Leona’s Tomato & Onion Spaghetti Sauce

Joleen | The Refining Home
by Joleen | The Refining Home
10 Pints
1 hr 20 min

I have learned over the years that there are some staples in my pantry that I can bottle at home. Applesauce, fruits and vegetables, meats and even sauces. We enjoy gardening and always seem to have tomatoes coming out of our ears. Believe it or not I also enjoy canning/bottling food. It takes some preparation and a little bit of reading up on your elevation and food safety tips, which I don’t mind doing.


You are probably asking, Why are you sharing this in the middle of winter? The end of December, beginning of January is when I start planning for the new year. I plan my garden, my food storage and pantry, along with doctor check ups and dentist appointments. It also helps me to budget and watch for sales on canning equipment, kitchen tools and other things.


This recipe is one that you can bottle, freeze or use immediately if you are feeding a crowd of people. We use this sauce in lasagne, for spaghetti, meatball sandwiches, Parmesan Chicken, as pizza sauce or dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks. My mother-in-law gave us this recipe and it has not failed us yet. Keep reading for the ingredients and instructions.


**As always please check all your jars, lids, rings, and any other canning equipment to make sure they are in good working condition.

Using a kitchen scale to weigh the tomatoes.

Adding herbs and spices to the sauce.

I like to finely chop the onions, garlic and green peppers.

Cook the sauce down to the desired thickness. **Use a large pot**

Fill jars if your canning, quart size ziplock bags if your freezing or keep in a bowl and refrigerate if you’ll be using within a few days.

Leona’s Tomato & Onion Spaghetti Sauce
Recipe details
  • 10  Pints
  • Prep time: 20 Minutes Cook time: 60 Minutes Total time: 1 hr 20 min
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Ingredients

  • 10 lbs (or 24 medium) ripe tomatoes
  • 2 onions; chopped
  • 4 garlic buds; chopped
  • 1/4 cup parsley flakes
  • 1 Tablespoon basil
  • 2 Tablespoons oregano flakes
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 4 beef bullion cubes
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 4 (6oz) cans tomato paste
  • 1 green pepper; chopped (optional)
  • 1 small zucchini; chopped (optional)
Instructions

Peel and core tomatoes. Place in a large pot.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the large pot with the tomatoes. Cook down to desired thickness. This usually takes about about an hour. Stir often so the sauce doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan.
If canning, fill pint jars to 1/4 -1/2 inch head space. Wipe the rims of the jars and place lids and canning rings onto the jars. For my elevation where I live, I water bath to seal the jars and time for 55 minutes. You can also pressure can to seal the jars. **You will want to check canning times for your area/elevation. You can generally find these recommendations on canning websites.
If you are freezing the sauce, let the sauce cool. Then fill quart size
Tips
  • I like to add green peppers and zucchini to my sauce. You may need to add 15 minutes to your cooking time if you add additional veggies. Other veggies you can add: Summer squash Carrots Spinach
  • If you are freezing the sauce, let the sauce cool. Then fill quart size freezer ziplock bags up to 1 inch before the ziplock closing. I like to double bag my sauces just in case one seal pops open.
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