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Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce is FAR better than anything you can find in a store. You’ll love the rich, savory flavor. The best way to use fresh garden tomatoes! Canning spaghetti sauce is easy and rewarding and makes for the best pasta sauce ever!
Featured with this recipe
- 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
- Pressure Canning Spaghetti Sauce
- Frequently Asked Questions about Canned Spaghetti Sauce
- More Delicious Pasta Recipes
- How to Make Canned Spaghetti Sauce
- Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
This canned spaghetti sauce is HANDS-DOWN, the very best with home-grown tomatoes. We are kind of crazy about our tomatoes over here. The taste of this savory tomato sauce stays fresh and turns any pasta dinner into something special.
Ingredients in Canned Spaghetti Sauce
All you need for perfect spaghetti sauce are some herbs, spices and of course, fresh ripe tomatoes! This sauce couldn’t be simpler to make:
- Tomatoes – about 25 pounds. This recipe makes a huge batch of tomato puree.
- Onions – I start with about five large yellow onions. You’ll end up with 7-8 cups chopped onions.
- Red bell peppers – four large peppers work great.
- Green bell pepper – dice one large pepper
- Tomato paste – four 6-ounce cans should do the trick.
- Soy sauce – Sounds weird, but trust us, it deepens the tomato flavor like you won’t believe!
- Worcestershire sauce – stir in a little sauce to enhance the flavor of the tomatoes and give the sauce a meaty flavor.
- Brown sugar – a little sweetness balances the acidity of the tomatoes and all the herbs.
- Salt – a quarter cup, plus more to taste.
- Garlic – you’ll need a LOT of garlic, chopped or minced. Start with ten cloves.
- Oregano – I usually use dried herbs for this recipe.
- Basil – again, dried works great!
- Red pepper flakes – a little goes a long way with these spicy flakes. Start with a teaspoon and add more depending on your tastes.
- Bay leaves – two leaves give such delicious flavor.
- Lemon juice – for the jars
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.
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
This particular recipe for canned spaghetti sauce hasn’t been “officially” tested for a water-bath canner. However, after MUCH research, we’ve found that if you add lemon juice to the jars, this recipe is acidic enough for canning. Tomatoes are in the “gray area” of having enough acidity, so they might be just fine on their own. But adding a bit of lemon juice ensures their acidity. If you’re still worried, you can pressure can them or add more lemon juice or red wine vinegar.
UPDATE: This recipe has been tried and LOVED by many of you. Be sure to check out the comments to see everyone’s reviews about this canned spaghetti sauce.
Pressure Canning Spaghetti Sauce
For a weighted-gauge pressure canner, you will want to process 20 minutes for pint jars and 25 minutes for quart jars. Process at 10 pounds for altitudes between 0-1,000 feet. Process at 15 pounds for altitudes above 1,000 feet. For more information on pressure canning spaghetti sauce, check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation here.
Frequently Asked Questions about Canned Spaghetti Sauce
You can add ground beef or ground Italian sausage ONLY if you are going to pressure can it OR if you freeze it instead of canning it (or you just want to eat it fresh or within a few days). Do not add ground beef if you are planning to water-bath can or steam can — it will not be safe to eat after sitting on the shelf.
Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding fresh mushrooms, celery, parsley, thyme or meat it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning.
We usually try to eat anything that we have canned within a year. You can probably go a couple years but probably not much longer than that. Some canning sites even say you shouldn’t go more than 6 months, but I think you are fine going longer than that.
Absolutely! This spaghetti sauce recipe freezes beautifully and lasts for several months in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. Just make sure to thaw the sauce completely in the refrigerator before re-heating. If you DO want to add more random ingredients like ground beef or extra veggies, freezing is a good way to go if you are worried about acidity levels.
The only ingredient that has any gluten in this recipe is the soy sauce. It sounds weird to even have soy sauce in a spaghetti sauce recipe, but trust us, it is divine! Instead of cutting the soy sauce, opt for a gluten free brand. The rich flavor will knock your socks off!
READ NEXT: Ravioli Sauce
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 Canned Spaghetti Sauce
Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 25 pounds tomatoes
- 5 medium onions (about 7-8 cups chopped)
- 4 red bell peppers
- 1 green bell pepper
- 4 (6oz) cans tomato paste
- 1/4 cups soy sauce Sounds weird, but trust us, it deepens the tomato flavor like you won’t believe!
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup salt
- 10 cloves garlic chopped or minced
- 3 tablespoons oregano dried
- 3 tablespoons basil dried
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/4 cups lemon juice for jars
Instructions
- Fill a large pot or Dutch oven half-way with water, bring to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, add tomatoes one at a time until you can’t fit any more (about 8-10 tomatoes).
- Boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove tomatoes one at a time with slotted spoon and plunge in an icewater bath. Peel and quarter tomatoes.
- In a food processor, cover and process green peppers and onions in batches until finely chopped (if you want to add extra flavor, saute the peppers and onions in a little oil and a pinch of salt before processing).In a large stockpot, combine the tomatoes (do not discard excess juices from the tomatoes), onion/pepper mixture, tomato paste, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, garlic, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, and bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so (tomatoes burn easily so keep an eye on it). Discard bay leaves.If you want to make your sauce thick and smooth, use an immersion blender to blend the tomatoes until smooth with no large chunks (you can also blend it in batches in a blender).
- Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to 9 or 10 hot 1-quart jars (depending on how much sauce you have). Ladle hot mixture into jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace at the top. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids.
For Water Bath Canning:
- Process for 40 minutes in a boiling-water canner for altitudes of 1,000 feet or less. For altitudes up to 3,000 feet, add 5 minutes; 6,000 feet, add 10 minutes; 8,000 feet, add 15 minutes; 10,000 feet, add 20 minutes.
For Pressure Canning:
- Using a weighted-gauge pressure canner, process 20 minutes for pint jars and 25 minutes for quart jars. Process at 10 lb for altitudes between 0-1,000 feet. Process at 15 lb for altitudes above 1,000 feet.
Notes
- This recipe makes 9-10 quart-sized jars
- Our Uncle Larry is arguably the best gardener ever. He always has an immaculate garden and has studied and taught about gardening. The man knows ALL the tricks to get plants to grow. Uncle Larry has 10 green thumbs! His techniques have been passed around the family, luckily for us. He shared his secrets with our mom, who also grows a bountiful garden every year. To learn more about our tips and tricks for growing tomatoes, see our full guide.
- This spaghetti sauce recipe freezes beautifully and lasts for several months in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. Just make sure to thaw the sauce completely in the refrigerator before re-heating. If you DO want to add more random ingredients like ground beef or extra veggies, freezing is a good way to go if you are worried about acidity levels.
Good Day
I would like to make this sauce with 28oz canned tomatoes.
Would you know how many can I would need?
How many quarts does it need to make the sauce?
Thank You
A 28oz can of tomatoes is equal to about 2 pounds of tomatoes. Hope this helps!
Can you cut this recipe down some and make a 1/2 batch? I only have about 15lb of ripe tomatoes and don’t want them to go to waste.
Yes, this recipe can be cut in half. Thanks for asking!
I’m going to make this tonight and I’m wondering if I could substitute balsamic vinegar for the soy sauce and still have it be safe for canning. My instinct says yes becuase it’s acidic but I can’t seem to find a straight answer on the Google.
We can only endorse the recipe as written for canning purposes. Omissions, substitutions, or additions can be safely made if you plan to freeze the sauce instead of canning.
Great recipe… tried it last year and it’s now a favorite. Will be making more sauce in next few days. My friends asked for the recipe as well. Thank you.
Thank you! I’m happy it’s a keeper for you. We love it!
Ok this was my first year gardening. I had one tomato plant so I had to freeze tomatoes. I wanted to peel but wow what a chore so I used my emulsion wand. Turned out AMAZING!!! Of course it’s just a base sauce. Can’t wait to add meat and mushrooms etc! My daughter did say it was a bit sweet but what does she know lol.
Amazing sauce!!! I roasted my tomatoes in my pellet smoker before making this sauce to add a little extra to it
Yum! What a great idea. Thank you for sharing!
The sauce smelled so good but when. We tasted it, it was really salty and had to much pepper. I’m hoping that when I add meat to it, it won’t taste as salty. 1/4 cup of salt seems like way too much.
I’m sorry that the salt wasn’t to your taste. Hopefully the meat helps balance it out!
Is this sauce taste sour or acidic? I made sauce for the first time last summer saying my garden fresh tomatoes and it was almost a sour taste. Very acidic I guess you could say. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen again! Thank you! Also- I do not have any paste tomatoes is that ok?
It shouldn’t be sour or acidic! It has brown sugar in it to balance out the acid in the tomatoes. And the tomato paste is a key ingredient – the sauce will be too thin without it.
The water bath instructions only give processing time for quart jars. Do you happen to have the length of time for processing this recipe in pint jars? Should I use the same length of time?
We haven’t tested this recipe with pint jars, so I can’t say.
Made this last summer and everyone loved it !
Doing again this year too !
It’s a 5 star for me
Thank you, Annie!
This is the best sauce recipe I have ever tasted!! I have thrown away all my other recipes. I gave this away for Christmas last year and everyone raved about it. It is THE BEST!!!! Thanks for sharing!!
It’s not acidic tasting or sour like? I made some last summer and it was heartburn in a jar! I’m really hoping this will be great!
My sauce is always so watery and thin. What am I doing wrong? I’ve tried turning up the heat and adding thickener like cornstarch but no luck.
You may need to add more tomatoes. If the sauce is still thin when you are ready to heat and serve it, you can add tomato paste and it will thicken right up!
How do you get rid of the seeds?
We don’t usually get rid of the seeds. They just get blended with everything else!
I was not a spaghetti fan. Until now! This sauce is amazing! I use it for all my recipes that require sauce. I love it so much I am specifically growing the veggies just for this sauce.
can I make this recipe but only use tomato paste as I have canned a lot of paste
We can only endorse this recipe as written for canning.
I make this recipe using Amish Paste tomatoes and it’s just amazing. Everyone loves it.
I printed this recipe and will make it for sure when I am canning. My question is concerning the lemon juice….do you use bottle lemon juice or fresh lemon juice? I will write it down on my recipe sheet for I know which one to use. Thanks for sharing this recipes and all your amazing recipes.
You can use either! You won’t be able to taste it, but it helps make the recipe safe for canning.
I have been told to only use bottled lemon juice because the acid levels in fresh lemon juice is inconsistent. Is this not so?
Oh, I hadn’t heard that, but that makes sense!
Bottle is recommended for canning as pH level is constant. Fresh lemon pH varies from le.on to lemon.
Frances is correct. You need to use bottled lemon juice to ensure proper pH.
Are we adding 2 TBSP of lemon juice per jar?
Yes!
This is the first time I have attempted to make Spaghetti sauce . All my favorite ingreedients were used . Can’t wait to taste it . Respectfully Yours. James L Dobson
Does the sauce and jars need to be hot if you are pressure canning? If my canner only holds 4 qts do I just keep the rest of the sauce at a simmer while that is processing, reheat or would a little cooler be fine? Is there a difference in the taste/texture when you PC vs WB?
Yes, the sauce needs to be warm when you are pressure canning. You can keep the rest of the sauce at a simmer, or throw it in the crock pot! We haven’t noticed any significant differences in taste or texture between canning methods.
Hi I love this recipe, made it for the first time last year. My daughter who is 14 will not eat any pasta sauce unless its this one. My only questions is do you have to do the water bath? My Italian patients are telling me I can skip this process and just put the sauce in my jars, place a warm towel over them and let them sit over night, is this correct?
We have only tested the canning safety of this recipe as written, so I can’t speak to that method.
Sounds like they hot pack. With the lemon juice in their it should be acidic enough to be find. I would do a small one as a trial.
What type of tomatoes do you recommend?
We love Romas!
I had a wide variety of tomatoes last year (Romas, Beef Steak, Celebrity, Cherokee, cherry and a few more that I can’t remember) and each batch turned out great!! I had to boil the batch more if juicier tomatoes were used, but each jar turned out no matter what type of tomatoes we used. This is THE BEST recipe!