Recipe · summer
Roasted Tomato Sauce
Cindy's favorite way to make tomato sauce — slow oven-roasting instead of stovetop simmering, for a richer flavour you won't go back from.
Meal: preserveMain: tomatoHands-on: 180 min
Ingredients
- 15 lb Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp coarsely ground pepper
- Dried oregano (large handful)
- Dried basil (slightly less)
- Dried thyme (slightly less than basil)
- 1 heaping Tbsp garlic salt
- Optional: 1/4 cup tomato powder
- 1/4 cup lemon juice per 2 quarts of finished sauce
Steps
- 1Wash and core tomatoes, chop, and spread in a large roasting pan at 350°F.
- 2Roast 2–3+ hours, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent scorching.
- 3After 2 hours, add salt and pepper.
- 4Add remaining seasonings and tomato powder.
- 5Continue cooking until most liquid has evaporated and texture is saucy.
- 6Optionally blend 1/3 of the sauce for a smoother texture, then mix back in.
- 7If canning, do not add onion, garlic cloves, or vegetables (only seasoning) — added low-acid vegetables would require pressure canning instead.
- 8Add lemon juice to the finished hot sauce (about 1/4 cup per 2 quarts).
- 9Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 2 cm headspace, wipe rims, seal, and process in a water bath canner: 40 minutes for pints, 45 minutes for quarts, timed from a full rolling boil.
Meet the plant
- TomatoThe loud, generous neighbour who shows up with more than you asked for.
Tips that help here
- Canning Once-Frozen TomatoesFrozen tomatoes can be canned after thawing — but the texture changes, so choose the right finished product and follow safe acidification.
- Water Deep, Not OftenShallow daily sips train roots to stay near the surface where it's hottest.
- Label the Lid, Not the JarA small habit that saves an hour every canning season.
More like this
- Tomato JuiceUse the freshest, juiciest tomatoes for this — meaty varieties like Romas aren't the best choice here. Cindy's own shortcut: tomato powder and cold water make an instant glass any time of year.
- Tomato JamA rich, slow-cooked balance of sweet, savoury, and tangy — spread it on a BLT, grilled cheese, a burger, or a charcuterie board.
- Canned Whole TomatoesThe classic hot-water-bath method for putting up whole tomatoes — plus the acid rules that keep it safe, since tomatoes sit right on the borderline between high- and low-acid foods.