Last year our old blender gave out. After much consideration, we decided to get a Vitamix blender as a replacement. We had been reluctant to get one before because of the cost. For the price of one Vitamix, we could get almost get five or six ‘regular’ blenders! But as it turns out, that is one purchase we should have made a long time ago. The Vitamix easily handles tasks our old blender could barely perform, like blending fruit for leathers or apples for applesauce. And it was probably doing heavy duty tasks that caused the old one to burn out anyway.
Vitamix Freezer Tomato Sauce
Since we got it a little over a year ago, the Vitamix has seen a lot of use here for a variety of tasks, from making Green Smoothies and my new favorite Chocolate Zucchini Smoothie to making things like Tomato Leather. Lately I’ve been putting it to use making tomato sauces and ketchup, and it has changed the way I make these summertime preservation recipes.
Juliet tomatoes ready for the Vitamix
Last year I began experimenting with using the whole tomato, skins and all, to make unseasoned tomato sauce. Now, I know some purists would scoff at using a whole tomato, including seeds and skins, to make sauce. But to be honest, I couldn’t detect any difference in the finished product. And it sure speeds up the whole process if you don’t have to skin the tomatoes first. Plus, the skins add fiber and help thicken the sauce. To start the process, I wash and drain the tomatoes. Then it’s off to the Vitamix for blending. These Juliet plum tomatoes from the above photo went in the blender whole.
Vitamix full of tomatoes
I process the tomatoes on high speed until they are well blended and any signs of the skins and flesh disappear. At this point, you have some lovely tomato juice.
tomatoes after blending
Cherry, grape and plum tomatoes can all be used whole to make sauces. For paste type tomatoes, I remove the stem end and cut the tomatoes in halves or quarters, depending on size.
paste tomatoes for sauce
paste tomato with stem end removed
I core any larger tomatoes, and cut out any bad spots. Any and all tomatoes can be used for sauces. I often use a mix of paste and slicing tomatoes. The paste tomatoes (Roma types) have a lower water content and a higher percentage of solids, while the slicing tomatoes usually have a better flavor. Having the Vitamix has enabled me to use whatever homegrown tomatoes I have at the moment.
box of tomatoes for sauce
Once I get all the tomatoes blended up, the juice goes into a large pan or stock pot to cook down. I like to reduce the volume by about half, which usually takes about 1 to 1-1/2 hours and results in a nice thick sauce. This unseasoned sauce can be used in a variety of dishes, from chili to marinara sauce to soups. And there’s no added salt or sugar – just lots of tomato-y goodness! This recipe can be scaled down, or up, as needed.
cooking down the tomato sauce
Unseasoned Tomato Sauce 
A Happy Acres original
16 cups tomatoes (about 10 pounds)*
1. Wash tomatoes and drain. Core if necessary. Use firm, sound tomatoes of any size, shape or color.
2. Puree tomatoes in Vitamix blender or other powerful high speed blender until well blended. Pour tomatoes into large sauce pan or stock pan. Repeat until all tomatoes are blended.
3. Cook tomatoes over medium heat until volume is reduced by half, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low as mixture thickens.
4. Fill freezer containers; seal, label and freeze.
5. Makes about 4 pints/8 cups.
Servings: 8
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 102 calories, 10 calories from fat, 1.1g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 28.4mg sodium, 1343.8mg potassium, 22.2g carbohydrates, 6.8g fiber, 14.9g sugar, 5g protein, 56.7mg calcium, <1g saturated fat.
* Adjust up or down as necessary
For more recipes using tomatoes:
Save