried and LOVED by many of you. Be sure to check out the comments to see everyone’s reviews about this canned spaghetti sauce.
Pressure Canning Spaghetti Sauce
For a weighted-gauge pressure canner, you will want to process 20 minutes for pint jars and 25 minutes for quart jars. Process at 10 pounds for altitudes between 0-1,000 feet. Process at 15 pounds for altitudes above 1,000 feet. For more information on pressure canning spaghetti sauce, check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation here.
Frequently Asked Questions about Canned Spaghetti Sauce
You can add ground beef or ground Italian sausage ONLY if you are going to pressure can it OR if you freeze it instead of canning it (or you just want to eat it fresh or within a few days). Do not add ground beef if you are planning to water-bath can or steam can — it will not be safe to eat after sitting on the shelf.
Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding fresh mushrooms, celery, parsley, thyme or meat it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning.
We usually try to eat anything that we have canned within a year. You can probably go a couple years but probably not much longer than that. Some canning sites even say you shouldn’t go more than 6 months, but I think you are fine going longer than that.
Absolutely! This spaghetti sauce recipe freezes beautifully and lasts for several months in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. Just make sure to thaw the sauce completely in the refrigerator before re-heating. If you DO want to add more random ingredients like ground beef or extra veggies, freezing is a good way to go if you are worried about acidity levels.
The only ingredient that has any gluten in this recipe is the soy sauce. It sounds weird to even have soy sauce in a spaghetti sauce recipe, but trust us, it is divine! Instead of cutting the soy sauce, opt for a gluten free brand. The rich flavor will knock your socks off!
READ NEXT:25+ Easy Ground Beef Recipes
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
- Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
- One Pot Creamy Garlic Noodles
- Nick’s Authentic Italian Spaghetti
- Old Spaghetti Factory’s Mizithra Pasta
How to Make Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce
Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 25 pounds tomatoes
- 5 medium onions (about 7-8 cups chopped)
- 4 red bell peppers
- 1 green bell pepper
- 4 (6oz) cans tomato paste
- 1/4 cups soy sauce Sounds weird, but trust us, it deepens the tomato flavor like you won’t believe!
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup salt
- 10 cloves garlic chopped or minced
- 3 tablespoons oregano dried
- 3 tablespoons basil dried
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/4 cups lemon juice for jars
Instructions
- Fill a large pot or Dutch oven half-way with water, bring to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, add tomatoes one at a time until you can’t fit any more (about 8-10 tomatoes).
- Boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove tomatoes one at a time with slotted spoon and plunge in an icewater bath. Peel and quarter tomatoes.
- In a food processor, cover and process green peppers and onions in batches until finely chopped (if you want to add extra flavor, saute the peppers and onions in a little oil and a pinch of salt before processing).In a large stockpot, combine the tomatoes (do not discard excess juices from the tomatoes), onion/pepper mixture, tomato paste, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, garlic, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, and bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so (tomatoes burn easily so keep an eye on it). Discard bay leaves.If you want to make your sauce thick and smooth, use an immersion blender to blend the tomatoes until smooth with no large chunks (you can also blend it in batches in a blender).
- Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to 9 or 10 hot 1-quart jars (depending on how much sauce you have). Ladle hot mixture into jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace at the top. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids.
For Water Bath Canning:
- Process for 40 minutes in a boiling-water canner for altitudes of 1,000 feet or less. For altitudes up to 3,000 feet, add 5 minutes; 6,000 feet, add 10 minutes; 8,000 feet, add 15 minutes; 10,000 feet, add 20 minutes.
For Pressure Canning:
- Using a weighted-gauge pressure canner, process 20 minutes for pint jars and 25 minutes for quart jars. Process at 10 lb for altitudes between 0-1,000 feet. Process at 15 lb for altitudes above 1,000 feet.
Notes
- This recipe makes 9-10 quart-sized jars
- Our Uncle Larry is arguably the best gardener ever. He always has an immaculate garden and has studied and taught about gardening. The man knows ALL the tricks to get plants to grow. Uncle Larry has 10 green thumbs! His techniques have been passed around the family, luckily for us. He shared his secrets with our mom, who also grows a bountiful garden every year. To learn more about our tips and tricks for growing tomatoes, see our full guide.
- This spaghetti sauce recipe freezes beautifully and lasts for several months in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. Just make sure to thaw the sauce completely in the refrigerator before re-heating. If you DO want to add more random ingredients like ground beef or extra veggies, freezing is a good way to go if you are worried about acidity levels.
Can I substitute fresh basil for dried basil? (I’ve got it growing in my garden.)
We can only endorse the recipe as written for canning purposes. Omissions or additions can be safely made if you plan to freeze the sauce instead of canning.
Fed my family the old country Italian Spaghetti Sauce recipe and the Spaghetti made a number one hit with the Raynard’s on Mother’s Day made fresh Garlic Bread to go with and a side salad and served a cold Sparkling Grape Juice for beverage for dessert was Creamy Coconut Pie ..everyone was pleased at the table yesterday and they want me to start this tradiotion again next Mother’s Day …
Absolutely amazing flavor!!!! This is now my absolute favorite homemade canned spaghetti sauce!!!! Better than anything on the market (and I’m a HUGE Prego fan)!
I didn’t change one thing about this recipe! Perfection!
Thank you so much for sharing this with us!!!!!
Can the bell pepper be omitted or would it make the sauce unsafe for canning? Thanks!
We can only endorse the recipe as written for canning purposes. Omissions or additions can be safely made if you plan to freeze the sauce instead of canning.
Are you able to skip the tomato paste? Would you just cook down longer? Would you added more whole tomato?
If you don’t add the tomato paste, it will be very thin.
I froze a lot of whole tomatoes at the end of summer. How long should I boil them for if you boil fresh ones for 1-2 minutes for this recipe?
We haven’t made this recipe with frozen tomatoes, so I can’t say for sure.
We freeze our tomatoes every summer and when we’re ready to use them we set them out and when they turn white and are frosty looking the skins will slide right off.
If I want to use my canned tomatoes from this fall, sounds like you are saying 1 pint is approx 1 pound of tomatoes, or is the above 1 lb in 14.5 oz can for store bought canned tomatoes?
A 14.5 ounce can from the store is about 1 pound of fresh tomatoes. A pint jar is 16 ounces so it is a little over a pound of fresh tomatoes. Hope this helps!
I have canned whole peeled tomatoes I’d like to use but how do I substitute for fresh? I used lemon juice when canning them so would I need to adjust lemon juice?
A 14.5-oz can of tomatoes is equal to about 1 pound of fresh tomatoes. And yes I would still add the lemon juice as listed in the recipe.
Hey There!
I made this recipe with Roma tomatoes about 6 months ago. I’d like to make another batch, but was thinking of using crushed tomatoes this time. How many ounces/cups of crushed tomatoes should I use in place of 25# of fresh tomatoes?
Thanks so much, this recipe is truly phenomenal.
A 14.5-oz can of tomatoes is equal to about 1 pound of fresh tomatoes.
25LBS of tomatoes will make 9 quarts with this recipe? Or is the 9 quarts 3x the recipe. Thank you !
25 lbs of tomatoes makes 9-10 quarts of sauce. Hope this helps!
Can I sleep sub the lemon juice for lime juice for canning?
We have not tested that substitution for canning safety.
I made this recipe with my garden tomatoes. It is one of the best sauces I have ever had and I can’t believe I made it myself. THANK YOU for the awesome recipe!
We’ve made this recipe for the last few years and absolutely love it. My husband refuses all other sauce recipes.
With that being said – he’s now unable to eat seeds. Could we run the tomatoes through our Norpro sauce master to make a tomato sauce, which would remove the seeds and skins, but leaving the juice and pulp and then add that to the pot with the onions, peppers, etc?
I don’t feel like it would change the acidity, but wanted to chat and see. I know that’s kind of an interesting question. Hopefully as it’s asked it makes sense.
Yes that should be fine!
I made this spaghetti sauce and it was delicious but way to salty, can I cut back on the salt? I need to make more, I just use my last jar today!
Yes, if you feel that it is too salty you can definitely cut back on the salt. Season along the way to make sure you are getting the exact amount you like. Hope this helps!
About freezing: I have found that just having something frozen isn’t enough. You have to have it way colder than that. I have frozen stuff at 25 degrees for years and it came out as if it were just made. What kind of stuff? ANYTHING! Meat, soup, vegetables, anything. Exactly how cold? Darned if I know. What I do is set the temperature as cold as it will go and I have found that of all the freezers I’ve ever owned, that seems to be 25 degrees F. I think, therefore, that is probably an industry standard for manufacturers. So crank your freezer down as far as it will go and you can freeze stuff FOREVER! I,ve frozen a casserole for 4 years and it was like just made. But if you have it just cold enough to be just frozen, say 30 or 31 degrees, look out! It won’t keep.
Do I need the salt? I have kidney failure and salt is my enemy as to why I wanna make my own vs store bought
We can only endorse the recipe as written for canning purposes. Omissions or additions can be safely made if you plan to freeze the sauce instead of canning.
Thank you! 😊
How many cups of tomatoes equals 25 pounds? Thanks!
2 cups of chopped tomatoes = 1 pound