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!
This canned spaghetti sauce is HANDS-DOWN the very best with home-grown tomatoes. We are kind of crazy about our tomatoes over here.
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, lucky 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, click here.
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 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 water-bath canning. 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 lb for altitudes between 0-1,000 feet. Process at 15 lb for altitudes above 1,000 feet. For more information on pressure canning spaghetti sauce, check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation here.
Still Not Sure About Canning? Your Questions Answered!
We get it; canning can be intimidating for some. But stick with us here, we can help you! Here are some of the most commonly asked questions from our readers:
Can I Add Ground Beef to the Canned Spaghetti Sauce?
You can add ground beef 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.
Can I Add (fill in the blank) to this recipe?
Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding more produce, meat or anything else it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning.
How long does Canned Spaghetti Sauce last on the shelf?
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.
Can I freeze the sauce instead of canning it?
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.
Is this sauce gluten free?
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!
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
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.
Cindy K. says
This recipe sounds amazing and I would love to can it, could I use tomatoes I have already canned? If yes, how many quarts would I use for your recipe?
Kelsey Crist says
We’ve had other readers say that 5 quarts of canned tomatoes works great for this recipe!
Annette Sargent says
OMG! this is the best sauce ever!!
Since we had a super good crop of tomatoes this year I’m very thankful I found your recipe. I made a couple of batches and canned several quarts. Now I wish I had even more. We love this sauce so much we drink it like V8 juice. I did grill the green peppers and onions before adding them into the sauce.
Thanks for a wonderful recipe that I will use for years to come!
Echo Blickenstaff says
I’m so happy you love this recipe as much as we do! Thank you for sharing your tip for adding grilled peppers and onions. Great idea!
Amy L Huntley says
I love making spaghetti sauce from my garden tomatoes and veggies. It taste so fresh and I can add more or less of what I like.
Kristyn says
We make spaghetti a ton & to have this on hand, makes it so nice & convenient. Plus, it tastes so good!!
Heather says
Hi! I just made this recipe and I am super stoked! I do have a few questions, once taken out from the 40 minute water bath is it bad to press on the lids right away? Does that mess with the air in the jar? Also how can you really test if you canned the sauce properly?
Erica Walker says
You can tighten the lids as soon as they are cool enough to touch. It doesn’t mess with the air. There isn’t really a way to “test” to see if it is canned properly. The best way to tell is if the seal on the lid is pressed in. If it still makes a “pop” sound when you press on the top of the lid after it has cooled completely, it didn’t seal properly. You will want to put that jar in the fridge and use it within a few days. Hope that helps!
john marchet says
Can I use a high quality canned tomatoes leaning towards a cento san marzano. If canned tomatoes work would I still use 25lbs of canned tomatoes. Has anyone used canned tomatoes with good results. Thanks
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, that would absolutely work, and yes still 25 pounds. Hope you enjoy!
Bethany Shepherd says
Have used this recipe 2 years in a row and have loved it. We did a couple of different things to make a more sweeter sauce. 1) roast the tomatoes with skins on in the oven for 30-40 min at 400 f. Roast until the skins start to break. This brings out the tomato sweetness
2) carmelized the onions
3) sauteed the peppers
All 3 of these really make the recipe TOP NOTCH
Lori Batson says
Please help! I’ve had really good spaghetti sauce recipes but when canned, they ended up tasting like an Italian seasoning factory! What has been your take on this after it’s sat on the shelf for a month or two? I’m hoping this one works. Any ideas?
Kelsey Crist says
We haven’t had this issue with this recipe. If it is too intense, you can always add a little tomato paste or canned tomato sauce.
Gabby says
Hello,
How long will this last on the shelf if canned properly in a water bath?
Kelsey Crist says
It should last a year on the shelf!
Amy L Huntley says
I love having homemade spaghetti sauce on had during the winter months. It tastes so much for fresh too!
Lisalia says
Oh yes this was absolutely delicious. Good thing my kiddos know how to make pasta noodles. They loved this sauce with it and will make a batch of noodles to have with the sauce for an afternoon snack. Daily!! lol It’s SO good.
Natalie says
Rich in flavor, this spaghetti sauce is delicious!! I will be making a big batch to store in jars!!
Kristyn says
Love this!! We eat a lot of spaghetti & having the sauce on hand & made already, makes my life so much easier!
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for this amazing and really delicious spaghetti sauce recipe! It’s super easy to make! Will surely have this again, Highly recommended!
Rod Ivey says
Hello, I will be making this for the third time in less than a year. This is going to be the 2nd time I’ve doubled the recipe. I have given over half of it away and everyone wants more. I roast all my veggies first and then put everything through the vitamix before cooking it. I’m going to even roast the tomatoes a little before putting them in the vitamix this time. I’m sure it will add a little different flavour as well.
I was wondering if you have a recipe for tomato paste? I would like to try making that next.
Favorite Family Recipes says
So glad you’ve loved this recipe! We don’t have a recipe for tomato paste, but that is something we might look into in the future!
Amber Hagel says
I removed the water from the tomatoes as they were cooking and it basically came out as paste. The flavour is great. A happy accident on my part. Just thought I’d share.
Kathryn says
So much flavor🍅🫑🌶🧅🧄
Pam Hamilton says
Awesome sauce!! I thought I was done canning for the season but a friend gave me 45 pounds of tomatoes. Used half the tomatoes for juice and decided to try your recipe for spaghetti sauce. Made a batch this week and canned 7 quarts but ate for dinner what I didn’t can. Huge recipe! Used an 18 quart electric roaster to simmer it as I didn’t have a kettle large enough! Didn’t peel or de-seed tomatoes, just left in chunks, slowly adding more as they started to cook. Used an immersion blender to get rid of big chunks and peel. But waited to add onions & peppers until after using blender, I wanted a chunky sauce! Was short on peppers and garlic but it was still delish! Added a bottle of Guiness Beer and some powdered beef base. Started in morning and went about my business, occasionally stirring. Simmered in roaster about 6 hours. Pressure canned it. Now, hoping I can get more tomatoes and make another batch!! Thanks!
Debbie says
Great flavour a wee bit spicy but nice. I put mine in ziplock bags and froze the sauce about 1.5 cups foe 2. This will be my go too . Just another 50lbs of garden fresh tomatoes to do.😊
Joy says
Can I use a water bath canner instead of a pressure cooker?
Favorite Family Recipes says
This particular recipe for canned spaghetti sauce hasn’t been “officially” tested for water-bath canning. 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.
Jamie Mecham says
Can you use a steam bath canner for this recipe?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes!
AngieO says
Can you substitute the brown sugar with Swerve brown sugar to make it a bit more keto friendly?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We have only approved this specific recipe for canning safety, so we cannot recommend any substitutions. Sorry about that!
Shari says
I have used this recipe and substituted with the “swerve” bs substitute. Turned out amazing! Making another batch now! My new favorite sauce recipe!!❤
Lynda says
Does the lemon juice change the flavor of the sauce?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We don’t ever notice it! It is just for pH leveling for canning.
Kathy says
Could you substitute vinegar, 5%, for the lemon juice?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We have only approved this specific recipe for canning safety, so we cannot recommend any substitutions. Sorry about that!
Sara says
According to this canning site, 4Tbsp of 5% vinegar per quart can be used in place of lemon juice, but may change the flavour (perhaps because you need twice as much). Red wine vinegar might be nice, or it might not be noticeable enough to be worth the change, I might try with a few jars. https://nchfp.uga.edu/tips/summer/canned_tomato_types.html
Tennille says
The spice blend in this recipe is yummy! Thank you! Instead of blanching tomatoes, I usually roast them (skin on) with onion and garlic (and pepper, if using) prior to immersion blending and simmering. Roasting adds flavor and you can peel off the tomato skins once they cool a little.
Eve says
Can I half the recipe? I haven’t tried the recipe yet since i’m a novice to canning, but would like to start out small. Thanks!! 🙂
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sure!
Kathrine Kanneman says
Best ever. Making it second year!
Tweedie Mays says
If I use fresh basil how munch should I use?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We have only approved this specific recipe for canning safety, so we cannot recommend any substitutions. Sorry about that! If you do want to add fresh basil, you could freeze the sauce instead of canning. The rule of thumb ratio for dried herbs to fresh herbs is to multiply by three, so 9 tablespoons of fresh basil should do the trick!
Jannie says
A previous comment asked about cup measurements. I replied with another question, but decided to post my own comment for others with the same questions.
You stated that a large onion yields 3 cups chopped. I have regular sized onions, which yield 1 – 1 1/2 cups chopped. If you use large onions for this recipe, then you’re using about 15 cups chopped? Regular onions would yield about 7 cups chopped. Onions are a low acid vegetable, so the quantity makes a big difference in the acidity of the sauce for canning.
Also, while I’m here, I substitute a few Jalepeño peppers for some of the green or red peppers without changing quantity. It gives it a little extra “kick.”
Great Recipe!!
Emily Walker says
You want about about 7-8 cups of chopped onions.
Jannie says
Thanks so much! We love this sauce! My husband doesn’t want me to tell our kids I made it, “because they’ll want you to send them some!” Which I do , of course!
Tera S says
The flavor is amazing but ours turns out runny. Do you do anything to thicken it up when you use it?
Favorite Family Recipes says
You can add an 8oz can of tomato paste to thicken it up when you use it from the can! Hope this helps!
Heather Peterson says
I bottled 24 quarts of Tomato Juice and didn’t know what to do with the 12 pounds of leftover tomato meat. This recipe saved the day, smelled and tasted delicious!! I got 5 quarts of sauce but just realized i put lime juice not lemon in my jars, is that going to be ok?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes it should be fine! They have a very similar pH!
JC says
You can also dehydrate the tomato meat and powder it to use as flavoring!
Ronda says
quick question, Do you add 2 tablespoons to each jar or batch?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Each jar!
Kathy says
How much lemon juice for pint size jars?
Erica Walker says
1 tablespoon for pint jars 🙂
Judy Brown says
Do you put the lemon juice in the jars and leave it? What’s the juice for?
Favorite Family Recipes says
The lemon juice is to help balance the pH of the sauce to be safe for canning. Hope this helps!
Carrie Meyer says
I love garlic. Wouldn’t having extra garlic eliminate the need for citric acid?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We have only approved this specific recipe for canning safety, so we cannot recommend any substitutions. Sorry about that!
Bonnie Crandell says
Is the instructions correct that you have to simmer this for 4-5 hours?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yep! That is how the flavors get really strong and blend together well.
Ashley says
Also, one more question. I have a dial gauge pressure canner. Not a weighted gauge. Is there a difference in the processing times? Or am I even able to use a dial gauge canner? Thanks!
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t used a dial gauge canner, so I am not sure! Maybe there is some info on Google?
Carrie says
I’m confused. If we used a weighted gauge canner, how can we tell we are at 10lbs of pressure. Shouldn’t it be a dial gauge anyway??
Brenda says
My canner is weighted gauge. Two rings, five pounds with no rings (the weight holder is five pounds on its own) and each ring is five pounds. So if you have two rings on it’s fifteen pounds total.
Ashley says
Hi! I’m planning to use mostly San marzano tomatoes and try your sauce this week. My question is with the weight. Do you weigh the 25 pounds of tomatoes before or after trimming and dicing? A lot of my tomatoes are all different sizes and if I weigh them before cooking, the weight would change after trimming and coring them. Thanks!!
Favorite Family Recipes says
We usually weigh them before we trim and core them!
Jenelle says
This sauce is the best I have ever tasted. I made it this afternoon and am going to heat it up and water bath can it tomorrow when I get home from work. Thank you for such a great recipe! I omitted the oregano and red pepper flakes because I didn’t have any. I just added extra dried basil from my garden. I will definitely be sharing this recipe with anyone who grows tomatoes, it’s so delicious! I can’t wait to crack a jar open this winter and enjoy it.
Emily Walker says
So glad you like it!!
Linda says
Do you need to deseed tomatoes?
Favorite Family Recipes says
You can if you want to, but it isn’t necessary.
M. Fortin says
Can’t wait to try this. It will be my first time canning tomato sauce. Some of the jars I will using are 48 oz, how long should I process them in the water bath?
Echo Blickenstaff says
For the larger jars, I would add 5 minutes. Here is a link to the National Center for Home Food Preservation to read more about canning times and elevation: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/general/selecting_correct_process_time.html
Amy Bamerick says
I always use fennel bulb chopped finely sautéed with peppers and onion in my sauce recipe, and add Romano cheese.. would these be safe to add to the canning recipe using the water bath way..
Echo Blickenstaff says
The fennel bulb is fine to add with the peppers and onions, but don’t add the cheese. It’s best to add the cheese when you prepare the sauce to serve later. Thanks for asking!
Sara Schaumburg says
Can I used fresh basil instead of dried?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding more produce, meat or anything else it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning. If you are going to change our recipe in any way, I would suggest freezing it instead.
Carrie Meyer says
You can add fresh basil but the issue is that dried is more flavorful. You can insti-dri basil in the oven.
Tina Schuessler says
I accidentally got 3 green peppers and 2 red. Will that be ok?
Erica Walker says
Yes, that is totally fine 🙂
Robin Bolton says
I will be making this in the next few days to can in a hot water bath. Instead of lemon juice can I is citric acid and if so how much. I’m following your recipe but I have 70# of tomatoes. TIA
Erica Walker says
Yes. It citric acid can be used instead of lemon juice. 1/4 teaspoon powdered Citric Acid is equivalent to 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. Hope this helps!
DAISY GUTBERLET says
Do I have to put lemon juice in if I am pressure canning my jars?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes! The lemon juice helps to balance the acidity of the recipe.
Traci Horn says
What if if going to be freezing sauce instead of canning? Still need lemon juice and 1/2 inch space?
Favorite Family Recipes says
You will need the 1/2 inch space since the sauce will expand when it freezes, but you can omit the lemon juice!
KWinn says
We canned this recipe exactly as written last September/October and found the taste to be perfectly awesome! We processed the filled jars with our pressure cooker canner and felt very confident in the outcome of the canning process. On inspecting the jars this summer I’m finding a wavy ring of lighter orange hanging around the top 1/4 inch of sauce in the jars. This is happening in the wide mouth jars we used. We’re not seeing that same orange layer in the small mouth jars we canned of the same recipe. ( Different batches though) Have you or anyone here had that happen? Wondering about safety if product… so sad because we loved this recipe sooo much!
Erica Walker says
I’m not exactly sure what you mean. It is normal to have some discoloration in the headspace of the jar after canning and after it has been on the shelf for a few months. It could be some of the oil that the veggies were sautéed in that has risen to the top. As long as the jars are completely sealed you should be fine.
KWinn says
Is it possible to send a couple of pictures of the jars to you?
Debbie Williams says
Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe! I’ve been chopping and freezing our homegrown tomatoes for the past weeks, and I finally had enough ready to make the spaghetti sauce today. It tastes so good, and I can’t wait to share it with my family soon. YUMMY!!!
Michelle says
How are you chopping and freezing? Blanching first? I just am new to this and don’t have enough tomatoes yet!
Michelle says
How many cups would this be of skinned, seeded, drained tomato’s? Or how can I measure by cup verse weight at no tomato’s have the same water weight
Erica Walker says
You should have about 40-50 cups, give or take a few. This is just an approximation. It will vary based on water amount and how much is drained off. Hope this helps!
Michelle says
What kind of salt?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Just table salt will do!
Kelly G says
Another one of your answers to this same questions stated 1 lb= 1.5 cups chopped tomatoes. 25 lbs would equal 37.5 lbs in this answer. That is quite the difference between 37.5 and 50 cups.
Also wondering what kind of pot to use. My largest one holds 25 cups of chopped tomatoes. How do you get 37.5 cups plus all the other ingredients in one pot? Thought someone mentioned a nesco, but I can’t find that response. Thanks
Emily Walker says
I would go by the 25 lbs. You would either need to get a bigger pot or split it into two batches with the pot that you have. Hope that helps!
Katie says
I am interested in making this recipe. Has anyone every tried to do it in an instant pot to cut down on the time?
Kaitlyn says
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I’m excited to! If I use pint size jars instead of quarts do the pressure canning instructions remain the same? Also, about how long can this sauce be kept on the shelf after canning?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, pint sized jars should be fine. The sauce stays good on the shelf for about a year!
Alyna says
So my tomatoes are ripening in intervals…so im taking skin off, seeding em, blending them the freezing em to make sauce when its cooler. Didnt add anything like spices or anything to em. When i defrost n drain excess water from them…what is the ratio of weight for blended tomatoes?
Erica Walker says
1 pound of fresh tomatoes roughly equates to about 3 cups for pureed tomatoes. If you are draining off the liquid after freezing, it will probably reduce that amount by a bit, depending on how much liquid you drain off. Hope this helps!
Kathy says
If I was using frozen tomatoes I wouldn’t drain off the liquid when the thaw. You’ll be losing flavour. Just cook them down.
Heather S says
Is it possible to cut this recipe down to require 1/4 of the ingredients? I want to make about 5 pints to try it out. I can’t find a tested canning recipe for spaghetti sauce that is on the small scale. Any help is so appreciated!
Favorite Family Recipes says
If you are going to adjust the scale of this recipe, I would suggest freezing it instead of canning it. That way you can try out the taste without the risk of canning an unsafe recipe. I hope this helps!
Melissa Ackley says
I first made this recipe in 2018. I wrote the recipe down but somehow lost it. I was so happy when I googled canning homemade spaghetti sauce that this recipe came up!!! This is by far the BEST recipe I have ever used. We are making 4 batches today. Kitchen is in chaos with all the kids helping but wouldn’t have it any other way. Thanks so much for the recipe and the memories I have of our family together in the kitchen. 😊
Favorite Family Recipes says
This is why we do what we do! Thank you so much for sharing this sweet review!
Tatiana Horrocks says
How many grams or oz of peppers chopped up and how many grams or oz of onions chopped up?
Erica Walker says
You would have to use a conversion chart to determine the grams & oz. I didn’t use grams and oz to prepare the recipe so I can’t tell you for sure. The amounts of the ingredients don’t need to be exact, you can just use liquid measuring cups to determine the amounts you need. Hope this helps!
Jason says
Do you remove/strain out the seeds? I’m going to make this today and would rather not deal with the extra steps.
Echo Blickenstaff says
We don’t take the seeds out, but you can if you want to add the extra step. Thanks for asking!
Megan says
Hello! It’s planting season in Minnesota and I’m going to try your recipe! What tomatoes do you recommend for this canning recipe?
Favorite Family Recipes says
San Marzano or Roma are the best for spaghetti sauce!
Chantele says
If I am not waterbathing, but pressure canning, can I delete the lemon juice step?
This is so good, I don’t want to add lemon juice.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Unfortunately, for this recipe the lemon juice is necessary! It helps the pH of the sauce to be safe for canning. I don’t notice much of a taste change when I add it! I hope this helps!
Helen says
Do you have to fill the jars to the rim with the sauce for the water canning?
I could only find BIG jars and really don’t want to open a big jar for the 2 of us
Erica Walker says
Unfortunately, yes, you will want to fill them as stated in the recipe. Otherwise you will have too much headspace in the jar and could cause discoloration of the sauce. Hope this helps!
Cindy Pankievich says
Oh my goodness this is amazing spaghetti sauce. I just canned 6 quarts and planning to get more tomatoes to do more this week. It’s delicious!
Mark says
Could I add mushrooms to this recipe and if so how much do you recommend adding? Thanks much
Favorite Family Recipes says
We have only gotten approval for canning for this exact recipe. Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding more produce, meat or anything else it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning. If you are really wanting to add mushrooms, I would suggest freezing the sauce instead of canning.
May says
Is it okay to freeze them instead?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes you can freeze the sauce!
Danielle says
I will be pressure canning this recipe. It says you can add meat, but not how much. Is there a certain amount that is safe to add?
If I use citric acid instead of lemon juice, how much would I add to each quart jar?
Thanks!
Favorite Family Recipes says
I don’t have an answer for you regarding the meat. We have only confirmed the canning safety of this recipe exactly as written. In regards to the citric acid though, that should be okay. One tablespoon of bottled lemon juice is equal to 1/4 teaspoon citric acid, so just adjust as necessary. Hope this helps!
Sandy says
Do you think I could omit the sugar?
Favorite Family Recipes says
If you are going to can the sauce, I would not omit the sugar because we only have this exact recipe approved for canning and changing it could be dangerous. If you want to leave the sugar out, you would need to freeze the sauce instead of canning.
Michelle Andrews says
I can’t get good quality fresh tomatoes at the moment. I was wondering if I could substitute with canned? And if so, do you know the conversion?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes you can use canned! I would use about 12 quarts (or 3 gallons) of tomatoes. Try to get halved or whole tomatoes, as diced will be too watery.
Tanya says
Wondering if you have ever had the problem of the added acid making the final sauce too acidic? Perhaps lemon juice is the wiser choice (I used citric acid), but how would you recommend pulling out the extra acidity?
Favorite Family Recipes says
If the taste is too acidic, you can add a little baking soda when you are heating the sauce up to eat. If that doesn’t work, you can also add a little butter to neutralize the acid. Hope this helps!!
teri says
Just wondering if this is a tested recipe. Thank you.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I’m not sure exactly what you mean by tested, but we’ve been making it for years!!
Kim says
I’ve made this the last few years & it’s our favorite! I don’t think we can go back to store bought
Mary Gordon says
I have many Roma’s; and I plan to seed them; do I need to add more than 25 pounds of tomatoes to make up the loss of seed, etc.??
Echo Blickenstaff says
Yes, you will want to add more tomatoes because you will be losing juice from the tomato as well as seeds. How many more will depend on the size and ripeness of your tomatoes. Thanks for asking!
Jodie says
Can this be frozen instead of canned? Thank you.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes!
Kimberly Chasteen says
I have been making red sauce for years, trying to find the perfect recipe. Last year I found your recipe and my family and friends love it, hands-down the best red sauce we’ve had. It rivals five star Italian restaurant sauce!
This year we planted 40 tomato plants and I am starting on my first batch of red sauce. Thank you so much for posting this delicious recipe.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this sweet review! We are so glad you love this recipe!
Grace says
Good sauce, but found too sweet for my taste. Plan to try again with 1/2 the sugar.
Andrea Thueson says
I love finding good from scratch replacement recipes! This is a gem of a find, thank you!!!
Natalie says
This is wonderful! I go through so much spaghetti sauce! With trying to stock up, this is the perfect thing to make a bunch of!
Denise K Feist says
Hello
This looks wonderful but curious why so high in carbs?
Thanks Denise
Favorite Family Recipes says
The nutrition information is per quart jar. So, that is how many carbs are in the whole jar.
Betsy says
Extremely flavorful! It’s so great to have homemade pasta sauce on hand anytime I want it! Just head down to the basement, grab a jar, and bask in the wonderful smells of homemade sauce! I found my neighbors are huge fans of getting a jar gifted to them, too!
John marchet says
Question? If i use canned tomatoes, say San Marzano should I include the juice the tomatoes are packed in?? Thanks, JOhn
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, I would add the juice that they are packed in.
BC says
This sounds similar to our family recipe. I totally understand using soy sauce. It adds the umami to the sauce that I use anchovies or anchovy paste for. I also use regular sugar so I will definitely try with brown sugar. Thank you for sharing.
Katy says
Can I add other veggies to this recipe like carrots and zucchini if I am canning the sauce?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding more produce, meat or anything else it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning. If you are unsure about whether or not it will be safe to can, you can always freeze it.
Carolyn says
Is it a spicy sauce with the red pepper flakes.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Our family is very sensitive to spicy foods and we don’t have a problem with this recipe!
Cassandra says
Can the peppers, onions and tomatoes be roasted first?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sure!
Bev Melrose says
i forgot the worchestire sauce, would it make a difference, or should i substitute something else
Favorite Family Recipes says
I would add some extra soy sauce just to make sure the acidity stays at the right level.
Joanna says
This has become our families favorite spaghetti sauce. I made 37 quarts of sauce and I am getting reading to make another 37. Thank you for sharing this. It takes work and I can see where people would be hesitant, but do yourself a favor….you won’t regret it!
kathy lord says
i put all the lemon juice in the pot by mistake , what should i do
Favorite Family Recipes says
If you put the sauce into jars right after you added the lemon juice, you should be fine. However, if you let it boil after you added it, it might have boiled some of it off. I would still add about 1 tbsp to each jar. Hope this helps!
Jennifer Jeffery says
Can I skip the red peppers and use all green? I am trying to use up my garden haul and have a ton of green peppers!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes that should be fine!
Linda says
My family loves this sauce! This is the first
year I’ve tried making Spaghetti Sauce, although I’ve canned lots of things over the years! Delicious 😋
Kaleela says
Will it still be safe for canning if I make this recipe without the onion? I am allergic.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I can’t really speak to the safety of any recipe besides the exact recipe we listed. If you are worried about it, you can freeze it instead of canning.
preston stockwell says
what is the approximate yield on this recipie I want to can it in pints because there is only two of us at home quarts would be too much im thinking
Favorite Family Recipes says
This recipe would make 20 pints!
Jamie Barton says
Is there any chance that you have cup measurements for the onions and peppers? I freeze my peppers throughout the summer and it would be great to know for sure how much to use. Thanks and I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Favorite Family Recipes says
One pepper usually yields 1 cup chopped, and one large onion usually yields about 3 cups chopped. I hope this helps!
Jannie says
Are you saying you use large onions? So about 15 cups of onion? I have regular size onions, and each yields about a cup when chopped.
Emily Walker says
You want about about 7-8 cups of chopped onions.
Michelle Baker says
I’m downsizing the recipe in half. Can I add Zucchini, mushrooms and/or other vegetables in this recipe for canning and how do I figure out how much other veggies to put in it? Would they require prepping differently then the others in this recipe?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding more produce, meat or anything else it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning.
Lara dominguez says
Yum! So good! I made this today-follow the recipe with one exception- I added one cup of merlot in the beginning. Will definitely be making again. Thank you for sharing!
Sarah says
I am canning my sauce today and cant wait! Do you put 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in EVERY jar?
TY
Erica Walker says
YES, you want to put it in every jar. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to taste it. It just keeps it safe when canning. 🙂
Liz Rostek says
I forgot to pit kemon juice in the jars. What should I do?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I wouldn’t can it. I would freeze it instead! I worry that the acidity won’t be high enough to can.
Renee says
I had already added 2-3 more lbs of tomatoes BEFORE reading the Q&A. I canned all 9 quart sized jars and added the proper amount of citric acid to each jar before filling. Should I be concerned that I added a few more tomatoes? Thank you for the recipe!
Favorite Family Recipes says
I think that should be okay, if you added the citric acid.
Linda Cowan says
Could you freeze this sauce once made?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Absolutely!
Donna Tharnish says
Absolutely wonderful sauce. Making a second batch!
Michelle Clayberger says
Do you have to use tomato paste?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, if you don’t use the tomato paste, it will not be the right consistency. It will be too runny.
B Fritz says
I usually use tomato paste when I make this but forgot to get some the last time I made it. I just tried to remove more of the seeds and gel. It was a little bit thinner but still worked well over pasta!
Absolute favorite pasta sauce BTW! My most picker eater was heart broken when we ran out over winter! 🙂
Shelley says
By far the best pasta sauce I have ever canned for my family. So good that my husband grabbed a pan and cooked some rotini to eat it immediately once he tasted it. I made 8 quarts, looks like I will be making more!
Shirley Anderson says
Can you use canned tomatoes?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sure!
Nancy Wallace says
This is a really good recipe. My husband does not like tomatoes or any kind of tomato based sauce, and even he thought it was really good. My daughter, who is also not a tomato fan, asked for spaghetti for dinner after I let her taste the sauce just so she could have more!
Beth O'Grady says
Do you remove the seeds from the tomatoes before you can?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We usually don’t remove them, but you can!
Sonya says
Can I cut this recipe in half and still can it, my tomatoes gave up this year and only produced sm tomatoes.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yeah of course!
Linda says
If half the recipe, would the simmer time still be the same?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, I would think so. You still want the flavors to have time to meld together.
Ron B. Sessions says
I was wondering if anyone has had success replacing the brown sugar with Sukrin Gold Brown sugar alternative and the soy sauce with coconut aminos?
Deanna says
If you elect to freeze the sauce would you eliminate the lemon juice? Thanks!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes! You don’t need the lemon juice if you are freezing.
Stephanie says
Does this recipe use canning salt or just regular salt?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We just use regular salt, but I’m sure canning salt would work too!
Yorke says
Can you use citric acid instead of lemon juice?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sure!
kristen treman says
Can you add garlic? My man loves it?
Erica Walker says
Yes, you should be fine adding garlic. 🙂
Tracy says
Can I use sliced peppers and onions instead of chopping them?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sure!
Kevin says
If pressure canning do you need the lemon juice?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes. The tomatoes don’t add enough acidity by themselves.
Lynette Romig says
I forgot to add the lemon juice!!! The jars are already boiling. What do I do? Is it all ruined now?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Unfortunately, I would not continue with the canning. I would freeze it instead. The acidity level won’t be right and it will be unsafe.
Ashley says
How many cups of tomato’s would this be?
Favorite Family Recipes says
One pound of tomatoes is about 1.5 cups chopped. Hope this helps!
TRACY says
I accidently added the lemon juice to tomatoe sauce instead of jars. Should I still add the lemon juice in jars before I pressure cook them?
Carmen says
I don’t like green peppers. Can I leave those out of the recipe? Or is it not a noticeable taste in the finished recipe?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I don’t think its very noticeable, especially because it is pureed. However, if you are worried about it you can substitute more of another pepper.
Jared says
Could I cut the peppers down to 2 green and 1 red? I will be pressure canning. Also if I’m doing multiple batches would it be okay to make the sauce and leave it in the fridge a day or two before heating back up to can?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes to both of your questions!
Kaylee says
I made this recipe last year, it was amazing! Just wondering if I use more green peppers than red, will it mess with the acidity level?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I think that should be fine!
Shirley Meadows says
This is the third year we are making this sauce. It is delicious and the only spaghetti sauce my granddaughter wants to eat anymore. We use a Victoria Strainer to put the tomatoes through. It removes the skin and seeds and produces the maximum amount of pulp. It makes it so easy and quick to prepare the tomatoes for cooking. We use 2 – 18 ounce cans of tomato paste, fresh basil and Italian parsley from my herb garden, only 1 tsp of red pepper and 1 cup of dry red wine. Perfecto! We also pressure can the sauce per the recipe. We make 2 batches so we can give some as Christmas gifts.
Sylvie says
Making the sauce tomorrow. Can I use a Nesco roaster to simmer the sauce for the 4 hours?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I’m not sure what a Nesco Roaster is, but as long as it heats the sauce to a simmer you should be fine!
Sarah Young says
Making the recipe now and it tastes great! I want to make a second batch but don’t have enough bell peppers. What do you think about using Italian peppers instead of bell peppers?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I think that would work!
Stacey Johnson OREGON says
This was delicious! Best recipe I have tried so far! I did NOT blanch and peel my tomatoes because that is a lot of work. It was not a necessary step! I just rough chopped up everything, threw it in the pot together with the other ingredients and cooked on the stove for 4 hours. I also used about 3 T of fresh chopped basil from my garden as I do not have dehydrated basil but once my tomatoes are bursting out of my garden so is my basil:) I then used an immersion blender to make it nice and smooth, but that isn’t needed if you prefer a chunky sauce. I added lemon juice to the jars to ensure acidity was there for long term storage.
Jason says
We are making this now but unless I’m missing it, the recipe doesn’t say when to use the red bell peppers. We are just going to use the food processor on them along with the green bell pepper and onions. Thanks!
Favorite Family Recipes says
That works!
Sarah says
This is absolutely delicious! We’re going to try using some of it as pizza sauce. In the nutrition info, how much is a serving? Thanks!
Favorite Family Recipes says
The nutrition info is for one quart jar! Hope this helps!
Stephanie says
So one quart jar is 332 calories? Just want to make sure I’m calculating correctly 😊
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yep! That’s right.
Monica says
I changed red pepper flakes to cayenne powder. Reduced to 8 huge cloves. Still a strong garlic taste. The bell peppers used were 3 green, 1 red.
These changes were due to on hand and personal preference.
It turned out amazing! A spicy yet sweet sauce with a deep flavor.
Robin V says
I followed the recipe to the T and I must say it is so delicious. Reminds me of my Mom’s sauce she use to make and she was very much Italian. I boiled all the tomatoes for about 10 minutes after cutting into quarters and then put through a mill removing all but the juice Leaving behind skins and seeds. Pressure canned. Can’t wait to make sourdough bread to dip into a warm cup of it. My Levain is fermenting for the bread tomorrow. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Chari says
As my tomatoes are ripening, I’m processing them (taking the skins off) and chopping and putting in the freezer to later make my sauce. I didn’t actually weigh the tomatoes first.
If I weigh the finished chopped up tomatoes, 25# should still be fine for the recipe, shouldn’t it??
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes! That should work!
Rhonda gulliver says
This is amazing and I took a shortcut by pressure cooking it. I used to make passatta with my toms, this is far better
Molly Holmes says
Is it ok to add fresh basil instead of dried? Do I need to adjust anything?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding more produce, meat or anything else it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning.
Carol Huber says
I want to add dry red wine to this recipe. Problem?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We haven’t tried it with wine before, so I can’t say whether or not it will be safe for canning.
Brad Brooks says
Love the sauce! First time I did the water bath method but thinking of using my pressure canner next time (tomorrow)Does one come out tasting better than the other?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t noticed a difference between methods, but let us know how it turns out!
Ktina says
I used a tiny flour/water mixture in this sauce while simmering. I have read on multiple sites it is not safe- is this true?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding more produce, meat or anything else it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning.
P Rodonets says
This sauce is delicious! It is now my favourite spaghetti sauce. I used a stick blender to smooth the sauce a bit and I think accidentally ground up the bay leaf. Oh well. Still tasted great!!!!
Josh Kalk says
Great sauce!! I added celery and charcoal grilled the onions and peppers for that something extra👍✅
Loralee Walker says
Wondering about type of tomatoes used? Roma/paste tomatoes or can you get good results with juicier tomatos too?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We usually use Romas but we have readers who have had success with pretty much every type!
Geoff says
We are currently making this recipe and we are just wondering how much this recipe makes? Just so we can have the proper amount of jars ready to go.
Also, Have you ever added fresh parsley to this recipe? If so, how did it fair? If not, do you see this being an issue?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We usually get about 10 quart jars. As for the parsley, I haven’t tried adding fresh parsley before. Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding more produce, meat or anything else it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning.
Camorrie says
I made this and its currently in the water bath. I felt like it was not as thick as spaghetti sauce normally is. Is that how it is supposed to be? When I use it down the road should I just use some tomato paste to thicken it?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Ours is usually thick, but you can definitely use tomato paste to thicken it up when you are preparing to serve it!
Helen Knecht says
Can this recipe be simmered in a crock pot overnight?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t tried it that way before, so I am not sure! Let us know how it goes if you try it!
TMcFinley says
Can you use fresh basil…how much would you suggest if can be substituted? Thanks
Favorite Family Recipes says
Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding more produce, meat or anything else it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning.
Steph says
I have basil in my freezer from an earlier harvest- did you use fresh? How did it turn out?
Dawn says
I made the sauce and it only filled 6-32 oz jars which I thought was strange. I went through the water bath canning process and everything turned out fine. Then I realized I forgot the tomato paste! Will it still be ok/safe to store and eat? All that work and I forgot an ingredient 😩
Favorite Family Recipes says
That should be fine!! It might be a little runny when you go to heat it up to eat, but you can add the tomato paste at that point to thicken it up.
Sarah says
Instead of cooking on the stove, can you prepare this in a crockpot?
Thank you!
Favorite Family Recipes says
I think that would be fine!
AmandaRose says
I want to add zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers and maybe hamburger or polish sausage slices. How would I do that while maintaining the proper acidity level?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding more produce, meat or anything else it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning. We have only tested this recipe with the ingredients we have listed.
Robin says
I can’t seem to locate any info through the National Center for Home Canning about adding Soy Sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Can you direct me? Thanks so much.
Virginia says
I have found in the 2016, All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving, where you can use 4 tbsp of soy sauce as a seasoning per 2 quart jars in simple one jar vegetables but have found nothing concerning Worcestershire sauce yet.
Mary Bahm says
This sauce is absolutely delicious! So easy to make too.
Deb says
What about the seeds?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I just usually leave them in!
darla says
I am pressure canning so how long would I need to pressure can for?
Erica Walker says
Pressure can at 10 pounds for 25 minutes at elevation 0-1000 feet.
Becky says
Just a friendly reminder if PRESSURE canning and adding meat to this…you have to PRESSURE CAN for 90 minutes. Again, this is only if you are adding meat to the sauce and PRESSURE CANNING.
Barbara LeFevre says
At a fruit and vegetable stand I was at today they said a1/2 bushel of tomatoes weighes about 25lbs
Rhonda says
I have Two 5 gallon buckets of Roma tomatoes so how many lbs would that be for adding the ingredients?
Favorite Family Recipes says
2 medium Roma tomatoes are about 1 lb. Hope that helps!
Kayla says
After blanching and peeling the tomatoes, can I run them through the food processor before cooking/simmering the sauce? (Instead of just quartering them and then running them through at the end.)
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sure! That should work!
Robin V says
Use a scale!
Steve G says
If a 5 gallon bucket was full to the top of water it would be 40 lbs, but tomatoes do not pack tight like water so it would be significantly less. Depending on the tomatoes I typically get 25-30 lbs in a 5 gallon bucket, I just weigh mine on the bathroom scale and subtract a lb or two for the bucket. Close enough.
Lynette says
Is the 25 pounds of tomatoes before or after they’re peeled and cored?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We usually measure before!
Matt says
I made this and it’s cooking down right now. If I am using a pressure cooker does the acid level matter?
Erica Walker says
No, if you are pressure canning it doesn’t matter. You don’t need to add lemon juice.
Virginia says
Years ago, my aunt and myself came up with our own spaghetti sauce recipe that we loved. A few years later, I had several jars where the lids popped off. I lost a lot of spaghetti sauce because of it. I talked to several people then ended up at our local extension office talking with the lady from the NC State Extension Department. She told me that tomatoes in our time do not have the acid that older tomato varieties have and that no matter what I am canning, if it has tomatoes in it, I should always add 1 tbsp off lemon juice per quart before pressure canning.
Ashli says
Hi!
New to canning. My only experience is using a water bath for canned apples. Is “Process for 40 minutes in a boiling-water canner” the same as a water bath for 40 minutes?
Thanks!
Erica Walker says
Yes, water bath is the same thing. Hope this helps!
Maggie KL says
Ms. Erica Walker, can I blend the tomatoes before cooking instead of blending it when it almost done. I do not have an Immersion Blender. Your opinion please. Thank you.
Erica Walker says
Yes, you can blend before cooking if that is easier for you. Hope this helps!
Angie Friesen says
Can I blend with peels?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sure!
Susie McCoy says
how long and at what pressure do you pressure can the spaghetti sauce?
Erica Walker says
Pressure can at 10 pounds for 25 minutes.
Stephanie says
Is the salt in this recipe canning salt or regular salt? It’s my first year getting serious about canning, and the salsa was a success so I’m super excited for spaghetti sauce!! 😁
Favorite Family Recipes says
We use regular salt, but canning salt works too!
Linda B says
If I make me own sauce and add lemon juice will water bath canning be ok
Erica Walker says
I can’t guarantee that if you make your own recipe that the acidity levels will be safe, with or without lemon juice. I don’t know your recipe so I can’t say.
Inger says
This recipe is absolutely delicious!! I am cooking it down now and don’t be afraid of the soy sauce! Everything blends in harmony. Although I have been cooking it now for 7 hours as I think I had a few extra tomatoes. Its excellent!
Arlene Allen says
Using a pressure cooker, what are the recommended settings: 15lbs for 15 minutes?
Erica Walker says
10 pounds for 25 minutes, depending on your altitude. Add 5 lbs of pressure if over 1000 feet.
Eileen Frisch says
Can I adjust the recipe for 10 lb of tomatoes.and I will be using a pressure canner.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sure! That should work!
Chantelle Roy says
Hi! So excited to try this recipe. Quick question, roughly how many cups is 25lbs of tomatoes ? I usually measure vs weigh
Favorite Family Recipes says
We don’t measure our tomatoes in cups, but typically 2 average sized tomatoes equal one pound. Hope this helps!
Natalie says
If I want to cut this recipe (pending how many romas I can pick from the garden) what increments would you suggest cutting the tomato quantity down by?
Favorite Family Recipes says
You can adjust the quantities as needed, if you click on the number of servings, above the ingredient list, there is a slider that you can move up and down to change the recipe quantities. Hope this helps!
Lynn says
I canned Spaghetti sauce for the first time ever yesterday. I used this recipe and instructions, and I think its the best Spaghetti sauce I’ve ever had. it turned out great. Thank you for the recipe,
Mary Braunger says
I’d like to use fresh basil and oregano. How much would I use?
Made my first batch and used tablespoons instead of teaspoons for the red pepper flakes. Had to throw out the entire batch!
Favorite Family Recipes says
We recommend dried herbs, just because using fresh can mess with the acidity and make the canning unsafe.
Jennifer Walker says
ABOUT how many tomatoes is 25 lbs?
Erica Walker says
It really depends on the size of your tomatoes but 2 “average” tomatoes equals close to 1 pound.
Susan says
I weighed my tomatoes and it took 3 for 1lb except for the few larger ones. We like a chunky sauce so I hand chopped the onions and peppers. It cooked for 4 1/2 hours and didn’t cook down a lot. How can I thicken it up without losing the chunky? I am pressure canning so acidity isn’t an issue.
Favorite Family Recipes says
You could add some tomato paste, or a thickening agent like cornstarch!
Lorrie Chismark says
I’m not sure I would agree with your suggestion to use cornstarch as a thickening agent. I pressure can all my sauce and yours is without a doubt the best recipe I’ve ever used but using flour or cornstarch in any preserving process is a bad idea.
Karen Bruce says
You are so right, Lorrie. No cornstarch. It messes with the density.
Mary Keyes says
Hi! I’m planning on making your recipe once my tomatoes have all ripened. I was wondering if I can use purple bell peppers in place of the red peppers since that’s what we have grown.
Erica Walker says
I think that would be ok but I don’t know much about the acidity of purple bell peppers. I can’t say for sure though because we have never done it that way. If you are really concerned about it you can always contact the National Center for Home Food Preservation and they can tell you what you can and can’t do. Hope this helps!
Nancy says
Excellent recipe! Only change I made was I oven roasted my tomatoes to remove the skins and oven roasted some of the garlic. I scaled the sugar back to 1/3 of a cup since oven roasting makes the tomatoes and garlic sweeter. Definite keeper!
Donna Pulido says
What temp did you roast at and for how long? Which shelf and use oven setting or broiler?
Cynthia Webb says
I am not the original poster. I roast at 450 degrees for 40 minutes, all racks.
Gwen Loberger says
I am not big on following recipes exactly but I did use all ingredients except the peppers. I sautéd the onions with olive oil til translucent and also used fresh basil and oregano. I have 12 pints processing now and also had some for dinner. It was delicious! The soy sauce, Worcestershire and brown sugar combo is amazing! I will can with this recipe again! Thanks!
Tami Herrmann says
If you use a pressure canner instead of a water bath, would you still need the lemon juice?
Erica Walker says
No, you don’t need the lemon juice if you are pressure canning.
Sandy says
Instead of using the stove top to cook the tomato mix, can you do it in the slower cooker?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sure!
Robin says
USDA home canning guide states to add acidity no matter the canning method.
Jane rathmanner says
Can I use Hunts tomato sauce. I only have about 10-12 pounds
Erica Walker says
If it is pure tomato sauce with no other added ingredients you should be find adding it without throwing off acidity levels. Hope this helps!
Terry says
This is the best homemade spaghetti sauce recipe I have ever made.
I did add about 1/2 cup olive oil and a little thyme to the recipe.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thanks for the 5-star rating! We are so glad you loved the recipe!
Brenda says
When do the red peppers go in?! With the green peppers and onions? Theres no direction for them
Favorite Family Recipes says
You add them with everything in step 4!
Rick says
Most recipes for this call to strain , do u not do this step or did not mention
Erica Walker says
Strain what exactly? The seeds? You definitely can but it isn’t necessary.
Kathrine says
Can I use red wine or balsamic vinegar in place of lemon juice?
Erica Walker says
It needs to be lemon juice to get the correct acidity levels. The only other substitution I know of that you can use is 1/2 teaspoon citric acid for quart jars. Hope this helps!
Kathrine says
Is it 2 Tbs. of lemon juice per jar or divided among 9-10 jars? Can’t wait to try it!!!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Per jar!
Paula says
what kind of tomatoes do you use? We have regular and romas, is it ok to use both?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yep! You can use whatever combination you have available.
Alicia D Smith says
CAN sliced mushrooms be added to the sauce without issue?
Erica Walker says
If you are pressure canning, you should be fine. I can’t say for sure with water bath or steam canning. The acidity levels can easily be thrown off if any adjustments are made to the recipe as written. I would play it safe and add sautéed mushrooms when ready to serve. Hope this helps!
Brenna says
Can you use lime juice instead of lemon juice?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I think that should be fine!
Ron says
How long should quart jars be processed in a pressure canner at 10psi?
Erica Walker says
25 minutes
Jon Peters says
Do you take the seeds out of the tomatoes?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We don’t usually, but you can if they bother you!
Maria Spearbecker says
If I omitted the brown sugar, would it hugely affect the taste of the sauce?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Adding or omitting ingredients can mess with the chemistry of this recipe and make your sauce unsafe for the shelf. If you want to remove the brown sugar, I would recommend freezing the sauce instead of canning. Hope this helps!
Kari says
Can I leave the garlic out and it’s still ok to can?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Adding or omitting ingredients can mess with the chemistry of this recipe and make your sauce unsafe for the shelf. If you want to omit the garlic, I would recommend freezing the sauce instead of canning. Hope this helps!
Susan says
I only had 12.5 pounds of fresh tomatoes so did a half batch of this sauce. Hope it turns out. The sauce has been simmering for 2.5 hours and already smells so good.
Emily C. says
How did your batch turn out? I have about 10-12 pounds of tomatoes out of my garden and am trying to find a good canned spaghetti sauce recipe.
Mel says
I only had 12.5 pounds of tomatoes, so I halved the rest of the ingredients. It turned out great! I am planning on freezing it since I don’t have enough canning lids.
Mary B says
This is a delicious sauce, although not what I am used too. The soy sauce combined with the Worcestershire is too savory for my taste. I will definitely make it again without these two ingredients.
Carolyn says
I never used soy sauce in a canned spaghetti recipe with home grown tomatoes. Does it make a big difference in the taste? Just making sure before I make it.
Thanks!
Favorite Family Recipes says
I think it does! It gives it a deeper savory flavor.
Chloe Henri says
The sauce is very thick and tastes too sweet. Any way to safely thin it out and adjust the sweetness?
Favorite Family Recipes says
You could add some chicken broth or beef broth, but messing with the ingredients can make it unsafe for canning. So, if you do add more liquid, I would suggest freezing it instead of canning.
Jane says
Can I add mushrooms to this recipes, or would it mess with the consistency?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Adding ingredients can mess with the chemistry of this recipe and make your sauce unsafe for the shelf. If you want to add mushrooms, I would recommend freezing the sauce instead of canning. Hope this helps!
Sandy Palmer says
Can you substitute or take out the brown sugar?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. It could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning.
Crystal says
You list that this has 3288mg of sodium. Is this per the whole batch? I’m looking to make this and my daughter is on a low sodium diet. I figured with the tom. Paste, Worcestershire sauce and low sodium soy sauce it would be 395.5mg per quart jar.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, that nutrition information is for the whole batch!
Nancy Price says
I don’t have enough tomatoes for 25 pds. If I were to cheat just a lil’ and buy a few cans of Hunts whole tomatoes, how do I know how much they weigh? Just go by what the can indicates? If so, I use the juice that is in the can?
I read all the questions and answers. How kind of you to answer so many questions. Thank you!
Erica Walker says
Yes you can totally cheat (we have done this with San Marzano tomatoes and it’s awesome). Yes, go by the weight on the can, juice and all. We are always happy to answer questions 🙂 We want you to have success with our recipes so ask away! We are happy to help!
Richelle Nielsen says
Can I pressure can this?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Absolutely!
Carol B says
Any kind of tomatoes or a combination of Roma’s and others?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I like using mostly Roma’s for sauce, but you can mix and match whatever you have on hand!
Kathy says
How many cups does 25 pounds equal?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We don’t measure our tomatoes in cups, but typically 2 average sized tomatoes equal one pound. Hope this helps!
Joy Geneau says
I have done some recipes using variety of cherry, slicing and Roma tomatoes. The recipes I have used just core tomatoes, quarter and blend in processor, skins and all. Would this affect this recipe?
Favorite Family Recipes says
No, that should be fine! As long as its about the same amount of tomatoes.
Kris says
Can u add parmazon cheese ?
Erica Walker says
Adding cheese makes it not safe to can. If you decide to add cheese (which it might make it a bit grainy) I would try to freeze it instead of canning.
LeeAnne says
Love this recipe. 2nd year using it and my family loves it. Plus you can’t beat fresh spaghetti sauce in the middle of winter!
Aria says
How much red wine vinegar should you add to this recipe to make it safe for water bath canning? This is my first time and I don’t have a pressure cooker.
Favorite Family Recipes says
We use about 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar or lemon juice in each can. Hope this helps!
Dani says
Worcestershire sauce isn’t gluten free. Any suggestions for substitutes while keeping it at safe levels? We’ve got tons of tomatoes ready for cooking and we’re so excited to try out this recipe!
Favorite Family Recipes says
We use the brand Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce from the store and that one is gluten free!
Sherry Peacock says
I forgot the lemon juice is my recipe still going to be okay to eat?
Erica Walker says
Honestly I wouldn’t risk it. If you don’t want to re-can the sauce with the lemon juice you can always freeze it. You can freeze it right in the jars, just make sure to leave a little room from expansion so the jars don’t break.
Virginia says
Do you have to deseed the tomatoes after peeling or do you leave the seeds in the sauce? If so, are they noticeable?
Erica Walker says
No need to de-seed. They aren’t really noticeable but if it bothers you, you can definitely leave them out. Hope this helps!
Diane Zarate says
Do you remove the seed pods from the tomatoes (in addition to the skins and hard core)?
Erica Walker says
We don’t remove the seed pods but you definitely can if you don’t prefer them.
Tanya says
Do you put the red peppers in the food processor with the green peppers and onions. I can’t find the red peppers in the instructions?
Erica Walker says
Yes, you can process all the peppers and onions together. Green and red 🙂 Hope this helps!
B Demers says
Looks good
Michelle says
When using a stove top pressure cooker to can how long do I leave it in the pressure cooker?
Erica Walker says
If you are pressure canning, you will want to process for 25 minutes for quart jars. Hope this helps!
Deborah J Hanna says
I recently retired and decided to do a vegetable garden. The whole time all I could think about was making home made spaghetti sauce but was very nervous about my lack of skills. Your recipe and instructions were my saving grace. This is the best sauce I have ever eaten and my husband is planning a larger garden for next year. LOL The one suggestion I have is if you have an outside kitchen you might want to mix the onions and peppers out side to avoid death by onion. LOL
Thank you and everyone who commented with helpful hints you made my experience so enjoyable that I am now moving on to other recipes with confidence.
Erica Walker says
Wow thank you so much for this comment! I am so glad to hear your garden has been a success. Gardening is actually something I have found to be very therapeutic. I have been surprised how invested my kids are in it too. I am glad that it is something you are enjoying! The spaghetti sauce is our favorite but we also use the tomato juice, diced tomatoes, and salsa recipes a lot as well (you can do a search for any of these on our site and they will come up). Let us know if you try any other recipes and how it goes! – Erica
Lori Harrod says
Has anyone used balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice? Also, we have been roasting, skinning, pureeing and freezing our tomatoes for 3 weeks, and are planning to make sauce tomorrow. If we are weighing the tomatoes now, after processing, does anyone have an estimate on how much to use? Thank you! We are so excited to try this recipe.
bb says
Tried this recipe last year and it was great! I froze instead of canning worked great. My neighbor had an abundance of tomatoes too so combined several types of tomatoes and gave them them a quart. They rated it a 5 too and they’re a tough crowd. Thanks for the recipe plan on repeating this year!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thanks for the 5-star rating! We are so glad you guys loved the recipe!
Brenda says
If I use pint jars, how much lemon juice per jar do I use, and do I still process for 40 minutes?
Favorite Family Recipes says
1 tablespoon of lemon juice should work!
Michelle says
Can I add mushrooms to this?
Favorite Family Recipes says
This is our general advice for additions to canning recipes, as mentioned in the post: “Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding more produce, meat or anything else it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning.”
Stacy says
Has anyone cooked this in a crockpot?
Andrea says
Do I really need to boil this for 4-5 hours? Would 2-3 be sufficient?
Favorite Family Recipes says
The longer you boil it for, the better it will taste. Boiling breaks down the ingredients and lets the flavors mesh. I would suggest boiling the full 4-5 hours, but if you are in a time crunch you can try 3. I can’t speak to how it will affect the flavor or texture of the sauce.
Tracey says
If you are using a pressure canner, do you have to add lemon juice, and does pressure canning affect the taste or texture?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Pressure canning should work fine! You do still have to add the lemon juice though!
Ashleigh says
Hi is this 25 lbs of tomatoes after they are peeled and coded or before? Thank you!
Favorite Family Recipes says
We usually weigh them before. Hope this helps!
Scott Rl says
Loved this recipe! The only tweak I made was changing out the 1/4 cup soy sauce for 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar (also a gluten free option unless your buying dirt cheap brands then check your ingredients.) for two reasons. A) In my humble opinion, I think the richness spoke of is coming more from the Worcestershire sauce. And B) I just like a little red wine background note in my sauce 🙂 Granted B probably made me say A just to have a justification…lol. It was either the soy or the Worcestershire sauce that had to go, and my grandfather would come back from the dead and haunt me if I EVER took Worcestershire out of a recipe!
Josh says
I have early girls, romas, heirlooms. Do you recommend any type out of the 3? I was thinking romas. Also, should I stick to one type or can I mix and match?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Romas are always great, but you can mix and match!
Ahnah Jenkins says
Can I use fresh basil in this instead of dried?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We recommend dried, just because using fresh can mess with the acidity and make the canning unsafe.
Valerie says
If you are just making to use fresh or to freeze vs can, do you still add any lemon juice?
Favorite Family Recipes says
No, you can skip the lemon juice if you aren’t canning.
Joy Wolfe says
Could I put the sauce in a crock pot and let it simmer for several hours verses stove top?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I don’t see why not!
Nancy says
May I use commercially canned tomatoes to make home canned spaghetti sauce? It sounds counterproductive, but asking for a friend (wink).
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sure! (wink)
Kimberly Monaco says
Does it matter what kind of tomatoes you use? Can you mix them? i.e. Roma and beefsteak?
Favorite Family Recipes says
It doesn’t matter what kind you use. Go for it!
Sara says
We have made this recipe three times so far this summer (about 32 quarts worth)! It is soooooo good! No need to change anything! We did follow the suggestions to roast the onions and peppers first and at the end, we used the immersion blender to get it to a smoother concistency. So far, we have eaten it over spaghetti squash from the garden for a tasty meal, all fresh from the garden!
Favorite Family Recipes says
You can’t beat fresh produce straight from the garden! Sounds delicious!
Lois Hendrix says
It was a lot of work but turned out great. I put it in pint jars and got 17 pints.
Tammy Hutchison says
I used sea salt and low sodium soy sauce. Also reduced thr red pepper flakes 1/2. Turned out absolutely great. Thank you so much !!!!
Racheal Howard says
I wanted to add Parmesan to the spaghetti sauce. Can I do that if I add lemon juice?
Erica Walker says
I wouldn’t add the Parmesan to the spaghetti sauce before canning. I would wait to add Parmesan until you are actually serving. Hope this helps!
Mary Williamson says
We have a small deck garden, so 25lbs of tomatoes sound like an impossible yield. If we halve the ingredients, or even cut them to 1/3, would the recipe still work?
Favorite Family Recipes says
It should! Let us know how it turns out if you try it!
Michelle Lewis says
Anybody ever use a kitchenaid mixer food grinder/strainer attachment to process
Your tomatoes instead of blanching them to remove skins? Does it make them too watery?
Judy Boertlein says
I use a Food Strainer and Sauce Maker for Tomato and my sauce is thicker! I highly recommend this method instead of the blanching/ice water method.
Jenny T says
Can I roast the tomatoes to remove the skin instead of boiling it? Would that add more flavour to the sauce?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Oooh yes! That sounds delicious! I will have to try that next time I make it!
Christina Bestvater says
Could you tell mew how it turned out roaring the tomatoes? And did you season them with s and p? How looking did you roast them and temp? Dis toy quarter them or roast whole? Thank you and sorry dir soooo many questions. Sincerely Christina
Zach says
Can I pressure can with or without the lemon juice?
Erica Walker says
You don’t need to add lemon juice if you are using a pressure canner. Hope this helps!
Rebecca Beckett says
Recipe sounds great but I have a problem with all of the sodium. I want to can my own sauce but cannot use salt/sodium due to high blood pressure. Would leaving it out be a problem…other than making it bland as all get out???
Favorite Family Recipes says
You can use low-sodium soy sauce! That should help bring the sodium down. Hope this helps!
Steve says
What kind of onion yellow, red or white
Favorite Family Recipes says
I use white in this recipe!
Sharon Fulton says
Water bath for 40 minutes or pressure /canner ?
Jentry says
Do the bay leaves stay in?
Favorite Family Recipes says
No, you remove the bay leaves after cooking.
Rochelle says
Can i chop the tomatoes after roasting them, and then put everything in the stock pot and cook for 4 hrs? Or do the tomatoes have to be cooked first and then blend all together?
Kathy Allen says
I have a question. Can u puree the tomatoes to get the seeds and skin off at same time b4 u add to stockpot along with all other ingredients?
Erica Walker says
You can try it… we have never done it that way before. We have always kept the seeds in but we have never kept the skins on. I’m not sure if leaving the skin on will alter the acidity (I am guessing it won’t) but it might be something you will want to research just in case. AS far as pureeing– absolutely! It’s way good pureed.
Shanda Justice says
Hi can I add black olives? And if I add meat how long do I pressure cook for?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Adding ingredients can mess with the chemistry of this recipe and make your sauce unsafe for the shelf. If you want to add olives and meat, I would recommend freezing the sauce instead of canning. Hope this helps!
Jenny says
If I need to use canned tomatoes, what is best and how much would you recommend?
Erica Walker says
San Marzano tomatoes are by far the best. Other than that, any whole or halved tomatoes would be great. Diced tomatoes might be a little too watery. I would do about 12 quarts of tomatoes (about 3 gallons) if you can! It will cook down some so you will end up with about 10 quart jars. Hope this helps!
debbie stuckey says
so adding the lemon juice; do i still need to hot bath?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yep! That is how we usually do it.
Sherry says
How
Much lemon juice to put in quart jars?
Nina says
Debbie, yes you would still need to water bath them. The lemon juice is a sort of fail safe to ensure that the product in the jars is acidic enough to safely can them using a water bath canner. Low-acidity foods cannot be safely canned in a water bath and therefore must be pressure canned to be safe, but acidic foods are just fine (hence, the additional lemon juice). Hope that helps to answer your question!
Rick says
On the subject of lemon juice your recipe says, “ Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to 9 or 10 hot 1-quart jars (depending on how much sauce you have). ” Because acidity is so important to safety, please clarify – is it 2T per jar or 2T divided between 9 or 10 jars? I assume 2T per jar but want to be sure. Thanks
Favorite Family Recipes says
2T per jar is correct!
Rosie Ellison says
I just replace the red wine vinegar ounce for ounce instead of lemon juice?
Kendra says
If freezing do I need the bath & lemon juice?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Nope! You can just put it straight into the freezer.
Liz says
Hello, will this recipe work without sugar? Any substitute I could use that work? Thanks.
Favorite Family Recipes says
You can substitute honey, or I’ve heard of people adding a sweeter vegetable like carrots.
Heather says
Can i omit the onions and replace with zucchini? We don’t eat onions.
Erica Walker says
You want to be careful when adding and switching around ingredients because it can alter the acidity of the sauce. I think it would be fine to take the onions out but I am not sure about adding zucchini unless you plan on pressure canning. Hope this helps!
MARSHA says
First time making this sauce and it turned out great. I used cans of diced tomatoes instead of fresh and just put them in the blender. The flavor is great.
Kathy L. says
This is the best sauce I have ever had!!! Followed the recipe exactly! Only got 6 quarts but that’s alright, going to be making more!!!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!!
Christina Raj says
Hi, thank you for a great recipe! I would like to try it but 25lbs of tomatoes is quite a lot! Can you help with scaling down the rest of the ingredients if i want to try a smaller quantity first e.g 1/3 of the recipe?
Thanks
Echo Blickenstaff says
Yes, I will send you an email. Thank you for asking!
Tracy says
Hi…
I have made this recipe a number of times over the past couple of years. I love it!! I have nearly ran out, but thankfully, I have enough tomatoes in my freezer for about a half batch that I plan to prepare tomorrow! I have found many uses for this… especially after heating and adding a little tomato paste, creating a marina sauce that works well for mozzarella sticks, pizza, and many pasta dishes. I highly recommend this!! Thank you, ladies!! ; )
Echo Blickenstaff says
I’m so happy you like this recipe as much as we do! It is my Mom’s “famous” recipe and it is truly the best spaghetti sauce ever – in my humble opinion. 😉
Natalie Becker says
love this recipe and so does everyone else!!
Shaun Andrew says
Do you always keep the seeds in the sauce? If I wanted to remove the seeds do you have an easy method you would suggest?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We have always kept the seeds in the sauce! Let us know if you find a method to remove them!
Dori Walker says
If using pint jars instead of quart jars should I still use 2 tablespoons of lemon juce per jar?
Favorite Family Recipes says
If using pint jars, you can just use 1 tablespoon!
Shirley Meadows says
This is our new favorite spaghetti sauce recipe to can. My granddaughter won’t eat any other spaghetti sauce now. This was our second year of making it and we just love it. Thank you so much for sharing it with everyone.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thank you so much!! We love when our family favorites become your family favorites!
Rachele Jones says
Just finished making this and let me tell you it taste amazing. It takes all day to make it but so worth it. Definitely adding this to my recipe box and will be making it every year. Thank you for sharing this recipe
Erica Walker says
So glad you liked it! Canning always takes forever but always worth it! Thank you so much for your nice comment!
Jenny says
Hi
I’m getting ready to make this after we are on our last big batch of tomatoes. However one recommendation I would have your recipe at the end talks about putting the jars in a boiling water canner.
This will automatically make most first time canners think they need something special versus an accurate water bath in a great pot.
Erica Walker says
If you prefer canning in a large pot, you definitely can, it’s just not what we have tried so we can’t fully recommend it. A water bath or steam canner is what we have used with success and it is what we can comfortably recommend. Thanks for your comment though, I am sure many of our readers will find it helpful!
Dolores says
OH MY DELICIOUSNESS!!!! This recipe is a keeper! So many will make changes without first trying it the way it’s written. I like to make a recipe as is and then if I want to change it a bit to suite my tastes, I’m ok with it. BUT, don’t change it until you try it the original way! This recipe is perfect. The only problem I had was it didn’t cook down. It might be that I didn’t have the heat high enough. I’ve tried different recipes and this will be my go-to from now on! SOOOO GOOD! Thank you!!!
Emily Walker says
Thank you!! I am so glad you liked it and I totally agree. You’ve got to just try it before making adjustments!
Laura says
I would like to add ground beef to this canning recipe. I’ve use beef before in the recipies and would like to do the same with this one. I only pressure can when using ground beef. However, you never mentioned how much ground beef would go into this recipe. I add citric acid to my quart jars as well to make sure there’s enough acid. Thank you
Erica Walker says
I have never used ground beef in the recipe before because I don’t have a pressure canner. It really depends on how meaty you want it. You could probably use at least 7 pounds. Sorry if this isn’t every helpful– if you try it, please come back and let us know how it turns out!
George says
I was thinking of adding some zucchini and shredded carrots. Dont have preasure canner just reg canning. Will adding such items make sauce un eatable with regular canning process?
Erica Walker says
If you plan to pressure can it, you could probably add zucchini and carrots. For regular canning, I’m not sure how those ingredients will work with the acidity levels. If I were to guess, I would say you may want to leave them out. When it comes to canning it is better to take the more cautionary route. Just my opinion though. Sorry if this isn’t much help!
Ingrid says
Step 7 calls for adding lemon juice to hot 1-quart jars. Does that mean I’d have to boil the jars prior to putting in the sauce. I have never tried canning before so I just want to be sure that I’m following all the steps to ensure safety. Also, rather than simmering for 4-5 hours uncovered on the stove, would it be possible to do this step in a slow cooker?
Erica Walker says
No, you don’t need to boil them. I either just run them through the dishwasher or you can rinse and dry them. This is just so the jars are clean and sanitized before putting food in them.
You can do it in a slow cooker but the purpose of doing is to get the sauce to reduce down and thicken. When it is covered in a slow cooker, condensation will form on the lid and drip back down into the sauce. If you did it in a slow cooker I would leave the lid off so it has a chance to simmer down a bit. Hope this helps!
Lynn says
I have read through all these comments and I can’t believe no one else had any problems with the sauce sticking to the bottom and eventually burning. I used a large stock pot, stirred the sauce a LOT, actually more like every 5 or 10 minutes, the element was on medium low so that it was barely simmering. The sauce turned quite dark as it was simmering but as comments indicate above, I thought it was the worchestershire sauce or maybe the soy sauce, but when I was putting it in jars and got to the bottom of the pot it was quite burned. The sauce doesn’t taste burned though… is this burned bottom normal or do I just have a cheap pot? Also, I would like to see the superchef who can do the prep in 20 minutes… it took me over an hour just to peel all those tomatoes!
Erica Walker says
Hi Lynn– We have a heavy canning stock pot so we have never had issues with burning. If you consistently have a burning problem I am guessing it has something to do with your pot. Also, we will double check that prep time to make sure it is more accurate. Thanks for catching that!
Terikitley says
Best ever been canning this recipe ever since I found it best around
Thanks
Erica Walker says
Thank you so much! Have you gotten lots of batches this year?
Samuel walker says
Mine turned out better than a jar from the super market. My first batch didn’t, (to thin, to much water perhaps from the blanching and not properly straining) BUT it took a considerable amount of time. I ended up with almost 8 jars and I had 6 hours into it. And to be clear i want to say the flavor was better then a jar from the store. Cost was almost the same and I provide my own tomatoes. But for 6 hours and almost 8 jars, I personally would of needed it to be more then “better then a jar from the store” to invest 6 hours of my time again. I have only been canning for a couple years. I can spend less money and not even half the time on a salsa recipe that’s amazing. My point is, it’s time consuming so plan on that. I’m not complaining, and the recipe tells you this from the start. I just wanted to reiterate that to anyone considering giving this a go
Lizzy J says
What happens if you have sauce that comes out of the jars during the water bath. They are sealed but have sauce on the sides and in the water
Erica Walker says
I think as long as they sealed you should be fine. The jars were probably just a little too full. If you are worried about it, you can always clean them up and re-process or keep them in the fridge and use them within the next couple weeks. Hope this helps!
Diana Brumleve says
Can you please tell me what the lemon juice does and why you use it? It’s my first time making this recipe and I don’t want sour…we are more of a sweet sauce family.
Erica Walker says
It won’t be sour. It is to make the sauce more acidic to make it safe for canning. You won’t even taste the lemon juice, promise 🙂
Karen says
Is that 2 tbsp of lemon juice in each jar?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yep!
Nicole says
Hi. Just trying this receipt today, if processing would be 40min/quart, what would a pint be? Thanks.
Erica Walker says
If you are doing pints, you only reduce the processing time by 5 minutes. Hope this helps!
Sophia says
This recipe is so great! I just finished my canning tonight and I’m super happy with how everything turned out! I used liquid aminos in place of soy sauce so my sauce would be gluten free but otherwise followed the recipe. Thanks for posting it!
Echo Blickenstaff says
I’m so glad you are happy with this recipe. I love your gluten-free revision and with your permission will add that as a note on the recipe. The work of canning will be so worth it when you enjoy this spaghetti sauce throughout the year. It is delicious!
Chris McKenzie says
Depending on your whorchestershire sauce Heinz is gluten free but Lea Perins is not so read your label. Just a little info for you all
I am in the process of making this sauce as I type.
Meg says
Could you omit the tomato paste by removing excess juice from the tomatoes?
Erica Walker says
You could do that but the yield will be quite a bit less. I can’t tell you how much less for sure because we haven’t done that before, so if you try it, let us know how much you yield!
Liz says
My sauce is really runny! What could I do to thicken it?
Erica Walker says
You can let it cook down more or add tomato paste. Hope this helps!
Kathy L says
This sauce is delicious. Made exactly as is. Will definitely make again
Linda says
Can you make the sauce, refrigerate it overnight, then reheat the next day and then can?
Erica Walker says
Any time you heat and cool and reheat and cool, you are increasing the risk of food bourne illness. I would suggest canning right after heating. Hope this helps!
Dianna says
I have done it many times with no ill effects. In fact, I’ve refrigerated the tomato sauce for a couple of days and then canned it. I think as long as you reheat it up to boiling and then can it that you would be okay. This is my experience and I’m no expert but it has worked for me and I’ve been canning tomatoes for at least 15 years. I generally use an acidic tomato for canning, like early girls. It may be different with tomatoes that aren’t as acidic.
Dan Allred says
My tomatoes are non existent this year because of the weather. Can a person buy tomato sauce and substitute that for the fresh ones?
Erica Walker says
A great substitution is the canned crushed San Marzano tomatoes. You can also try our spaghetti sauce if you don’t have the amount you need for canning. You can either use fresh tomatoes or crushed tomatoes. Hope this helps!
Arianne says
What is the shelf life for this? Excited to try it!!:)
Favorite Family Recipes says
We try to eat everything we can within a year. Hope this helps!
Shelia says
Do you have to use the sugar?
Erica Walker says
You don’t HAVE to use the sugar but it will make the sauce taste better. It gives it a tasty dimension. Hope this helps!
Jen says
What kind of tomatoes should I use? I’m planning my garden for spring and want to include the right variety for making recipes like this one to can.
Favorite Family Recipes says
We use Jack’s whopper tomatoes, some early girl, some celebrity… Roma works great. It really depends on what grows best in your area. Climates and elevations can totally make a difference. The best thing to do is call a local greenhouse, nursery, or garden supply store and just ask them what typically grows best in your area. Hope this helps!
Debbie Lindamood says
I have a food strainer that I use for peaches and apple sauce that separates the peels and seeds for me. Can I use this in the first steps? I really don’t want the seeds in my sauce.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Absolutely!
Kathy Partain (South Mills, North Carolina) says
This spaghetti sauce is everything and more you talked about! I am a 1st time sauce canner and although the cooking process of 4-5 hours was long, it was worth it. My sauce turned out amazing! I will not try any other receipt. Thank you so much for sharing. I just need more tomatoes to ripen. Thinking I need to stock pile this sauce. It is going to go fast!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤️💕🍅🍅🍅
Emily Walker says
Thank you so much for your kind review, so glad you love the Spaghetti Sauce and your first time canning it was a success! It goes pretty fast at our house too, haha!
Kathryn Barnes says
I made this recipe this week and it is fantastic. I had some canned tomatoes from last summer I wanted to use up and thought I would give it a try. Five quarts of canned tomatoes worked out great. I am picky about my spaghetti sauce and I adore this recipe! Next time I will use a tiny bit less brown sugar but that is just my taste preference. Excellent and easy recipe. Thank you!!!
Erica says
Hi Kathryn- thank you so much for your kind comment! Thanks for sharing how you made this a success with your pre-canned tomatoes. Great tip!
Kandi says
My husband and I grew all the vegetables in our garden and bought the rest of the ingredients, this year we are going to grow herbs as well. My entire family raves over this spaghetti sauce, 5 stars, none of us have ever had a sauce as good as this, except the children under 5. So this year we are halving the red pepper flakes so they can enjoy it like the rest of us. Thank you so much for sharing!
Favorite Family Recipes says
This is awesome!!! We are so glad your family loves this recipe as much as ours does! Thanks for the wonderful review!
Susan says
Can you pressure can this instead of water bath?
Erica Walker says
Absolutely!
Mike says
Do you add that much lemon juice to each jar? Can you just put it in the sauce?
Favorite Family Recipes says
It is important for canning that you add it to each jar.
Gary says
I did. 25 minutes at 11 lbs per quart.
George J Terplan says
Would it be possible to use Roma tomatoes for this recipe?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Absolutely!
George J Terplan says
I just made this sauce and while it’s good I was wondering what type of onions you use in your recipe. Also since I couldn’t find good tomatoes in my area I decided to use whole plum tomatoes that were canned. I used 15 cans and the 4 tomato paste, but I feel like I should have added more paste since it’s not as thick as I would have liked.
Mamma Jes says
Hi! I’m new to canning and followed this recipe, however, after reading a few other canning recipes, the boiling water bath instructed to bring to a rolling boil. However I started timing at a gentle boil, like I saw a few boil bubbles and started to time it, and did the full 40 minutes. Is a boil a boil or does this make my canning method unsafe? Even after the 40 minutes of a boiling water bath it never came to a full rolling boil. Made me think such a huge pot wouldn’t actually come to a rolling boil.
Erica Walker says
You probably want to have the water be at a full boil before starting the timer. Did all of your cans seal? I can’t tell you for sure whether it is safe or not. You might have to make that call. If you are unsure, you could possible contact someone at foodsafety (dot) org and get a more definite answer. Sorry I can’t be of much help here!
Patti Steskal says
Going to try this today. Just wondering if you can use fresh herbs instead of dried? Or will that effect the final PH level?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We haven’t tried it with fresh herbs, so we can’t speak to how it would affect this recipe.
Stephanie Williams says
I made the sauce and made a mistake and only bathe them for 10 minutes instead of 40 minutes but the jars sealed. Are they still good?
Erica Walker says
I would say you are probably ok if the jars are sealed, your mixture was probably already hot enough when you added it to the jars and started processing. If you are worried about it, you can always reprocess them without breaking the seal but you are probably ok. Check them after they have cooled to make sure they are all still sealed properly. If so, you should be good to go!
tiffany says
would you still use 25lbs if using roma tomatoes? thank you
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes!
Michelle S says
I can’t wait to give this a try. I wonder if anyone has tried… 1. Fixing the sauce in an Instant Pot and/or 2. Canning then in an Instant Pot?
Can you tell I got an Instant Pot for Christmas? 😉
Favorite Family Recipes says
You can do both.. but you would have to make a much smaller batch. This is for quite a large batch. Hope this helps!
Lori says
I used a Victoria Strainer last year instead of removing skins using a water bath and then blending the tomatoes. It worked great and the kids loved to crank the handle for me.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Those are so cool! Our mom has one and it is awesome for making tomato juice. Great idea!
Kim says
I’m going to try this recipe as it looks the best that I’ve seen but I am making it for my husband who is a bit picky about his spag sauce lol. He likes meat in it and likes cinnamon in his sauce. I’m not sure if I should add the cinnamon or not, do you think it will clash with the soya?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Cinnamon… now that is one I haven’t heard yet! If he likes it, then sure, why not? haha You can definitely add meat as well. We almost always add meat as well. Totally up to you!
Connie Collins says
I was looking for a new recipe to do the last of my tomatoes and came across this one. What an awesome discovery! We got 9 quarts from it. We will never make Mrs. Wages again! What a great way to end our canning season. I think next year I may juice half the tomatoes so we don’t have so many seeds. I could eat this sauce plain it has such good flavor. Thank you!
Favorite Family Recipes says
What a huge compliment! Thank you so much! Glad you were able to end off your canning season with such a successful batch. 😀
Kati says
Hi! My tomatoes are finally getting a nice rich color and I am I credibly excited to dive into the world of homemade pasta sauce- but I was wondering if heirloom tomatoes would work with this recipe?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, they should work great! Let us know how you like this recipe after you make it!
Todd Hiller says
This turned out awesome! Very, very good! Only thing I changed was the tomato type, I used roma tomatoes and I sliced them in large slices, brushed them with garlic oil and roasted them in the oven for about 1.5hrs at 425. I then put everything in a blender and blended it all, then in to canning jars and processed for 40 min. Best ever!! Thank you for the great recipe!
Todd H
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thank you so much for your comment! I’m so happy you like the recipe. Using roasted Roma tomatoes with garlic oil is genius. It sounds so flavorful! Don’t you just love having all of those jars of delicious spaghetti sauce in the pantry?!
Michael says
Every year I hot water can salsa with the tomatoes and hot peppers I grow and I got about 30 pints of it this year. I’ve always wanted to can a batch of “gravy” as some in my family call it (tomato/spaghetti sauce) and after a particularly bountiful haul of tomatoes this weekend I decided that the time for me to try to make it was now. I came across your recipe and went to it. I didn’t quarter the tomatoes, I chopped them with a knife and I didn’t use an immersion blender. I always remove the seeds when I make salsa, but I left them in for this sauce and I’m happy with it that way. The only variations I made was I went with 6 small cans of tomato paste instead of 4 because I like a thicker sauce and I went with a half teaspoon of ground cayenne because I discovered I was out of red pepper flakes. I tried it before I canned it and it is delicious! I can’t wait to have it on my pasta later this week! I ended up with 10 quarts which is perfect. I’m definitely saving this recipe, and the next time I make it I think I may roast the peppers beforehand.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Hi Michael – Thank you for your nice comment! I love the idea of roasting the vegetables beforehand. I have been wanting to try roasting them but every time I get in the canning mood, I always forget. Definitely going to try with my next batch! Hopefully I can squeeze in one more big batch this year. Thank you so much for the 5-stars!
Tracy says
This is my first time canning and I love the taste of this recipe. But I forgot to add the lemon juice! Am I doomed? Should I just toss the jars in the freezer or pop the lids and add it?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Oh nooooo! You may be able to get away with it but I would do what you suggested in your comment just to be safe. I would either freeze them or re-process them after adding the lemon juice. Those acidity levels are crucial when canning. Be sure to seal with new lids if re-processing. Hope this helps!
Chad Schneider says
I am unsure how many tomatoes I started with, but I have the pulp ready to go. Wondering how many cups/quarts/etc. of pulp this recipe would require? Thank you!
Favorite Family Recipes says
I’m not sure I understand the question.. before simmering you should have close to 10-12 quarts of pulp. After adding the other ingredients and simmering it down you should be pretty close to 10 quart jars. Hope this helps!
Michelle J says
Can you clarify if it really has to cook. For 4-5hours. The time outline at the beginning of the recipe doesn’t align with what’s in the recipe. 4-5 hours seems like a long time.
Favorite Family Recipes says
It is up to 4-5 hours. Technically it will taste fine after 10 minutes simmering or so.. but for the BEST taste, you will want to simmer longer. This really give the tomatoes a chance to simmer down and have a deeper flavor. It also allows all the flavors to really blend together nicely. Hope this helps!
Elizabeth says
This sauce is AMAMZING!!! We even had to make a second batch because we went through the first so quickly. Thank you for sharing!
Favorite Family Recipes says
You bet! So glad you liked this recipe! We always BLAZE through the spaghetti sauce. We have pretty much been canning every week.
Jon says
This is the most amazing sauce! However, like some of the above posters, I do not feel comfortable preserving it with only a water bath. Some canning references go so far as to suggest a full mixed-vegetables long processing for a recipe like this. However, I found a very similar recipe on the National Center for Home Food Preservation. They recommended 11 pounds/20 minutes for pints, and 25 minutes for quarts, with the normal adjustments for altitude.
Here is the link to the NCHFP recipe I found: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_03/spaghetti_sauce.html
Your recipe is much better. Thank you for sharing it!!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thanks for this info! It is always a good idea to be extra cautious with canning 🙂 You can always use a pressure cooker if you are unsure!
Jess says
I am making this now and realize I will not have enough time to let it simmer before I have to run around with the kids. Do you think it will be okay to simmer for a while now and complete the process when I come back later tonight?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, that should be fine but I wouldn’t leave it at room temperature. Could you put it in a slow cooker while you are running kids around?
Liz says
I have a lot of green peppers to be used up. Would it change the taste much to switch out red for green?
Also, any suggestions for using frozen tomatoes…I’m assuming they will be extra runny…
Excited to try this!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, frozen tomatoes will probably make it more runny. Also, you can totally use all green peppers if you want! You shouldn’t notice a big difference. Let us know how it turns out for you!
Lori Chowan says
About how much juice is 25# of tomatoes? I have been making juice as my tomatoes ripen. I have about 3 gallons.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I’m not exactly sure how much of the 25# is juice. If you are making canned spaghetti sauce you are probably going to need the pulp as well, not just the juice. Is that what you are asking?
Liz L says
WOW! Made this sauce this past weekend and it is AMAZING. Better than Prego! Took quite a bit of time, but so worth it! I followed the recipe exactly and got 10 quarts. Will be making more as long as my tomato plants keep producing. I am so glad I found this recipe; thanks for posting it!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thank you so much for sharing your success with this recipe! I am preparing to make another batch, too. My family doesn’t like the store-bought anymore so I have to can as much as I can each season to last us! 😀 Thanks so much for the 5-stars!
Tina says
Does it turn out as good if you half the recipe? I know sometimes cutting the recipe in half doesn’t turn out as good.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, it should turn out just fine halved 🙂
Rosemary says
When quartering the tomatoes, do you remove the seeds before blending?
This is a must try recipe when my tomato harvest is in.
Thanks for your response.
Favorite Family Recipes says
We usually don’t remove the seeds (too much work) but you are welcome to if you would like! Hope this helps!
Thelma says
THIS IS THE BEST!!!!!!
I’m so glad I pushed on this choice when my choices for making sauce came up! Thank you for sharing this family secret, no longer buying bottled ????
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thanks so much for the 5-stars! So glad you enjoy the spaghetti sauce as much as we do. It’s my favorite thing to make with fresh garden tomatoes!
Wendy says
I forgot to add the lemon juice to the jars before canning. Can I empty and wash the jars and reheat the sauce and start over with the canning process? This is my second batch and we love it! First batch I added the lemon juice????
Favorite Family Recipes says
You can but that is a lot of work! You can also keep them in the fridge for a few months. Darn it, I have forgotten to add the lemon juice before too and oh man, it stinks to start again 🙁
Mundy Jamison says
I am also new to canning, started this year with pepper jelly, and other jellies. Anyhow, it seems like no one has had an issue with botulism since this has posted. I was wondering, if I make and can about half, would it help prevent something like botulism if it was stored in the refrigerator? Just a thought. I plan on making it. I think I read this somewhere else about canning, that if you are concerned you could keep it in the fridge. I am so excited to try it… We have a family dinner every week and I think this is what we will be having this week! In fact, today I am playing hooky from work because I have so many tomatoes and other stuff to can that I needed an extra day, especially with the cold weather coming in early this year.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, you can absolutely keep it in the fridge. The nice thing about canning, though, is that you can keep all the jars in your pantry where there is more space. This recipe usually makes a nice big batch so storing them in the fridge may be difficult. It would work great if you maybe had an extra fridge? We haven’t had anyone write in with an issue with canning and storing normally so you are probably ok not storing them in the fridge if you didn’t want to!
Dianne says
When canning do you cover jars with water and do you cover with lid to process
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes you will definitely want to make sure the lid is on when you are processing. If I am using a water bath canner I will make sure the jars are completely submerged in water. Hope this helps!
allie says
Recipe sounds good. But I would pressure can it. Let me tell you why. The lemon juice is sufficient if we’re only canning tomatoes but recipe also has peppers and onions, both low acid foods. Those must be pressure canned.
Favorite Family Recipes says
We did a lot of research and made sure the acids from the lemon juice balanced out the onions and peppers, but if you are still unsure, definitely pressure can it if you want!
Leslie says
I have never used soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce in spaghetti sauce before today, but I will from now on. This sauce is amazing! Thank you for posting it!
/Tessa Burden says
This sounds amazing. Would like to try this soon but one question, for the brown sugar do you us light brown sugar or dark brown sugar?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I used light brown but you can definitely use dark. It won’t make that much of a difference. Hope this helps!
Tessa Burden says
Thank you much appreciated. Can’t wait to try it.
Rachel says
Unfortunately, my family and I didn’t care for the sauce. The flavor was much too strong and spicy for our taste. I also found it to be quite oily when cooked for 4 hours and extremely dark in color. The Worcestershire sauce just didn’t do it for us.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sorry this was a miss for you! I’m not sure what you mean by “oily”.. I can’t say that I have had it turn out oily before. You can definitely leave the Worcestershire sauce and red pepper flakes out if it isn’t to your liking! Feel free to modify how you see fit. :/
Veronica hill says
Will this homemade sauce taste similar to prego sauce that you buy in stores. Because I love prego sauce.
Favorite Family Recipes says
It isn’t as sweet as Prego sauce, but it our favorite spaghetti sauce to use now! You could probably add a little extra sugar to make it sweeter like Prego if you wanted to, but I wouldn’t overdo it. If you want to make it thicker like prego when serving, just add a small can of tomato paste to the sauce when heating before serving (after it has been canned and you are pulling it off the shelf to eat). It will be nice and thick like Prego. Hope this helps!
Linda says
Would it be ok to make it without taking the seeds out. I ran across this recipe after I had already started cooking the tomatoes with the seeds in.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, it should be fine 🙂 If you blend it in the blender it should take care of most of the seeds.. hope this helps!
Allen says
I have some sweet basil plants is it ok if I add some?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Definitely! Fresh basil is amazing in this sauce.
Jennifer says
Hey ! We’re building a house so I want to have plenty of recipes for next spring !
How much does this make in pints?
We have 12 acres, I’m thrilled to get started , I’ve canned strawberry jam and tomatoes last year .. nothing to crazy !
Erica says
Hi Jennifer– For each quart jar you should be able to get about 2 pints. I am guessing you will get about 18-20 pints jars for each batch. Good luck with all the new land! That should be a blast!
Kaylin says
Hello! I canned this recipe last season and it was wonderful! I’m wanting to make a batch for a fundraiser and was wondering how many ounces of tomato sauce would I need to substitute for fresh tomatoes?
Thanks so much!
Erica says
I haven’t measured out how many oz. of tomato sauce … instead of tomato sauce I would probably use crushed tomatoes. For a whole batch you would need quite a few! Do the cans of crushed tomatoes say how many tomatoes are in each can? That would give us a start to figuring out how many to use!
Carolyn says
If I make this in pint jars would I still use 2 TBSP lemon juice in each jar?
Erica says
No– you would only use 1 Tbsp. Hope this helps!
Crystal says
Hi! This recipe sounds great! Was just wondering if you use canning salt or regular table salt?
Erica says
You can use either, I actually used Kosher salt
Karen says
I didn’t read through ALL the comments and I apologize if this has been asked already, but can I use fresh basil and can this or do I have to freeze it?
Erica says
Yes, you can use fresh basil 🙂 Hope this helps
Jan says
I have made the Taste Of Home recipe 2 years in a row and then came across this one. I am going to use this as I like the 4 red peppers vs the green as the red are usually sweeter. Also no canola oil in yours which I like and brown sugar vs white. I am going to make this tonight and can’t wait to see which I like better (a little worried about the soy sauce but I will trust)
Erica says
haha I know the soy sauce sounds weird, I promise you won’t be able to even taste it. It just gives a deeper flavor that just salt alone. I actually always add a little soy sauce when I make spaghetti sauce (even when I am not canning it)! So excited for you to try it, be sure to let me know what you think!
Rebecca says
My home smelled amazing! Every time my DH walked into the kitchen, he took in a big breath and of course a sample. I followed your recipe very close, only added a few jalapenos and used fresh basil. I had about 30 lbs of field tomatoes and ended up with 11 quarts. I am so happy I found your sauce. I have been canning for many, many years and by far this is one of the best recipes I have every done. This totally ROCKED!
Erica says
Rebecca— Thank you so much for the nice comment! 😀 I am so glad you like the spaghetti sauce. Thanks for sharing how many quarts you yielded with your tomatoes. That is always helpful to other readers so they know what to expect. Great idea using jalapeños and fresh basil, too. YUM!
Colin says
Added fresh mushrooms after about 2 hrs and also 1 LB of browned and strained hamburger. Didn’t blend the onions, garlic or peppers – but we chop them very fine – and substituted Red Chili pepper flakes instead of red pepper flakes for a bit more bite. Also added 1 TBSP of smoked paprika and this came out the best I’ve ever had. I added the lemon/lime (yes I used half lemon and half lime instead of only lemon) to the entire mixture about 30 minutes before canning. It will all be gone within 3 months anyways! Doing this because we have such a huge crop of tomatoes this year.
Erica says
So glad you like this recipe! Hopefully you pressure canned this if you used ground beef… I don’t think it is safe to use a water bath or steam canner if you are adding protein. :/
Eileen Murphy says
Think I am going to make this today. Looks yummy.
Erica says
Let us know how you like it!
Arlene Louise Baker says
Hi, I am just making your sauce pretty close to your ingredients, I like it chunky so left my mushrooms (which I added) and peppers and onion a little chunky. Last time I made it i used a food processor for peppers and onions and they were really cooked out when sauce was done. as when I buy canned sauce I always buy the chunky style and we like that. Thanks for your recipe,
Erica says
Yum! I love the idea of adding mushrooms! Great idea, thank you for sharing!
joe urban says
did you water bath or pressure can with the mushrooms
Nikki M. says
I do not own an immersion blender. Can I use my ninja blender or will that puree it too much?
Erica says
You can totally use the ninja blender.. you will just have to do it in batches and may be a little more messy. If you like it a little on the chunky sire you can just pulse it until you get the consistency you like. Hope this helps!
Sharon says
What is the shelf life for this spaghetti sauce once canned thru the water bath process? I don’t think I saw that anywhere on the recipe. Excited to try the recipe ????
Erica says
Typically in canning forums they it is best within a year but we have gone 2-3 years and it has been fine 🙂
christina says
if I used fresh oregano do I have to freeze it? thanks
Erica says
I don’t think you would need to freeze it– just add at least 5x the amount so you get the same flavor. Hope this helps!
Donie schmidt says
made this yesterday. we are some tonight. ” best sauce you ever made” from my husband. did not change a thing on the recipe
Erica says
So glad that you (and your husband) liked it! 😀
Cathy says
Hi. Am curious as to why if they are growing tomatoes with less acidity,why can with lemon juice,wouldn’t it make more sense to grow the tomatoes they were instead of creating a problem for people who home can.I have been canning for 40+years,never had any problems.no I didn’t add citric acid nor lemon juice to any of my sauces,juices,soup,ketchup all which were made using roma an beefy tomatoes.
Michelle in Michigan says
Simmering now and it smells delish! It seems to be reducing nicely after 2 hours — will it continue to reduce (and get thicker) after more time?
Erica says
Yes, it will keep reducing the longer you have it on. Hope you like it!
Anna says
Well..how was it?
Rachel says
I looked and looked and looked for a spaghetti sauce recipe i thought would be worth my time trying to make. I have been so excited to try this recipe and we finally have enough tomatoes to try it! We are getting ready to make it and I will be posting back with how it goes and our opinions of it!
Erica says
I am excited to hear how you like it! Be sure to come back and let us know!
Trent says
Ah, I found this again! Last year I made this recipe and canned it, gave it to coworkers and everyone raved about it. Sadly, I did not bookmark the site, so I feared that I had lost it! It’s time to make some more sauce today, and absolutely LOVE this recipe! Thanks for posting it for me to find (and again a second time).
Erica says
So glad you liked this recipe!!! It is a favorite of ours, too! Actually getting ready to make a batch this week– we can’t get enough!
Melanie says
After the 25 lbs of tomatoes are skinned and seeded, how many quarts or litres will there be ? Mine are already at that point.
Erica says
It should make anywhere between 7-10 quarts (we usually get about 9)
Ashley Morris says
I am interested in making this. I am new to canning and was wondering if I could add carrots, zucchini and olives to it? I love texture in my sauce!
Erica says
You need to be careful when adding veggies when canning because it can throw off the PH-balance. I don’t know for sure what those veggies would do to the balance but if I were you I would add them when you are preparing your meal AFTER you have already canned, but that is just me. I would saute the carrots, zucchini, and olives and then pour the sauce over and heat before serving. Hope this helps!
Kelly says
Sounds really good! Do you get rid of all the tomato seeds or just blend them up too? Thanks!
Erica says
We just blend them up– it makes it easier 🙂 Hope this helps!
Patty says
Thanks the recipe. I looked around for a good pasta sauce that could be canned – either pressure or hot water. I followed the recipe exactly. I did not saute the onions and peppers (since some folks think this is controversial). The sauce took about 5 hours to reduce. I was hoping this was as good as the sauce I made last year. Well, gotta say, this recipe knocked it out of the ball park. It is nice, thick, spicy, delish! Some small children might like it due to the pepper flakes. I didn’t know what kind of onions to use – so I used a couple varieties. I love my salsa thick, rich and flavorful, and this recipe delivers. I yielded 9 quarts. Thanks for sharing.
Erica says
Patty- Thank you so much for your comment! I am so glad that you like it! Thank you for sharing how many quarts you yielded. 🙂
Cary says
Is it necessary to use lemon juice if freezing the sauce? Or is that just for canning?
Thank you.
Erica says
just for canning– you won’t need to add if freezing.
Jean says
Sounds like it would make great chili….spaghetti sauce, not so much.
Erica says
It is delicious! It sounds strange but the flavors work!
Elizabeth says
Delicious! I’ve been canning tomatoes for some time, but spaghetti sauce was a first for me. I have a huge basil plant and so I used fresh basil, about two cups. (We really like our basil.) Otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Thanks!
Erica says
So glad you liked it! We would definitely use fresh basil if we had that much readily available– great idea!
Martin says
If not canning and making a smaller portion can you make this in a crockpot? If so how would you do that?
Erica says
Yes, you can– you would want to probably do 1/4 to 1/5 of the recipe and just put it in the crock pot.. depending on the size of your crock pot.
kaye says
Sorry haven’t tried your sauce yet. Just did my own and am commenting for those asking about pressure canning. I process @ 11# for 20 min for quarts, 15 min for pints. Have not had a problem in 40 years of canning. My sauce has mushrooms in it also just an FYI. Your sauce looks wonderful, think I will try it next time, enjoy trying new things!
Pam says
I’m going to try this recipe because we like a sweeter sauce and this looks like it might be but I’d be interested in your recipe too. It’s always good to try a couple different recipes to see whats the best fit for the family 🙂 I prefer using a pressure cooker to water bath so your recipe would be great.
Donna says
Hi!!
I’ve made your sauce one other time and it was awesome! I remember last time I made it, I was a little confused with the processing instructions.
Your instructions say:
“Process for 40 minutes in a boiling-water canner.”
Just to be *crystal* clear, you mean to submerge the jars in boiling water (cover by 1inch) and then boil for 40 mins… Right?
I may just be having a brain fart, but I cannot remember what I did last time I made this sauce!! I *think* I processed it in a pressure canner, but I cannot remember how long or at what pressure.
Can you clarify? This recipe is definitely a keeper!! It’s going into the Family Bible (what we call my Grandmother’s cookbook).
Thanks!
Erica says
Yes, you are right. You will want to use an actually water-bath canner (I am assuming that is what you have). You can do it in a pressure canner but since I don’t have one myself, I don’t know what times and pressure to recommend. I hope I was able to answer your question! So glad you like the recipe! It is a favorite around here, too!
Dot says
I already diced my tomatoes from the garden and froze them in a bag. I would now like to can them and use this recipe. I have 22 pounds that I have diced up already and kept the juice also. I saw that if you use a canned diced tomato, you should add sauce. Do you think I should add sauce, or is the juice enough? I am hoping 22 pounds is enough, considering I already skinned them and cut out the cores. Do you think 22 pounds with sauce will work?
Dot says
I mean 22 pounds with *natural juice, not sauce. Will the juice alone and 22pounds work. Sorry.
Erica says
I’m not exactly sure how well it will go from frozen to canned. You probably would want to add at least a little sauce so it isn’t runny. Maybe simmer it down and see what you think? Hope this helps!
Cassandra Shelton says
Also how does adding the lemon juice to the bottom of the jar effect the acidity of the food? Thanks again
Cassandra
Erica says
It raises the acidity to a safe level for canning. Hope this helps!
Cassandra Shelton says
Just made this last Sunday. Tastes great but one question. Why process so long? Mine was a great consistency after 2 hrs and seems to have thickened more over the last week. Thanks
Cassandra
Erica says
The processing time is for safety for canning. As far as the simmering goes, if you like the consistency after just 2 hours you won’t need to simmer any longer! If you are happy with it– great!
Jason says
Hi Erica. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I am curious if you have tried it with red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice? Also, I would like to use pints instead of quarts so I assume only one tablespoon of juice at the bottom of each jar then? Thank you.
Erica says
Yes, if you do pints, just do 1 Tbsp of lemon juice– as far as the substitution goes, you will probably want to stick with lemon juice just to make sure you have enough acidity. I’m not sure red wine vinegar has enough.
Jolene says
Hi Erica,
I just bought a electric Pressure Cooker and was wondering if I could make the Sauce in it? I have never used it before so kind of scared. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Erica says
A pressure cooker or pressure canner? A pressure cooker would be great to make the sauce in– it just needs to be in something where is will simmer down to the thickness you would like. The only issue I could see with a pressure cooker is that it is typically something you would cover– which might make it difficult for the excess steam/moisture to boil off. When you boil it on the stovetop you keep it uncovered so it can reduce down. I haven’t tried it in a pressure cooker though so it might be totally fine! I know this might not seem like a whole lot of help– let me know if you try it and how it turns out. I would definitely be interested to know!
Becky says
Do I drain some of the liquid if I used frozen/thawed tomatoes? The water is almost covering the tomatos in the pan
Erica says
I have never heard of using frozen tomatoes for canning before so I’m not exactly sure. There shouldn’t be much or any water– it should just be pure tomato juices. If it isn’t boiling down and thickening right, I would definitely drain the water off
Becky says
I need some help. I had 25lbs of tomatos that I froze and have thawed out. There is a LOT of water it seems. The water level is almost as high in the pot as the tomatoes, should I drain some of it? All of it? Thank you!
Desiree Byrd says
Okay so I don’t can. It’s pretty intimidating for me, so I’m really just interested in this recipe for a small batch… for a one time dinner. Any idea how I might adjust for that?
Erica says
I haven’t ever made this as a non-canning dish before. You could probably just adjust for how many pounds of tomatoes you are using and divide the ingredient amounts by that number. Hope this helps!
Gloria Haynes says
I just spent all day making this. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but it’s not very good. I followed your recipe to the letter. So disappointed.
Erica says
Hi Gloria– definitely feel free to modify to your tastes. Last time I doubled the herbs and added a little more salt and it was wonderful. Some people like more Italian flavor, some like it more minimal. I usually taste and add, taste and add until it’s perfect. What type of tomatoes did you use? That can affect the taste, too.
Gloria Haynes says
I used Romas. The sauce has the unmistakable taste of bbq sauce.
Angela says
I see this is an older post, but in the hopes it can help other people thinking of trying this recipe I thought I would reply. I know that the brown sugar can settle on the bottom and caramelize if not stirred frequent enough….I would think that may be the bbq taste you got (sweeter) and even the tomato paste can settle at the bottom and burn giving off a different flavor. Just ideas I’m throwing out as I haven’t seen anyone else comment on that flavor and this is my second batch I’m making today!
Steephen says
Everyone who has eaten this spaghetti sauce says that it is the best they have ever tasted.
Erica says
Thank you so much! We are big fans, too 🙂 I just made a batch last week.. Mmmmm
Linda Erlenbusch says
I gave a jar to my daughter & family last year. They ended up with 5 jars of my sauce because they loved it so! Thus I’m making 2 batches this year. 😉
Carrie Limon says
I would really love to try this recipe! But It’s just my husband and I. Could I make it on a smaller scale? I’m not a canner so anything left would have to be frozen.
Erica says
You can definitely make it on a smaller scale.. you could just use a recipe converter to make as much as you would like. This will also freeze well if you want to make extra.
Amy says
I just made the last night, I woke up in the middle of the night realizing I forgot the garlic, do you think it is still safe? I can just add garlic when I use it??
Erica says
Yes, that is totally fine.. you can just add it when re-heated. No biggie 🙂
Joan Winters says
Just tried canning with my daughter. We must have done something wrong. I do not have the right canning bath, so I put 4 pint jars in one of my big pans, boiled them covered for 45 minutes. But the lids didn’t pop. What can I do to save it?
Erica says
Did they pop after they had cooled?
Betty says
I have a high speed Vitamix blender that really pulverizes do I still need to take the skins off
Erica says
It’s totally up to you. I use my blendtec sometimes but I always still remove the skins. Let me know if you decide to try it and how it turns out!
Diane says
I always leave my unblemished skins on in tomato sauces and when jarring whole or crushed tomatoes. There are a lot of great vitamins and tomato skins. They may add a little bitterness that requires a little spice adjustments. The same is true with using tomato seeds. I use them. I used the Vitamix to blend the sautéed onion and peppers. Worked well. At the end of the cooking process I used the immersion blender, and was so very happy that I did. This recipe filled to the brim my16 quart stock pot. That amount of sauce to process in the Vitamix would’ve been very cumbersome endeavor. The immersion blender (a handheld stick that you insert in the pot to blend) allows you to manage the chunkiness or smoothness of your sauce. That is something that’s very difficult to do in any table top blender. And the whole pot is blended the same. Back to the tomato skins and seeds—the immersion blender broke down all of the skins and most of the seeds. I could’ve ran the immersion blender longer to break down all of the seeds but I really liked the consistency of the sauce that I had. Two thumbs up! 👍😍👍
Bonnie Riley says
1/4 cup of salt-I hope I am assuming right by using canning salt?
Erica says
I just used Kosher salt. Taste it though because when I made it today I used quite a bit more salt. Make it to your personal taste in saltiness 🙂
Chris Robinson says
Hi ladies:) I am in the middle of many roma tomatoes. I have put them through the food strainer because I have many grand children I watch so I have to work in shifts. I strain all my tomatoes & the next day I make my sauce & can. I need your help in figuring out how many gallons of juice I would use for this recipe? I sure hope you can help this grandma! Thanks for your time.
Chris
Erica says
I actually just canned today! It was about 2-ish gallons of tomato juice/pulp for one batch
Chris Robinson says
Thanks!
Laurie says
I was wondering, can you use a food mill instead of peeling and coring all the tomatoes. My grandma and mom aways used this as it cuts out all that extra time. Or is there a reason you cook it that way?
Erica says
Yes, that would probably work– You just want to make sure you are still getting a lot of the meat of the tomato (pulp).
Darlene L. says
Just made a batch of this spaghetti sauce, it is absolutely delicious!!!! Thank you for sharing your recipe!!! I will NEVER, again buy spaghetti sauce in a store, there is no comparison, Thanks again!!!
Emily says
Thank you so much, I’m so glad you liked it!
tony says
I want some sauce
Gail says
25 pounds of tomatoes equals what size basket of tomatoes? Will I be able to find Roma tomatoes in quantity as I live in New England?
Erica says
You can use any kind of tomatoes. We used Early Girl and Park’s Whopper tomatoes last time and it was wonderful. It’s tough to estimate basket sizes… I would say about a 2/3 full 5-gallon bucket is about 25 Lbs.
Mary says
What preasure and for how long in a preasure cooker canner for the sauce we live in Florida
Erica says
I haven’t pressure-canned this recipe before but here is a great resource I found online for you.. it has everything you asked: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_03/spaghetti_sauce.html Hope this helps!
PattyB says
Another great way to skin your tomatoes is to put them whole in the freezer. When they are thawing out the skins slip right off. I found this out because I added tomatoes to the bag in the freezer as they ripened on the tomato plant. Was able to skip the boil/cold bath step completely!
I also buy onions and bell peppers [esp. the red ones!] when they are on sale, chop them up and freeze in bags of 1 cup each for future recipes.
Echo says
Great ideas! Thank you so much for sharing your tips!
Lori says
I like using a victoria strainer, it takes the skin and most of the seeds out and gives me the tomato juice and pulp. it is also quick and easy, and the kids love helping turn the handle. I can run the skins through twice to get a little thicker pulp.
Steve says
I use 2 #10 cans of tomato sauce and 2 #10 cans of diced tomatoes and it turns out great every time
Thanks Steve
Echo says
Thank you for the tips!
PattyB says
Thanks! I have one #10 can of tomato sauce… I see I’ll have to get more. I know I can 1/4 the recipe but I’m canning the sauce and I might as well can four #10 cans rather than one #10 can.
Sue H says
How much is is #10 cans? Not familiar with that size (not an experienced cook!)
Thanks!
Nancy J Letson says
A #10 can is the large food service size – some stores have them in the “institutional” foods section.
They hold about 12 3/4 cups of product, usually much cheaper and easier than opening lots of smaller cans.
Cassandra says
Have you done this with cans of diced tomatoes? Is it basically the same? We are well past canning season in WI.
Erica says
We haven’t done it with diced tomatoes– It would probably work just fine if you could figure out the right tomato to diced tomato ratios!
Rachel Foster says
Erica – this recipe looks great. I don’t have a pot large enough for all the tomatoes. Would a Nesco work? If so, what temp would you set it to?
Erica Walker says
We have never used a Nesco roaster for cooking down tomatoes before. If you use it for simmering a lot, you may be fine, I just do’t know what to recommend as far as a temp goes. Sorry I wasn’t much help with this one!
Joanna crabtree says
It says cook time is 1 hour, but then it says to simmer for 4 to 5 hours?
Erica Walker says
You want to reduce it for as long as you can… 1 hour is the minimum. 4-5 hours is suggested. Hope this helps!
Cindee says
Our extension service says that processing spaghetti sauce in a boiling water bath is not recommended. Do you know why they would say that? I tried this recipe a few weeks ago. It worked great and we really like it, but now I’m wondering if I should go get a pressure canner.
Erica says
I have read on some sites that they say spaghetti sauce isn’t acidic enough– that is why we added lemon juice to the jars. From all the recipes I have seen online and other canning recipes, I feel confident that the spaghetti sauce is fine (I wouldn’t serve it to my family unless I felt good about it). If you are worried about it you can definitely pressure can or freeze it.
jill sifford says
Fortunately we have safely survived 48 years of water bath canning tomato recipes.
Wait a minute, maybe that’s what is wrong with me!
Sharon Haifley says
Grew up canning with Mom in a water bath canner. She never had a pressure canner. Didn’t learn to use one till I got married and my mother in law taught me. Mom even waterbathed green beans. (3 HRS) but I am living to tell the story. We never got sick from beans or anything else. If the lid was not sealed when she took it from the basement, she threw it out.
She did all her tomatoes and peaches water bath too.
Kelli Wells says
Finished making a whole batch. First time I have done it from scratch with fresh tomatoes. AND IT WAS AWESOME!!! Even my daughter who usually is very picky and doesn’t eat spaghetti loved it! I did freeze instead of can and the second week it was just as good after defrosting. thanks!!!
Lindsey says
Erica, sorry another question…at what point do u do the immersion blender? No where on the recipe did I see that, but I could have missed it. Also does garlic just gets thrown in as a whole clove or do u mince it?
Erica says
You use it right at the end after it has simmered for a few hours. You do it right before funneling into the jars. Hope this helps!
CJ says
I am not finding anything about this in the recipe itself. What am I missing? I don’t even know what an immersion blender is..
Erica says
Here is a link to an immersion blender: http://amzn.to/1Jg8qpM
Erica says
Oh, and definitely mince the garlic.. I will put that on the recipe!
Diane D says
Can I add tomato, peppers and onion cut up into very small pieces in sauce after it is blended? Before canning.
Kaylene says
What kind of tomatoes would you say would be best to use?
Erica says
We used big boys and early girls but Romas would work great! Really, any tomato would be fine. You just want to use nice, juicy tomatoes if you can!
Carol says
Is “red bell pepper flakes” the same thing as crushed red pepper (the spicy pepper)?
Erica says
haha yes, that was a typo on my part. I changed it on the recipe. It is correct now 🙂
Susanne says
I just finished my spaghetti sauce. It is delicious!! Mine sauce is quite thin and so I am wondering if I should have let it simmer longer. Anyway just wondering if I added too many tomatoes or if it is just a thinner sauce. Thank you so much for sharing it!!
Erica says
If you want to thicken it up you can add more tomato paste.. it could have been watery tomatoes or it needed more time to simmer. Could be a number of reasons but tomato paste should fix that 🙂
Sheila says
Do you remove the seeds?
Erica says
I didn’t but you sure can! I honestly don’t even notice them in the sauce
jill sifford says
For us, the seeds actually add flavor and a little more texture. Thank you for the recipe. Jill
Lori says
Do you leave tomatoes whole?
Erica says
You put them in the boiling water whole, yes. You take the skins off and cut them up after they are boiled and plunged in the water bath.
Tasha says
I have read it a few times now and looks awesome! But… am I missing something? It says to process the green peppers and onions- I don’t see where it says what to do w/ the red bell peppers? Is it supposed to be both bell peppers there?
Also- for us canning dummies 😉 is it saying to pour the hot sauce into hot jars? How do you recommend getting the jars hot- soaking in hot water..? Sorry to ask probably a super basic questions- but this looks amazing and I’d love to make some- but want to do it right and not waste so much!
Erica says
You can definitely heat them in water. What I will usually do is run the jars by themselves in the dishwasher and get them out right when the load is done so they are nice and hot. I will take them out of the dishwasher, dry them off, and pour the sauce in. You are right about the peppers, both red and green are processed. I will get that right on the recipe 🙂 Thanks for the catch!
Michelle says
Do you cut up the tomatoes any smaller than in quarters?
Erica says
You definitely can… because you use an immersion blender it all gets blended together anyway. If you have huge tomatoes you can definitely cut them up more!
Emilee says
How long would I process if I do pints instead of quarts?
Erica says
You would process the same amount of time, even if they are in pints. Technically you could probably take a minute or two off but I like to be on the safe side when it comes to canning 🙂
Cindy Earnest says
If you were to pressure can it, at what lb pressure and for how long?
Erica says
I haven’t done this in a pressure canner (I don’t even own a pressure canner). You might want to look for a similar recipe online that is specifically for pressure canning and go off of that. Sorry I’m not of much help here– I just don’t want to point you in the wrong direction since I don’t do pressure canning!
Deborah says
If I am using pints. Do I just add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice jar?
Erica Walker says
Yes, that should be just fine 🙂 I think 2 would be too much for a pint.
pam says
Like your new picture, very nice…. Love your blog, come here often.
Linda says
Do you have this recipe in a smaller version? I really want to try it before I make such a large amount. Like your father, I am picky about spaghetti sauce.
Erica says
Probably the best thing to do would be to quarter the original recipe. Are you wanting to can the recipe or just try it out or freeze it?
Bente says
I was just wondering the same thing. I have very little freezer space and would rather just make smaller portions that I’ll use within a month or so.
Can I use fresh basil? I have a lovely, healthy plant and hardly ever get to use it. If so, will i need to dry it first in the oven?
Erica says
If you are using fresh basil and freezing it you should be fine using fresh! No drying necessary 🙂 Hope this helps!
Nrh says
I already chopped and pureed my tomatoes before finding this recipe and I didn’t peel them. Can I still use for this recipe without my tomatoes being peeled?
Erica Walker says
Yes, of course! You may just want to cook it down longer so those skins aren’t tough. You should be totally fine.
Lindsey says
How much does this make?
Erica says
It makes 9-10 quarts
Diane says
Hmmm….I just mad this and got 14 quarts. I was careful to weigh the tomatoes before and after boiling them. Perhaps the difference was the size of my onions. I used five of the ginormous sized ones that are just under a pound a piece.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Way awesome that you got more than you were expecting! There could be several reasons for this. The sauce may not have simmered down as much or bigger onions (as you suggested). Hope this helps!
Brian says
I don’t believe my eyes when I saw your ad on FB today. I’ve been looking for a good homemade sauce recipe. Today, I went to the market and got 25 lbs. of tomatoes, but really couldn’t find a good recipe until I saw your’s … now all I gotta do is get started …. Thanks so much for this recipe and I’ve faved your blog for future recipes.
Erica says
haha sounds like we posted just in time! Glad we could help and excited that you are a new follower! 😀
Laura says
Does this sauce taste ok if frozen?
Erica says
Yes it will still taste great frozen 🙂
Jill says
How is freezing sauce a better method then open kettle canning?
Erica says
It’s not necessarily “better”.. some might like doing it better that way because it is easier.
Natasha of Natashaskitchen.com says
Hello Erica!! Our mutual friend, Jean W. introduced me to your blog. I’m so excited to explore it more and get to know a local foodie! 🙂
Erica says
Natasha! I can’t wait to hang out with you and get to know you better, I love meeting new blogger friends!
Kathy L says
This sauce is delicious. Made exactly as is. Will definitely make again
Brittney Dix says
Has this recipe been tested for canning safety to make sure the acidity level is sufficient to prevent botulism?
Erica says
This recipe was based off of several recipes, including Taste of Home and Ball Canning. This is what one of the sources said: “Anything canned in a boiling water bath needs to be high acid (for the science minded types, this means that it has to have a pH of 4.5 or below). This is because botulism cannot grow in high acid environments. However, tomatoes are in the grey zone, typically having a pH right around 4.5. Because of this, tomatoes need to be acidified when canned, so that the acid levels are pushed into the safe zone and the pH becomes something lower than 4.5. That’s why all other good instructions for canning whole tomatoes includes two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice per jar (you can also use citric acid if you prefer).”
If you are still worried about it you can pressure can it or just freeze it.
Hopefully this helps clear things up!
Susan says
Ok, just to be clear- do you add the 1 1/4 c. Lemon juice to the sauce? OR – Do you put 2 tablespoons into the jar just before putting the sauce into the jar?
Sorry, just want to do it right!
Erica says
You put it directly into the jars… 🙂
Tori says
Make sure your lemon juice is heated up!! I lost 3 jars before I realized!!! =(
Erica says
The lemon juice doesn’t need to be heated… it will heat up in the jars when you process them. Where have you heard that the lemon juice needs to be heated??
Barry says
I think Tori meant adding cold lemon juice from the fridge into heated jars can cause them to break.
Erica says
It is such a small amount of lemon juice per jar… I don’t think it will break the jar. I never had any problems with it. I hope this helps!
Tori says
That’s exactly what I meant Barry. I had taken my lemon juice out of the fridge and put 2 tbsp into each jar… on my 5th jar I heard that dreaded “tink” and on inspection I had broken 3 out of the 5 jars (they were brand new so it wasn’t from just age). Anyway, the remainder of the jars I had omitted the lemon juice because I didn’t want to break anymore jars and it turned out great! We survived and this was seriously the BEST sauce we have ever had. So here we are getting ready for another year of harvesting and canning! Thanks for the recipe!!! (It was so worth those broken jars!!) =)
Erica says
So glad you like the recipe and I am glad you survived– though we recommend the lemon juice, we are glad it worked out ok for you without it 🙂
Deboeah says
I’m using quarts do I use only 1 tblspoon? Per jar?
Pat Burgen says
I’m a bit confused, Cook time: 1 hour, Processing 40 min. Total time: 2 hours. But in the directions, # 5. Simmer uncovered for 4-5 hours.
Emily Walker says
Thanks for letting us know, that is just a typo. We will get that fixed!
Kristin says
Does the lemon juice change the flavor of the sauce?
Erica says
No, it doesn’t. I promise the spaghetti sauce won’t be sour 😉
Jason says
In the instructions I’m going by it doesn’t say how exactly the red bell peppers are prepared or incorporated.
Erica Walker says
You find this in step 3 of the recipe when it refers to the peppers. This is for all the peppers, including the red bell peppers. Hope this helps!
Katie Jensen says
How long would you process in a steam canner?
Erica says
You would do it pretty much the same– I would maybe add like 5 more minutes to the time so it has a little more time to cook through.
liz says
As a canning/preserving instructor I do not recommend steam bath canning anything that processes longer than 20 minutes, rather it should be water bathed. That being said, I would pressure can this recipe, even with the acid being added to each jar.
Cheryl says
Liz, I made this recipe last year, and it is delicious. However, I would also be more comfortable pressure canning it. Do you know how I would determine which weight to use and how long to process it?
Stacy K Bingham says
Do we need to add lemon juice if we’re pressure calling it?
Linda Brusehaver says
Made this recipe with
Addition of 2 more cans paste and if not thick enough when heating to eat u can add instant potato flakes..works well n u never can tell….THIS IS BEST RECIPE I HAVE MADE…AWESOME..froze n canned it..have made 2 1/2 batches..next year
MORE…
Deborah says
I didn’t should I be concerned ?
Betsy says
Hi Liz, because you’re a canning instructor I have a question for you. I think I forgot to put lemon juice in one of the three batches of jars I did. I water bath canned them for 45 minutes and all sealed. Should I need concerned and do I need to dump it back into a pot and re-can it? P.S. I canned it 11/14. Thanks!
Sharon Burn says
Hello I made this recipe, I absolutely love it. I made a third of the quantity due not sure how it would turn out. Tastes better than canned sauce. Cannot wait to make some more.
Marissa B. says
Do you use dried herbs or fresh?
William Harmer says
This will be my third year making this recipie it lasts us about 6 months with 200lbs tomatoes but we eat this sauce 3-4 times a week never any spoiled cans sits great gets better the longer it sits am looking forward to canning 400 lbs tomatoes this year to keep up with our families sauce needs
William Harmer says
And our family members coming to visit always ask to have the sauce or if we have an extra can lol we use it all summer in our homemade pizza cooker to make pizza as well and anywhere else pasta sauce can be used ……
Jennifer Mattson says
The reason I make my own is the commercially produced sauce is way too sweet. I never add sugar to spaghetti sauce.
Sharon says
Steam canning takes the same amount of time as water bath canning. You just don’t have to use all that water so it makes the process go faster.