Canning Pureed Tomatoes for Pizza Sauces and Soups

"Ma and Laura picked the tomatoes…

There were enough ripe tomatoes to make almost a gallon of preserves."

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Long Winter

One of my favorite things to can is tomatoes. They are so useful! This is the way I prepare tomatoes for an easier pizza sauce. Many recipes have you boiling down the tomatoes for eternity (I just boil down right before I use, see recipe below) and seeding the tomatoes by pressing through a sieve or food mill. I skip both steps (a rebel for sure). What's so bad about the seeds anyway? We eat them all the time in our salads. 

Note: For more details on canning procedures themselves, visit the links on the bottom of this post.

Wash your tomatoes. Roma are the best for sauces because there is more "flesh" but in the end, any kind of home grown tomato is tastier than what you will get in the store. 

Now, score the bottom of your tomatoes with a knife. Basically, carve an "x" at the bottom of each one. This will allow the peels to slip off easily once you submerge them in some boiling water.

Next, submerge your tomatoes in boiling water for about 30 - 45 seconds (no more than a minute). Follow up by dunking them in an ice water bath. 

While they are chilling, begin removing the skins. When that is complete, core all the tomatoes and begin to puree them in batches in your blender. Pour all of the pureed tomatoes into a large stainless steel stockpot. Do not use aluminum as a horrible reaction will occur because of the acidity of the tomatoes. It actually leaches from the aluminum. Now, bring the tomatoes to a boil.

While you are waiting on the tomatoes, add 1 TBSP lemon juice, 1 TSP sugar and 1/2 TSP fine sea salt to each of the sterilized canning jars. Ladle the hot, tomato puree into each jar and leave 1/4 inch head space. Wipe each rim and place your sterilized caps and lids onto each jar. Process in boiling water bath for 45 minutes. 

Note: I also can this in the taboo, half gallon jars. The trick is having a pot tall enough to cover them by two inches for the boiling water bath. I add 2 TBSP lemon juice, 2 TSP sugar and 1 TSP fine seal salt into each jar (leaving 1 inch head space). Process for 1 hour in boiling water bath. The reason I am comfortable with canning in the half gallon jars is that all my tomato products get boiled again before we actually consume them (like when they simmer for the sauce or stews).

To Make Pizza Sauce: Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a frying pan and saute some finely chopped onions (I usually do one onion per quart of tomatoes). Cook a few minutes and add some freshly minced garlic (I usually do about 4 cloves per quart of tomatoes).  When onions are soft, add a quart of your canned pureed tomatoes to the onion/garlic mixture. Let this all simmer together for about 20-30 minutes or until most of the water has cooked out and you have the desired consistency for a sauce. Next, add a few shakes of Italian seasoning and sugar or honey (I usually do 1 TBSP sweetener per quart of tomatoes). Simmer five more minutes to let flavors blend. Be sure to let the sauce cool before spreading on pizza dough. This is so tasty and rewarding to know that you provided for your own meal! Visit here for a healthier homemade pizza dough recipe.

Variation: Saute in more vegetables such as bell peppers and carrots along with the onions. When the mixture is cooked, place in blender and puree for that "Ragoo" style, smooth sauce that children love.

Note: These pureed tomatoes are also excellent to add to autumn soups and winter stews for a tomato based flavor.