Homemade Spaghetti Sauce + Canning Instructions
There’s nothing quite like opening a jar of homemade spaghetti sauce in the middle of winter and tasting summer’s freshest tomatoes all over again. This recipe is rich, flavorful, and safe for canning with options for both water bath canning and pressure canning. Whether you’re stocking your pantry for quick weeknight dinners or saving your garden tomatoes before they go bad, this spaghetti sauce will become your go-to recipe.
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
If you love preserving recipes, you’ll want to check out my dehydrated pineapples, sweet potato dog treats, and dehydrated garlic too. They’re all perfect for filling your shelves with homemade goodness.
Unlike some recipes you might come across, this spaghetti sauce avoids odd ingredients like soy sauce and instead focuses on simple, classic flavors that taste just like Grandma’s kitchen. With ripe tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and the right balance of herbs, this sauce is hearty enough for pasta night but versatile enough to use in lasagna, baked ziti, or even as a pizza base.
What You Will Love About This Recipe
Uses fresh, wholesome ingredients without fillers or overpowering flavors
Safe for both water bath canning (with lemon juice) and pressure canning
Versatile sauce that works with pasta, casseroles, or as a pizza base
Stores for months, making it perfect for stocking your pantry
A great way to use up a bumper crop of garden tomatoes
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce + Canning Instructions
Prepare the tomatoes: Wash thoroughly, remove cores, and cut into quarters. Place the tomatoes in a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot. Do not add oil or water. Set the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently. The tomatoes will release their own juices as they heat. Continue simmering for about 20 minutes, or until they are very soft and broken down.
Process into sauce base: Run the softened tomatoes through a food mill (recommended for smooth sauce without skins and seeds). If you prefer, you can use an immersion blender but note it will leave skins and seeds. Return the smooth tomato base to the stockpot.
Cook the vegetables: In a skillet, sauté onions and peppers in 1–2 tablespoons olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more, being careful not to burn. Stir the sautéed vegetables into the tomato base.
Season and thicken: Stir in the tomato paste, oregano, basil, bay leaves, sugar (if using), and salt. Simmer uncovered over low to medium heat for 1–2 hours, stirring often, until thickened to your desired consistency. Remove bay leaves before filling jars.
Prepare jars: For quarts, add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice to each hot, sterilized jar. For pints, add 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice. Ladle hot sauce into jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Wipe rims clean, apply lids, and screw bands fingertip-tight.
Water Bath Canning: Process pints for 35 minutes or quarts for 40 minutes in a boiling water bath. Adjust time for altitude.
Pressure Canning (alternative method): Process pints for 20 minutes or quarts for 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure (weighted gauge) or 11 pounds (dial gauge). Adjust for altitude.
Tips & Tricks
- Choose Roma or paste tomatoes for the best flavor and less watery sauce. If you use slicer tomatoes, you’ll need to simmer longer.
- Taste before canning – add sugar if the tomatoes are too acidic or tart.
- Always use bottled lemon juice (not fresh) if water bath canning. Bottled juice has a consistent acidity level that makes your jars safe.
- Simmer low and slow – the longer you simmer, the deeper and richer the flavor.
- Batch double check – if you’re making multiple batches, keep all ingredients proportioned correctly for safety.
FAQs
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce + Canning Instructions
These Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Canning Instructions are simple to follow and make the most mouth-watering spaghetti sauce that you will ever have. It is the perfect way to use your bountiful harvest so that you can enjoy homegrown tomato flavor throughout the whole year.
Ingredients
- 13 pounds of tomatoes
- 2.5 onions
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 green bell pepper
- 12 oz. can tomato paste
- 1/8 cup soy sauce
- 1.5 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/8 cup sea salt
- 5 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1.5 Tbsp. dried oregano
- 1.5 Tbsp. dried basil
- 2 bay leaves
- Lemon juice for jars
Instructions
Fill a large pot halfway full with water, bring to a boil. Slowly add tomatoes one at a time. Allow boiling for about 2 minutes.
Remove tomatoes with a slotted spoon and place them into an ice-water bath. Peel the tomato skins and cut them into halves or quarters.
Using a food processer, add bell peppers and onions in batches until all are finely chopped.
In a large stockpot, place all peeled tomatoes and add in the onion and bell pepper mixture then add in tomato paste, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, oregano, bay leaves, and basil.
Bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours, make sure to stir every 15 minutes or so. Discard bay leaves.
Sterilize the canning jars in a hot water bath, and for each quart jar add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Ladle spaghetti sauce into jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace at the top; wipe rims and place lids.
If using a water bath method – Place jars in boiling water for 40 minutes.
If using a pressure canner follow the instructions to process quart size jars of tomatoes
Notes
Items I used for this recipe, Pressure Canner & Canning Funnel
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 467Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 4019mgCarbohydrates: 105gFiber: 25gSugar: 71gProtein: 20g
I’m Melissa, the imaginative force behind Sparkles to Sprinkles, where creativity comes to life, and sprinkles of joy are scattered generously. Melissa is a proud Jersey girl who found love with a New York boy. As a mom to four wonderful boys and a few fur babies, her journey into the world of blogging began after making the life-changing decision to stay home and raise her children. Previously a dedicated workaholic, Melissa’s blog became her creative outlet and passion project. Inspired by her mother-in-law, a masterful cook renowned for her delicious home-cooked meals and legendary holiday feasts (think mouthwatering sausage stuffing), Melissa honed her culinary skills through a combination of family recipes and countless cooking classes. She often attended these classes with her son Michael, who shared her enthusiasm for cooking from a young age. Melissa’s love for learning extends beyond familiar cuisines, as she enjoys exploring international recipes in hands-on cooking classes. Her blog features a diverse array of recipes, showcasing her expertise with various kitchen appliances such as the Instant Pot, air fryer, Slow Cooker, Ninja Foodi, Instant Vortex Plus, and more. Join Melissa on her culinary adventures as she shares tried-and-true family favorites alongside exciting new discoveries!
So how long would it be good for if I froze it instead of canning it?
3 months safely without any freezer burn issues. And then maybe just some freezer burn to contend with.