Recipes for Canning Tomatoes: Stewed Tomatoes, Pizza Sauce, Spaghetti Sauce, Salsa

I've had so many requests for these canning recipes, that I think it will be easier to post them here and refer people to this post ;) Here are all the recipes I use for canning tomatoes...

Please note that these are all recipes. When I actually can my tomatoes, I use what is ripe...sometimes it is much more than the recipe, or much less. I don't follow the recipes exactly, but more as a guideline. I just keep an open mind and taste the sauces along the way. Because of varrying amounts, I am not able to tell you exactly how many pints/quarts each recipe makes. Also, please note that these are old recipes passed down over the years. New canning reccomendations state that modern varieties of tomatoes do not contain high amounts of acid as they did in the past. This puts you at risk for botulism poisoning. My grandmother and I have canned thousands of jars of tomatoes using these recipes, and never once had a problem. Modern canning guidelines suggest adding 1 Tbs. per pint or 2 Tbs. per quart of lemon juice to help bring up acidity levels. This does not change the flavor of the finished product, and will help protect you from the possibility of botulism forming in your jars, because it cannot form under high acidity levels. My suggestion would be to follow the recipes below, and add the lemon juice straight to your jars before filling them with your finished product.

Instructions for Peeling Tomatoes

Canned Stewed Tomatoes Recipe

1. Start by selecting ripe tomatoes from your garden. I usually pick all of the ripe tomatoes out of my garden and then sit them in a basket on my cupboard for a few days, allowing them to get really ripe. This will give you much more flavor and sweetness in your stewed tomatoes.

2. Once you have a decent amount of ripe tomatoes, wash them all.

3. Place a large pot of water on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil.

4. Clean out both sides of your sink. Fill one side full of cold water.

5. Now you need to remove the tomato skins. Skins do not preserve well, so you will need to remove them. Place a strainer over a bowl and place next to your pot. Take 7-8 tomatoes at a time and drop them all into the boiling water. Let them boil until the skin cracks, or a minute-a minute and a half have passed. If the skin does not crack, remove it anyways and place in the strainer using a slotted spoon. Once you have removed all of the tamatoes from the water, place more tomatoes in the boiling water and dump the ones from the strainer into the sink of cold water. Repeat until all tomatoes have been in the boiling water and then placed in cold sink water.

6. Remove skins from tomatoes...they should come right off after the boiling process. You should be able to peel them right off. I just do it over the sink and throw all of the skins in the sink, and clean them out when I'm done. Peel all of the tomatoes and place them in a clean bowl.

7. Place a large empty pot on the stove and turn on low heat. Rough chop eat tomato into bite sized pieces. They don't have to be perfect. Trasfer to the pot as your cutting board gets full. Don't waster the tomato juice...it adds wonderful flavor. Repeat until all tomatoes have been chopped, and tomatoes and juice are all in the pot. Turn heat up to medium low and start adding seasoning. I like to add plenty of salt, pepper and then some celery salt. I also add a tiny bit of sugar to bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes.  I usually add a half cup, but I make a HUGE pot...so you'll want to play around with seasonings until it tastes good, depending on how much you're making. Add a few Tbs. of lemon juice. Some people like to add chopped onions and celery at this point, but I prefer to just have the tomatoes plain because I like to add them to so many different recipes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

8. Transfer tomatoes into clean canning jars. Leaving at least 1/2" head space at the top of jar. Wipe rims clean and place lid and ring on top. Tighten.

9. Process jars in a hot water bath. For those of you who aren't canners...this is the large canning pot (not a pressure cooker). You fill it with enough water to cover all of the jars when submerged, and then you bring it to a roaring boil. Once the boiling starts, you put the lid on and allow the jars to boil. Quarts should process 35-40 minutes and pints 25-30 minutes.

My secret to processing large batches, is using an outdoor camp stove with extra large canning pots. I can keep the heat outside during the hot summer, and I can also process 20 quarts at once, which really saves a lot of time...

10. Once they are done processing, remove from heat and allow to cool. If the seal pops downward, you're good to go. Immediately use or discard any of the jars that do not seal.

11. Use your stewed tomatoes...here is just a quick list of how I use my stewed tomtaoes...

-poured over cooked macaroni

-tomato macaroni soup (this is an old fashioned family favorite at our house. the recipe came from my great grandma. I will have to share the recipe sometime)

-poured over seasoned chicken breasts in the crock pot (this is one of Grace's favorite meals)

-poured over a seasoned roast in the crock pot

-in homemade chili and vegetable soup

-in tortilla and taco soup

-blended and added to homemade salsa

-baked macaroni & cheese with stewed tomatoes

-you can use them to make pasta sauce...you just need to simmer it long enough to thicken it up

-You can blend it and make homemade tomato soup

-you can basically use it in any recipe that calls for stewed tomatoes, canned tomatoes, or diced tomatoes

Tangy Spaghetti Sauce for Canning 

-3 medium onions, chopped

-2 cups green bell peppers, chopped

-1 cup banana peppers, chopped

-2 pkg. fresh sliced mushrooms (optional)

-4 cloves minced garlic

-16 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped (see instructions for peeling above under stewed tomato recipe)

-3(12oz) cans tomato paste

-1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

-3 tablespoons brown sugar

-1 tablespoon dried oregano

-4 teaspoons canning salt

-2 teaspoons dried basil

-1 teaspoon black pepper

-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

-2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

-1/2 teaspoon cumin

-3 Tbs. Lemon juice

Add all ingredients to stock pot. Heat until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for about 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Fill clean, sterilized jars within ½” of top. Put on tops and tighten. Process for 35 minutes for quart jars in water bath. Serve over pasta.

 Grandma Betty's  Salsa 

-4 quarts tomatoes, peeled and chopped (see instructions for peeling above under stewed tomato recipe)

-4 cloves garlic, minced

-2 medium onions, chopped (one yellow & one red)

-2  red peppers, chopped

-2  green peppers, chopped

-2 banana pepper, chopped

-1/2 c. white vinegar

-1/2 c. balsamic vinegar

-2 bunches green onion, chopped

-3 fresh limes, juiced

-1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped

-1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped fine

-2 tsp. chili powder

-4 Tbs. brown sugar

-6 cans tomato paste

-season to tast with salt

Bring to boil in large stock pot and simmer for 25 minutes. Fill jars and seal while still hot. Put in boiling water bath 35 minutes for pints, 45 minutes for quarts. Water should be boiling when you put the bottles in, and should cover the bottles at least 1”.

 Homemade Canned Pizza Sauce 

Combine in blender:

-2 large onions, quartered

-4 cloves garlic

-3 Tbs. olive oil

-2 Tbs. lemon juice

-a bit of tomato juice to help blend

Blend until smooth. Add to:

-25-28 tomatoes, peeled and pureed in blender (see instructions for peeling above under stewed tomato recipe)

-1 tsp. pepper

-3 Tbs. brown sugar

-2 Tbs. parsley

-1 Tbs. oregano

-1 Tbs. basil

-1 tsp. rosemary

-1 tsp. celery seed

-2 tsp. salt

-1 tsp. garlic powder

-1/2 tsp. summer savory

-2 Tbs. lemon juice

-3 large cans tomato paste (regular soup can size, or 5-6 of the mini cans)

Combine all ingredients in large pot on stove. Simmer for about 3-4 hours until moisture is cooked out and sauce thickens. When sauce is done, transfer to jars and seal. Process for 25 minutes in a hot water bath.

Comments

[kat]

I'm going to try the spaghetti sauce. Stay tuned for more comments. ;)

[Steven]

Wow, no ads! Very cool!

[Pam Fellinger]

Mine came out great .. Thank you

[ricky hughes]

first timer here, i followed recipe for tomatoes cut up put in jar and hot water bat for 45 minutes, they are beautiful but stewed tomatoes is what i wanted, can i open the previous cans and redo them. im told to boil them for stewed tomatoed, what do you thik of opening the jars up and putting in pot to boil? they were done 3 days ago. thanks

[kristina prawdzik]

Love it all! My tomatoes are about to be perfect and ripe and this is a great website for all I need. Thank you and blessings!

[sheryl]

How do you keep your salsa and tomatoes keep from turning dark?

[Michelle]

I enjoy reading your blog and am quite envious of your life! If I didn't have to work a full time job I think I would be living just like you. Thanks for the recipes, as I will be trying all of your tomato recipes as soon as the tomatoes start to come in! I'll let you know how they came out!!

[Kathy Menzies]

For the Grammy Betty's Salsa, large cans or small cans of tomato paste?

[Betty Mailhiot]

Love your blog!
All of your recipes look awesome!
Made your stewed tomatoes recipe twice now with great results both times.
Have such a bountiful crop of tomatoes I will certainly be using more of your tantalizing recipes yet before summer is finished.

[Amitty Gray]

How many jars does each recipe yield? I need to replenish my stock of jars and just need to know what sizes and how many to expect buy. Thanks!

[Faith Bokros]

Thanks for all the recipes for the tomatoes that I canned. I am going to try pico de gallo this year with all that I have. Love your water baby sandals, I have a few pair. My kids wore them growing up. I love them. We just made some tomato veggie juice and freeze it. We love it and it goes really fast around here. It is great to have a BIG garden but it takes lot's of time to can and use all of it up when there's only two of us. Thanks again for everything you put on here.

[catherina oneill]

ty for sharing . brought tears to my eyes seeing the kids mine are all grown up. iam trying today first time. woo hoo wish me good luck.

[Twila willis]

I'm going to Cannery with your info and will let you know how they turn out.

[Annette williams]

I want to make the pizza sauce but I am using fresh San marzano Roma tomatoes. How many lbs of these do i need

[Jannette Richens]

I have put up 8 quarts . There was a lot of juice. Don't know if I have done this right. I used all the juice with the tomatoes .

[tammy]

How many pounds is 25-28 tomatoes??

[Renita Wallace]

I'm wondering what summer savory is? It was one of the last ingredients in your pizza sauce recipe. Thanks in advance.

[thespoena]

Thanks so much, I've got a bumper crop of tomatoes just starting (little green ones) so can't wait! Looking forward to trying your recipes, they sounds delicious! Thanks again!

[SherelleChristensen]

Im so glad that you had great results!!!

Sent from my iPhone

[Mona King]

I made several pints of these using your suggestion of tomatoes, salt, pepper, celery salt, and a little sugar (I used Truvia since I'm diabetic). Just used my first jar this past week in homemade veggie soup - it was delicious!! After jarring up all the tomatoes, I had quite a bit of juice left in the pot so I canned it separately for the BEST tomato juice ever. Thanks so much - already looking forward to next year's harvest.

[Dawn Thompson]

I have been searching all morning for "this" recipe! Have looked at so many and they just weren't what I was looking for. And then I found yours! Thanks so much for sharing! Cool weather has found it's way here and soon we'll have a good frost. Time to pick the surplus of tomatoes that are still hanging on! Thanks again! Can't wait to try it this weekend!!

[Scewilla Elliott]

What do you do with green tomatoes at the end of the season?

[Len]

How many cups equal 25 to 28 tomatoes???

[Julie]

Thanks for sharing ! I have canned before lots of times but with my mother , she passed away last October and I am lost for the prossesing time times for salsa and whole tomatoes this helped a lot , I need to pin for next year , missing my mother more and more every day.

[Linda Tombari Perry-Strickland]

Tammy

[Carol]

First time canning salsa. 9 pints 2 quarts. All jars sealed. When I opened the first jar I apparently added to much sugar and not enough pepper flakes. Si I re-canned all of it after adding peeper flakes. It now tastes like it should. However I've had people tell me re-canning the salsa is unsafe and some haver said it was ok. Can u help me with this

[roger j moore]

this is my first garden I put in 70 odd tomato plants. I going to give the spaghetti sauce a try. since I got a pressure canner I will try to pressure can it and hope I don't blow myself or my house up.

[Doris]

Do you have a problem with the pressure canning?

[lisa]

Thanks for the instructions - just picked a bunch of tomatoes from the garden and am excited to do my first ever tomato canning!

[Peggy]

Thanks for the information, this is our first year canning and it helps listening to everyone's advice.

[Jennifer @ GrowingUpTriplets.com]

Just followed your recipe! Super easy and fun....except I need one of those mega-canners! My stock pot only fits 3 qt-sized jars at a time. :(

[Debbie Ownby]

Have you ever made V-8 Juice? I tried a recipe from the Ball Blue Book, but it had a very sharp acid taste to it which we did not like.

[Gail]

thank you for sharing, I always wanted to know how to can tomatoes so now I will be trying this recipe.

[Tosca Christenson]

Is it possible to can a home made cioppino made with tomato based vegetable juice cocktail,tomato paste,onions, garlic, herbs, wine olive oil, and various fish and shellfish. It has been cooked before freezing. Need the space in our 5th wheel freezer before we head south. Thank you for your time. Enjoyed tour web site mucho.Will be back BEFORE harvest next year!

[Brenda]

I love your website. I core them before the hot water bath to remove the skins. It is also a good way to watch and remove blemeshes. Also saves on having to handle the hot tomatoes for too long. I am interested in how to make the spaghetti sauce thicker. Any ideas?

[Alicia]

Approx how many quarts of Spaghetti sauce does your recipe make?

[Liz H]

Just finished my batch of spaghetti sauce! Amazing!! This is my go to recipe from here on out! Lost my other but did not compare to this flavor· Modified a tad...but thank you!!
-- Veggie rich in Boise

[ellen musser]

I love it but wish I could print the recipes. I'll just have to keep the I Pad handy!
Ellen

[Crystal Gayle Photography]

I'd love to feature your spaghetti sauce recipe on my blog. Can you please contact me???

[Jeannie]

Is it okay to mix yellow (low acid) tomatoes with the red ones? Should I can it longer?

[[email protected]]

Hi there. Just making your spaghetti sauce now, and it smells divine - however, I'm not sure about the tomato paste. You say 3 cans (12 oz). Did you mean 3 12 oz cans, or did you mean 3 small cans, totalling 12 oz.? thanks for the help!

[Kristine Renner]

I live in Kansas now, but I was born and raised in Homedale, Idaho. I was just wondering where at in Idaho you live.

[Sandy Stinnett]

This is my first year to can tomatoes, and when I hot water bathed them I only did it for 10 minutes instad of the 25+ minutes. I heard all the lids pop, my question is, will they be OK or do I need to redo them?

[ALISON]

Love your blog and all the amazing photos!!!! We recently moved from city to farm and this is my first garden harvest! I'm excited but nervous!!!
I'm going to can stewed tomatoes with your awesome recipe!
With the tomato sauce recipe or salsa with veggies, everyone has told me not to can them in a water bath, but i have to use a pressure cooker because of bacteria. What do you suggest? I have a water bath canner, but I usually freeze my sauce because of what i've heard. Any suggestions and help would be soooo appreciate!!!

[SherelleChristensen]

That photo was taken before I submerged the jars ;)

Sent from my iPhone

[Susie]

Your photos show the tops of the jars above the water level. It that for photographic purposes or do you process yours not completely submerged?

[Sue]

Do you really not have any salt in your salsa recipe? Loved the spaghetti sauce!

[Jamie Ward]

I made your spaghetti sauce and it's awesome!! After making 16 quarts I think I'll try your salsa recipe next. Thanks so much for sharing.

[Melissa Mullins]

I put corn in my salsa when I canned by hot water bath. Will that be ok to do?

[Amy]

Can you use a crock pot to cook this down, if so how long would you cook it for?

[James]

Jenny C. | August 14, 2013 at 09:07 AM (and others). I too used to fret about botulism and the dire warnings from the CDC. Have you actually gone to the CDC and checked the FACTS re canning and botulism? I recommend people do. Most recent figures I could find were for 2010.

In 2010 there were 9 people in the US who got botulism. FIVE of these were in Alaska, with 4 believed to be associated with the same canning episode where seal blubber was poorly canned (2 definitely and the others possibly but not proven) and a fifth being from canned stinkheads. The remaining four were isolated canning incidents where people had not followed the CDC canning guidelines. Now extrapolate these numbers to the millions of people who can...

Essentially, as long as you ensure the jars are clean, the lids and bands are good, and the contents go in at the right temperature and acidity, you are good to go. i.e. if you do dumb stuff and do not follow guidelines you WILL get botulism. e.g. you have some fresh garlic cloves and decide to add these and some homemade, sun-dried, tomatoes to the organic olive oil... you are simply asking for trouble... UNLESS... you are able to ensure the correct acidity of the ingredients.... which is tricky. For most things, you are good to go.

[Jenny C.]

Question: I've always been told not to add too many veggies to my tomato sauce because it affects the acidity of the final product, which can lead to botulism poisoning. I notice you use a lot of veggies in your sauce, so what are your thoughts on botulism risk?
I make a pretty bland recipe of tomato sauce and then add all the yummy stuff after I open the jar to prepare it for my family.

[George Thomas]

How do you keep the canned tomato recipes from turning a darker color over time after canning???
Thanks

[Julie A]

Wonderful! Canning recipes from an Idaho girl for an Idaho girl - Thank you!

[Teresa Kerr]

Please specify how many quarts/pints each recipe makes. And, what is summer savory?

[Erica Cummins]

I know that this is an old post, however, I just found it while doing a search for stewed tomatoes. I'm so happy I found your recipe! It's exactly like the way my great-grandmother used to make hers! It was so delicious! I used to love it when she served it over mashed potatoes! Yummm!

[SherelleChristensen]

You can use any kind of garden varieties. I would suggest larger meaty tomatoes rather than Romas. I mix a variety.

Sent from my iPhone

[Melissa Husa]

What kind of tomatoes work best in these recipes? I

[Erick]

These are some great recipes for canning tomatoes. My garden produces so many tomatoes and I am always looking for new recipes to try. Thanks for sharing.

[Allison]

This pizza sauce is amazing. It is a 100 times better than any canned, store bought sauce! I have to make a new batch because my family keeps asking for it!! Thank you for sharing.

[Syd]

They sound like delicious recipes! I was wondering how many quarts each of them made...especially the spaghetti sauce and salsa

[Traci]

I have enjoyed looking through your recipes and am definately going to try them.

[Esther]

I used to throw out all the peels until one day I looked at all the peels from 120 lbs of tomatoes and thought, what a waste! Hence, I put them through my food processor and realized that must be where "tomato paste" comes from! I dumped them Back into my tomato sauce and it naturally thickened up my soup/spaghetti base sauce!

[Lonn Nutt]

In The Grandma Betty's Salsa Recipe.

[Lonn Nutt]

How big are the cans of tomato paste and what is consider a bunch of cilantro?

[YMiller]

Do you care if this is pinned to Pinterest?

[CTallmage]

About how long do you think the canned stewed tomatoes would last when processed correctly? I have canned a few times but mainly just strawberry freezer jam... really interested in canning a lot more. Thank u very much!!

[Rachel Meyers]

Thank you, I have recently been on a canning kick! I just posted a link to your post on my blog http://www.positivelymommy.com/how-to-can-cherry-tomatoes-easy-peasy/

[SherelleChristensen]

Im so glad you liked the recipe!!!

Sent from my iPhone

[Amy L]

I made your spaghetti sauce last night. It was delicious. Thanks!

[ShayLynn]

Just curious... Can you freeze the spaghetti sauce instead of canning? I want make it but I don't have the stuff to can.

[David Klinkowski]

Fantastic spaghetti sauce. Tangy, sweet and spicy. Representing the guy canners here. Just finished a batch fresh out of the garden. I will be trying the molasses cookies tomorrow. Thank you for bringing home mom's pantry from long ago.

[Tina]

I have not seen how many quarts the spaghetti sauce makes- could you please comment
Thank you

[Tami]

Im curious about the previous question about the lemon juice, also. I have NEVER canned before, and I'm going for it this year! I've been reading here and there for recipes and methods, and yours is the only one that did NOT call for lemon juice... can I leave it out, and if so, why do so many others add it?
GREAT post, thanks for all the info! Wish me luck!!!! :)

[Susan]

Last week tried your stewed tomato recipe using a variety of tomatoes from my aunt's garden. I made 4 pints - 3 of which were sealed by the time I pulled them out of the water bath. (the 4th had to be refrigerated since it never did seal). Will these be ok? Also, I just read the other night that lemon juice or another acidifier needs to be added to lower the ph since some newer tomato varieties don't have as low of a ph. Is there a reason you don't add an acidifier?

[Christa]

I'm looking at processing times and wondering what part of the world you are in and if I'd need to change the times. Thanks

[Sonia]

As a child my causin would make macaroni soup, please post this recipe!

[Nicole Leroux]

we have a family recipe that includes tomatoes, canola oil and peppers, basically stewed together for a few hours. we'd like to can it but i'm seeing on some sites that the oil can be a problem for canning, then I noticed one of your recipes has oil in it. HELP. Your site is gorgeous as are you! thanks for your insight. I'm new to canning and excited to get started!

[Kristin]

Thanks so much for the awesome post! Just a quick question, on the water baths are you putting the jars in and bringing them up to a certain temperature and then processing them for the length of time?:)

[Laura]

How many quarts do each of these make? I did not see that posted in the recipe. THanks

[Sherilon Scroggins]

I was searching for a recipe to can pasta sauce with fresh tomatoes. I gotta say, these recipes sound really delicious. I didn't want to have to buy the mixes that are available at the grocery stores. I will try these. Thank you so much for posting your recipes.

[jessi]

do you use a pressure canner? i have read that it's unsafe to can tomato sauce in a water bath canner if you have added any vegetables to the sauce.

[Betty]

how long do these canned recipes last??? I love your website ! :)

[Billie Willis]

Looking for some cute canning labels.
thanks

[Debbie Nothnagle]

My daughter cans a lot of different things. She will love your site.

[Cassie]

I move we all come for a tour during canning season! Thank you for the wonderful information!

[whitney]

do you have any recipes without, brown sugar or basalmic vinegar?

[Leike M]

I agree with other comments posted , I wish I can see you while doing all your cooking and daily activities.You must look like the Wonder woman in action, just take my hat off for your dedication,beautiful family too.

[alicia king]

sweet! wish i could watch you in person while you can so i can learn from a pro!

[Kelli Robbins]

I really want to come and see your food storage room!! You just amaze me.

[Ellen Patton]

Thanks for sharing! We made 14 quarts of apple pie filling the other night (our RS has a "Recipe Swap"). I like bottling things. :)

[kathryn]

Thank you for sharing all these great recipes!