For many gardeners summer means homegrown, backyard tomatoes. This tomato sauce is a great way to preserve the bounty and goodness of tomatoes, homegrown or otherwise.
It’s not highly seasoned, so the tomato taste can really shine. It can be used in any dish calling for canned tomato sauce, which makes it very versatile in the kitchen.
This sauce is best made with paste tomatoes like Roma. If slicing tomatoes are used, the yield will be less as they have more liquid and less solids, but the taste will be fine. You can also compensate by using more of the non-paste type tomatoes.
Freezer Tomato Sauce 
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Adapted from a Better Homes & Gardens recipe
The original recipe says this keeps for 6 months in the freezer, but if kept at 0°F or colder it should keep for several months longer without a noticeable decline in quality.
10 cups paste tomatoes (about 6 pounds)
1 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt(optional)
1. In a large kettle, add 4″ water (enough to cover tomatoes) and heat to boiling. Add tomatoes to boiling water in small batches, leave in water for 1 minute (this makes them easier to peel) . Drain in colander; peel, core, seed and chop tomatoes.
2. In the same kettle, heat oil and saute onions and celery for about 5 minutes, until soft but not browned. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Add tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Simmer, uncovered, for one hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Place kettle in sink and immerse in cold water to cool tomato mixture.
5. Process sauce in food processor bowl in small batches, to desired consistency. Sauce may also be put through a food mill.
6. Fill freezer containers; seal, label and freeze.
7. Makes about 4 pints/8 cups.
Servings: 8
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 69 calories, 19 calories from fat, 2.2g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 308.8mg sodium, 586.2mg potassium, 12g carbohydrates, 3.1g fiber, 7.5g sugar, 2.3g protein, 32.1mg calcium, <1g saturated fat.
That’s a good basic red sauce recipe. Sometimes my husband will make different types of red sauces and I will can them. I usually just can lots and lots and lots of tomatoes for him to use.
I’ll probably make some marinara sauce with the next batch of tomatoes. I like having the basic sauce because I can always add herbs or other things to it if needed.
Oooh, this looks delicious!
I’ve been canning all day, since I woke up this morning. The kitchen is so hot that anything involving freezers sounds great right now! I’m a bit chicken when it comes to canning tomatoes, so I tend toward freezing them. I recently saw a similar recipe, but for lazy…I mean busy cooks. It’s still a freezer sauce, but rather than boil the tomatoes, and manually peel and seed them, instead they’re split in half, and roasted in the oven as is (which should concentrate the flavor), and then run through a food mill (saving time on the whole peeling and seeding thing). I’d be curious to try making the sauce both ways, to compare both flavor and the amount of labor involved. Regardless, one can never have too much tomato sauce!
Thanks for the recipe. Made it today.
Hey, with your Vitamix, how would you alter this recipe? Thanks. New to your blog, love it.
Hi Shirl, the Vitamix has changed how I make this for sure. I typically saute the onions, celery and garlic first. Then I core the tomatoes but leave the skin on. I put the tomatoes in the Vitamix and add the cooked veggies and blend until smooth. Then I pour the tomato mix back in a pan, add sugar and salt and cook until reduced and thick enough for my tastes.
I guess I need to come up with an updated recipe too!
Thanks! Just got a Vitamix and I know it will be a game changer for processing the garden this summer. With it being only in the single digits here today in northern MN, a person can dream of gardening!!!