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This 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! Canning spaghetti sauce is easy and rewarding and makes for the best pasta sauce ever!
Table of Contents
- Ingredients in Canned Spaghetti Sauce
- Why Can Spaghetti Sauce?
- Tomatoes: A Family Tradition
- Family Tested, Dad Approved
- How Can I Use Canned Spaghetti Sauce?
- Water Bath Canning Spaghetti Sauce
- How to Use a Pressure Canner
- Where to Buy Canning Jars
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Still Have a Question about Canning Spaghetti Sauce?
- More Delicious Pasta Recipes
- Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
This canned spaghetti sauce is HANDS-DOWN, the very best with home-grown tomatoes. We are kind of crazy about our tomatoes over here. The taste of this savory tomato sauce stays fresh and turns any pasta dinner into something special.
Canning is the way to go when you want to preserve fresh produce. See our guides for canning fresh tomatoes, canning peaches and canning pears for more ways to enjoy homegrown fruits and vegetables all year long.
Ingredients in Canned Spaghetti Sauce
All you need for perfect spaghetti sauce are some herbs, spices and of course, fresh ripe tomatoes! This sauce couldn’t be simpler to make:
- Tomatoes – About 25 pounds. This recipe makes a huge batch of tomato puree. Garden tomatoes work best. I have used Roma, Celebrity, Early Girl, Park’s Whopper, San Marzano, and Beefsteak with success. I have even thrown in handfuls of cherry tomatoes when I have excess!
- Onions – I start with about five large yellow onions. You’ll end up with 7-8 cups chopped onions.
- Red bell peppers – four large peppers work great.
- Green bell pepper – dice one large pepper
- Tomato paste – four 6-ounce cans should do the trick.
- Soy sauce – Sounds weird, but trust us, it deepens the tomato flavor like you won’t believe!
- Worcestershire sauce – stir in a little sauce to enhance the flavor of the tomatoes and give the sauce a meaty flavor.
- Brown sugar – a little sweetness balances the acidity of the tomatoes and all the herbs.
- Seasonings – Salt, garlic, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves is all you need to season this delicious sauce.
- Lemon juice – for the jars. I just use the bottled lemon juice from the store.
Why Can Spaghetti Sauce?
Canning spaghetti sauce offers several great benefits. It may take a little time up front but I love the satisfaction of walking into my pantry and seeing rows of freshly canned spaghetti sauce jars! Here are some more great benefits to canning:
- Long-term preservation: Enjoy homemade sauce even when fresh tomatoes are out of season.
- Control over ingredients: Customize the flavors, spices, and level of heat to suit personal taste preferences.
- Convenience and time-saving: Have ready-to-use sauce on hand for quick and easy meal preparations.
- Cost-effective: Save money by utilizing homegrown or bulk-purchased ingredients.
Tomatoes: A Family Tradition
Growing tomatoes is a “family tradition” of sorts for us. Our Uncle Larry is arguably the best gardener ever. He always has an immaculate garden and has studied and taught about gardening. The man knows ALL the tricks to get plants to grow. Uncle Larry has 10 green thumbs! His techniques have been passed around the family, luckily for us. He shared his secrets with our mom, who also grows a bountiful garden every year. To learn more about our tips and tricks for growing tomatoes, see our full guide for growing tomatoes.
Tomato growing is our family’s way to connect year after year. We compare notes on everything, from how our crops are faring, to what varieties we planted, to what has been canned so far. And of course, we love talking about all the delicious ways we can eat them! Along with the abundance of tomatoes comes a million ways to prepare them. One of our fondest memories growing up with our mom was making her delicious Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce. We’ve tweaked the recipe over the years and now it’s darn near perfection!
Family Tested, Dad Approved
Part of the reason we worked so hard to perfect this canned spaghetti sauce recipe is because of our dad. To know him is to know his passionate love for Italian food. He is super picky about spaghetti sauce; it has to be just right. Well, we’re happy to report that we served this sauce at family dinner recently and our dad loved it! He couldn’t get enough. In fact, he used a spoon to get all the excess off his plate. He’s crazy about this savory sauce, and you will be too!
How Can I Use Canned Spaghetti Sauce?
The name may say spaghetti, but this marinara sauce is so versatile, it’s sure to become one of your favorite staples, and not just on pasta night. Try it as a thickener for Italian-style soups like Minestrone, or add tomato paste to a serving to make pizza sauce. Here are some more delicious recipes that use spaghetti sauce:
Water Bath Canning Spaghetti Sauce
Water bath canning tomatoes is the most common way to can tomatoes, but it must be done the right way. Tomatoes are in the “gray area” of having enough acidity, so you need to add a bit of lemon juice or citric acid to ensure it reaches the correct acidity for canning.
You can learn all about water bath canning in my water bath canning guide. If you want to learn about the basics of canning and other ways to can, check out my Canning 101 post as well. Between these two posts, you will learn how to be a water bath canning pro in no time!
A Quick Note About Acidity Levels in This Recipe
We’ve tested this recipe for safe water bath canning nine times, exactly as written, and it has always been in the safe range. A pH of 4.6 or lower is considered safe for canning, and this recipe consistently comes in between 3.7 and 4.2. We have used Roma tomatoes, Celebrity, Park’s Whopper, and other red garden varieties with success. Acidity can vary between tomato types and the soils they are grown in so you still should always can at your own discretion and follow the Home Food Preservation Guidelines.
How to Use a Pressure Canner
For a weighted-gauge pressure canner, you will want to process 20 minutes for pint jars and 25 minutes for quart jars. I like to use the Presto 16-Quart Pressure Canner, which is great for canning spaghetti sauce, homemade jams, and more. You can get it at Walmart to start canning your own sauces.
Process at 11 pounds pressure up to 2,000 feet elevation, increasing by 1 pound for every 2,000 feet (12 lbs for 2,001–4,000 ft, 13 lbs for 4,001–6,000 ft, and 14 lbs for 6,001–8,000 ft). For more information on pressure canning spaghetti sauce, check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.
Where to Buy Canning Jars
We like to use 1-quart canning jars from Ball. They’re the BEST for canning spaghetti sauce. You can get 12 of them at Walmart for around $16, which makes it a little over $1 a jar and one of the more affordable ways to start canning. We also like to use them as drinking glasses, food storage, flower vases, and more, so you’ll get a ton of use out of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do not, I repeat, do NOT skip this step if you are water bath or steam canning. Stick a reminder note on your jars or tie a ribbon on your finger so you don’t forget. You absolutely can not safely water bath or steam can tomatoes without bringing up the acidity first (this isn’t necessary for pressure canning). If you forget to add the lemon juice you will need to open the jars, add the juice, replace with new lids, and reprocess.
Fresh garden tomatoes are always the best choice. I’ve had great results with Roma, Celebrity, Early Girl, Park’s Whopper, San Marzano, and Beefsteak varieties. And when I have extras, I even toss in a handful of cherry tomatoes!
The number of tomatoes in 25 pounds really depends on the variety and size of the tomatoes. If you’re using smaller varieties like Roma or plum tomatoes, you’ll get about 70–80 tomatoes in 25 pounds. For medium-sized tomatoes, it’s closer to 55–65, and for large beefsteak tomatoes, you can expect around 35–40. So in general, 25 pounds of tomatoes will give you somewhere between 35 and 80 tomatoes, depending on the size.
You can add ground beef or ground Italian sausage ONLY if you are going to pressure can it OR if you freeze it instead of canning it (or you just want to eat it fresh or within a few days). Do not add ground beef if you are planning to water-bath can or steam can — it will not be safe to eat after sitting on the shelf.
Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding fresh mushrooms, celery, parsley, thyme or meat it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning. When it comes to canning it’s best to stick with a tried and tested recipe and don’t deviate.
We usually try to eat anything that we have canned within a year. You can probably go a couple years but probably not much longer than that. Some canning sites even say you shouldn’t go more than 6 months, but I think you are fine going longer than that.
Absolutely! This spaghetti sauce recipe freezes beautifully and lasts for several months in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. Just make sure to thaw the sauce completely in the refrigerator before re-heating. If you DO want to add more random ingredients like ground beef or extra veggies, freezing is a good way to go if you are worried about acidity levels.
The only ingredient that has any gluten in this recipe is the soy sauce. It sounds weird to even have soy sauce in a spaghetti sauce recipe, but trust us, it is divine! Instead of cutting the soy sauce, opt for a gluten free brand. The rich flavor will knock your socks off!
I always peel the tomatoes and remove the rough stem area but they don’t need to be seeded. If you prefer to remove the seeds you certainly can. If you decide to leave the skins on, it won’t change the acidity but it will change the texture.
If you can get it to all fit, sure! Just simmer in the Crock Pot with the lid off until it reaches your desired thickness.
Yes, please adjust the sugar and salt to your personal liking. It will not affect the acidity so taste as you go and adjust in small amounts.
The amount of jars this recipe yields really depends on the water content of the tomatoes and how long you reduce the sauce. You can get more or less than what the recipe says depending on how thick you make it.
The easiest way is to just let it simmer until it thickens. You can also add tomato paste to thicken if needed.
If you like it more chunky, you can just roughly chop the tomatoes and veggies instead of blending.
YES. You can use ½ teaspoon of citric acid instead of lemon juice. Citric acid is more concentrated so you will need less. I like using lemon juice because it’s cheaper and more accessible but either one works.
If pressure canning. Yes! 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs. However, this recipe has not been tested for water bath canning with fresh herbs so we can’t say how it will affect the pH levels and we can’t recommend it.
We weigh our tomatoes before peeling.
Still Have a Question about Canning Spaghetti Sauce?
This recipe has been tried and LOVED by tens of thousands of you! Be sure to check out the comments to see everyone’s reviews about this canned spaghetti sauce. We also answer a lot of canning questions that have been asked in the comment section so if you have any questions, read below and I am sure you will find the answer you are looking for! Still can’t find an answer? Leave a comment and we will try to answer it as quickly as possible. With the sheer volume of comments we get, it may take a few days for us to respond but we try to get to every question!
READ NEXT: Ravioli Sauce
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 25 pounds tomatoes, (Any garden variety. I have used Roma, Celebrity, Whopper, Early Girl, Beefsteak, San Marzano, and even handfuls of cherry 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 (this is only needed for water bath and steam canning, if you are pressure canning this can be left out)
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. Do this over a large bowl so it catches all the juices when you slice them, you want to keep all those juices for the sauce. Note: I get a LOT of questions about if the tomatoes need to be peeled and seeded. I always peel the tomatoes and remove the rough stem area but they don’t need to be seeded. If you prefer to remove the seeds you certainly can though. If you decide to leave the skins on, it won’t change the acidity but it will change the texture and appearance.
- In a food processor, cover and process 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, 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 each jar. This typically yields 8 to 10 hot 1-quart jars (depending on how much sauce you have and how much it is reduced when simmering). If using pint jars, use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice per jar.Ladle hot mixture into jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace at the top. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids. Do not forget the lemon juice! If you forget to add the lemon juice you will need to open the jars, add the juice, replace with new lids, and reprocess.
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. Use 11 pounds pressure up to 2,000 feet elevation, increasing by 1 pound for every 2,000 feet (12 lbs for 2,001–4,000 ft, 13 lbs for 4,001–6,000 ft, and 14 lbs for 6,001–8,000 ft).
Notes
- This recipe makes 9-10 quart-sized jars. This can be more or less depending on how much the tomatoes simmer down and thicken.
- Our Uncle Larry is arguably the best gardener ever. He always has an immaculate garden and has studied and taught about gardening. The man knows ALL the tricks to get plants to grow. Uncle Larry has 10 green thumbs! His techniques have been passed around the family, luckily for us. He shared his secrets with our mom, who also grows a bountiful garden every year. To learn more about our tips and tricks for growing tomatoes, see our full guide.
- This spaghetti sauce recipe freezes beautifully and lasts for several months in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. Just make sure to thaw the sauce completely in the refrigerator before re-heating. If you DO want to add more random ingredients like ground beef or extra veggies, freezing is a good way to go if you are worried about acidity levels.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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..
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!
Can I used fresh basil instead of dried?
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.
You can add fresh basil but the issue is that dried is more flavorful. You can insti-dri basil in the oven.
I accidentally got 3 green peppers and 2 red. Will that be ok?
Yes, that is totally fine 🙂
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
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!
Do I have to put lemon juice in if I am pressure canning my jars?
Yes! The lemon juice helps to balance the acidity of the recipe.
What if if going to be freezing sauce instead of canning? Still need lemon juice and 1/2 inch space?
You will need the 1/2 inch space since the sauce will expand when it freezes, but you can omit the lemon juice!
I can’t wait to try canning with this recipe. May I use canned diced tomatoes from the grocery store? I hope so; just purchased 25 pounds worth 😀
Yes!
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!
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.
Is it possible to send a couple of pictures of the jars to you?
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!!!
How are you chopping and freezing? Blanching first? I just am new to this and don’t have enough tomatoes yet!
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
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!
What kind of salt?
Just table salt will do!
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
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!
I am interested in making this recipe. Has anyone every tried to do it in an instant pot to cut down on the time?
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?
Yes, pint sized jars should be fine. The sauce stays good on the shelf for about a year!
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?
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!
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.
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!
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!
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. 😊
This is why we do what we do! Thank you so much for sharing this sweet review!
How many grams or oz of peppers chopped up and how many grams or oz of onions chopped up?
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!
Do you remove/strain out the seeds? I’m going to make this today and would rather not deal with the extra steps.
We don’t take the seeds out, but you can if you want to add the extra step. Thanks for asking!
Hello! It’s planting season in Minnesota and I’m going to try your recipe! What tomatoes do you recommend for this canning recipe?
San Marzano or Roma are the best for spaghetti sauce!
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.
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!
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
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!
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!
Could I add mushrooms to this recipe and if so how much do you recommend adding? Thanks much
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.
Is it okay to freeze them instead?
Yes you can freeze the sauce!
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!
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!
Do you think I could omit the sugar?
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.
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?
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.
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?
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!!
Just wondering if this is a tested recipe. Thank you.
I’m not sure exactly what you mean by tested, but we’ve been making it for years!!
I’ve made this the last few years & it’s our favorite! I don’t think we can go back to store bought
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.??
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!
Can this be frozen instead of canned? Thank you.
Yes!
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.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this sweet review! We are so glad you love this recipe!
Good sauce, but found too sweet for my taste. Plan to try again with 1/2 the sugar.
I love finding good from scratch replacement recipes! This is a gem of a find, thank you!!!
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!
Hello
This looks wonderful but curious why so high in carbs?
Thanks Denise
The nutrition information is per quart jar. So, that is how many carbs are in the whole jar.
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!
Question? If i use canned tomatoes, say San Marzano should I include the juice the tomatoes are packed in?? Thanks, JOhn
Yes, I would add the juice that they are packed in.
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.
Can I add other veggies to this recipe like carrots and zucchini if I am canning the sauce?
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.
Is it a spicy sauce with the red pepper flakes.
Our family is very sensitive to spicy foods and we don’t have a problem with this recipe!
Can the peppers, onions and tomatoes be roasted first?
Sure!