A big batch of meatless spaghetti sauce made to a research-tested recipe, so it can be pressure canned safely and kept on the shelf.
Ingredients
Instructions
Wash the tomatoes and dip them in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, until the skins split. Dip them in cold water, slip off the skins, then core and quarter them.
In a large non-aluminum pot, boil the tomatoes uncovered for 20 minutes. Put them through a food mill or sieve and return the puree to the pot.
In a large skillet, cook the onions, garlic, green pepper or celery, and mushrooms, if using, in the oil until tender.
Add the vegetables to the tomato puree with the oregano, parsley, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Bring to a boil.
Simmer uncovered, stirring often so it doesn't scorch, until the sauce is thick and has reduced by nearly half. This takes several hours.
Fill hot canning jars with the hot sauce, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe the rims clean and put on new lids and screw bands.
Process in a pressure canner, after venting it for 10 minutes: 20 minutes for pints or 25 minutes for quarts. With a dial-gauge canner, use 11 pounds pressure up to 2,000 feet, 12 pounds at 2,001 to 4,000 feet, 13 pounds at 4,001 to 6,000 feet and 14 pounds at 6,001 to 8,000 feet. With a weighted-gauge canner, use 10 pounds up to 1,000 feet and 15 pounds above 1,000 feet.
Turn off the heat and let the canner return to zero pressure on its own before opening it. Let the jars cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check the seals.
Notes
This is a low-acid sauce, so it must be processed in a pressure canner. A boiling water canner is not safe for it, and adding lemon juice does not change that.
Do not increase the amount of onions, peppers, celery, mushrooms or oil, and don't thicken the sauce with flour or starch. Changing the proportions changes how heat reaches the center of the jar, and the processing times no longer apply.
For step-by-step canner instructions, see the National Center for Home Food Preservation's guide to using boiling water and pressure canners, and our introduction to canning.
Variations
For a sauce with meat, use the tested spaghetti sauce with meat recipe, which has its own processing times. Don't add meat to this one.
Add fresh basil, red pepper flakes or a splash of wine when you heat the sauce to serve it, not before canning.
Source
Based on the "Spaghetti sauce without meat" recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia.