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Best Homemade Slow-Roasted Canning Tomato Sauce

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This slow-roasted method transforms ordinary tomatoes into a deeply savory and naturally sweet sauce without adding any sugar. The oven does most of the work, creating a rich, complex sauce that tastes like it simmered all day.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 10 lbs Roma tomatoes
  • 2 large onions, roughly chopped
  • 8–10 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • 2–3 teaspoons kosher salt, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice per pint jar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Wash tomatoes, remove stems and blemishes, and cut each in half lengthwise. Place cut-side up on baking sheets.
  2. Scatter chopped onions and whole garlic cloves over tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and toss gently to coat. Roast for 2 to 2.5 hours until tomatoes are very soft, wrinkled, and starting to brown around the edges.
  3. Let roasted vegetables cool on baking sheets for 15 minutes. Transfer everything (including juices) to a large stockpot. Add fresh basil and oregano. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. (If using a regular blender, work in batches, filling no more than halfway and venting the lid.)
  4. Bring pureed sauce to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 45 minutes until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper.
  5. While sauce simmers, prepare water bath canner and jars. Wash jars, lids, and bands in hot soapy water. Place jars in canner, cover with water, and bring to a simmer (180°F). Keep jars hot. Place lids in hot water to soften sealing compound.
  6. Add 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice to each hot pint jar. Using a canning funnel and ladle, fill jars with hot sauce, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Run a non-metallic spatula around inside to release air bubbles. Wipe rims clean, center lids, and screw on bands fingertip-tight.
  7. Place filled jars in water bath canner, ensuring water covers jars by at least 1 inch. Bring to a full rolling boil. Process pint jars for 35 minutes (adjust for altitude if needed). Start timer after water returns to a full boil.
  8. After processing, turn off heat and let jars sit in canner for 5 minutes. Remove jars with jar lifter and place on a clean kitchen towel. Cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Check seals: press center of lid; it should not flex. Remove bands and gently lift jar by lid edge to test seal. Refrigerate any unsealed jars and use within a week.

Notes

Don’t skip the roasting step—it caramelizes natural sugars for deep flavor. Use bottled lemon juice for safe canning (standardized acidity). Adjust processing time for altitude: add 5 minutes at 1,001-3,000 ft, 10 minutes at 3,001-6,000 ft, 15 minutes above 6,000 ft. Avoid overcrowding baking sheets to ensure proper roasting. Start heating canning water while sauce simmers to save time.

Nutrition

Keywords: homemade tomato sauce, slow-roasted tomato sauce, canning tomato sauce, Roma tomatoes, water bath canning, preserving tomatoes, homemade pasta sauce

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