Pasta Sauce With Fresh Herbs
When tomatoes are in abundance at the farmers market, I like to pick up some San Marzano tomatoes and make this sauce. A delicious and versatile sauce to have on hand in the winter because it is great over cooked squash, pasta, gnocchi or used as a sauce for pizza. Any paste tomatoes will work, and I even throw in some field tomatoes sometimes. Once you make this sauce, you will be sure to add it to your fall canning every year!
YIELD : 6-500 ml jars
WATER BATH PROCESSING TIME: 35 minutes
Equipment
- 12-litre pot
- food processor
- or optional: KitchenAid with a fruit/vegetable strainer attachment
- canning pot
- wire basket or tray for the bottom of the canning pot
- jar lift
- magnetic wand for lid placement
- funnel
- scissors
- 6-500 ml sterilized jars and rings
- 6 snap lids
Ingredients
- 12 pounds tomatoes (about 3 litres and 250 ml of tomato puree after peeling and processing)Â peeled and blended in a food processor or processed through a KitchenAid vegetable strainer attachment (in this case no need to peel)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt or 4 teaspoons of regular table salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups fresh basil use the scissors to snip and measure after snipping
- ½ cup fresh oregano use the scissors to snip and measure after snipping
- ½ cup fresh parsley use the scissors to snip and measure after snipping
- 1-2 teaspoons crushed chili flakes optional
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
Prepare the tomatoes:
- If using a food processor, blanch tomatoes in boiling hot water for 45 seconds and then cool quickly by putting them in ice water. Peel the tomatoes and cut into large chunks.
- Add tomato pieces in small batches to a food processor and blend. Transfer the blended tomatoes to the 12-litre stainless steel pot.
- If using a KitchenAid vegetable strainer and mixer, process unpeeled tomatoes and transfer the tomato juice to the 12-litre stainless steel pot.
To make the sauce:
- Add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt and ground black pepper to the tomatoes in the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 75 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Remove from the heat and add the snipped basil, oregano, parsley and, if using, the crushed chili flakes.
- Fill each sterilized jar with the pasta sauce halfway, add 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, continue to fill with the pasta sauce leaving ½" headspace. Stir the pasta sauce with a sterilized spoon to remove air bubbles.
- Wipe each jar rim with a paper towel or cloth dampened with hot water.
- Top each jar with a washed and briefly warmed snap lid. (I put the snap lid in boiling hot water for 30 seconds; this softens the seal.) Add the sterilized ring and tighten to finger tip tightness.
- Process using the boiling water method in a canning pot for 35 minutes. (Make sure to start timing when the water returns to a full boil after adding the pasta sauce-filled jars.)
- Shut off the canning pot and leave the lid on while the jars rest in the pot for 5 minutes. This is called venting.
- Remove the jars using a jar lift and place on a cutting board. Do not disturb for 24 hours.
- Remove the rings and inspect the jars. Wipe the jars clean with a soapy cloth. Store the pasta sauce without the rings in a dark cool place for up to a year. If any jars have failed to seal, store in the fridge and use immediately.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1=¼ of a jarCalories: 50kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 596mgPotassium: 572mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2142IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!