Friday, November 8, 2013

Homemade Pasta Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes


With a little work, you too can have "fresh from the garden" Pasta Sauce for your family!  It's fairly simple to do, and tastes delicious!  Once you make it, you'll wonder why you never did before. Superior tomato taste and flavor you can only get from fresh tomatoes (grown yourself, or purchased at your local farm or farmer's market).

Ingredients
12 cups fresh tomato sauce (puree) - see here for making your own
6 large Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
12 tsp. Oregano, divided
12 tsp. minced garlic, divided
6 tbls. lemon juice, divided


Method
In 6 pint canning jars, add to each jar: 1 diced tomato, a portion of the diced onion, 2 tsp. oregano, 2 tsp. minced garlic and 1 tbls. lemon juice.

Or in 3 quart canning jars, add to each jar:  2 diced tomatoes, a portion of the diced onion, 4 tsp. oregano, 4 tsp. minced garlic and 2 tbls. lemon juice.

Ladle hot tomato sauce (puree), over contents in each jar leaving 1/2" head space and stir to combine contents.

Cover jars with lids and rings and process in boiling water bath 35 minutes. Remove from heat, and remove jars, allowing them to cool on a kitchen towel on your counter-top.

Once jars have sealed, shake slightly to evenly distribute contents in each jar.

Yield:  6 pint jars or 3 quart jars

*Cook's note - When ready to use, open jar and heat in sauce pan. Add browned ground beef or Italian sausage, if desired, or serve meatless; the choice is yours.  Additional options include diced bell pepper and mushrooms. This is also a delicious sauce for Eggplant, Chicken or Veal Parmesan.


Enjoy,
Mary