How To Make Tomato Sauce From Fresh Tomatoes | Kitchenstagram

5 min readJan 5, 2024

For me, making homemade tomato sauce is one of the highlights of spring and summer. It’s a culinary venture I reserve exclusively for these vibrant season when tomatoes are at their peak- sweet, juicy and abundant. Utilizing the principles of growing a year’s worth of tomatoes and saving the seeds for the next garden, I’ve transformed this simple recipe into a staple in my kitchen, ensuring a year-round supply of rich, flavourful tomato sauce.

Embarking on my vegetable gardening journey in 2020, I was rewarded with approximately 10 kg of vine-ripened tomatoes in the first year. This abundance inspired me to delve into the world of homemade tomato sauce. The ritual of transforming freshly plucked tomatoes from my garden into a versatile sauce has become an annual tradition, symbolizing the essence of growing season and allowing me to savor the fruit of my labor throughout the year.

Creating tomato sauce from scratch offers an unparalleled experience- one that surpasses store-bought alternatives. The use of vine-ripened tomatoes elevates the flavour profile to heights unknown to those who haven’t savored this homemade delight. Beyond the sensory pleasure, the self-sufficiency of producing a year’s supply of tomato sauce from my garden is nothing short of remarkable. Commercial imitations can’t capture the depth of flavour and burst of freshness that characterizes a sauce made from tomatoes nurtured in your own garden. It’s a celebration of the seasons, a connection to the earth and a testament to the satisfaction of producing your own food.

Beyond the joy of cultivation and the unique flavour profile, the homemade tomato sauce has become a cornerstone of my home food storage. Its versatility is unmatched, its a basic sauce which can be used for making pasta sauce, pizza sauce or any other tomato based sauce or dipping. The ability to seamlessly integrate it into various recipes stems from the use of fresh, quality ingredients and a simple yet effective preparation process.

Why You Will Love This Sauce:

Easy recipe: Learning how to make tomato sauce is transformative. With a single jar, you can create a myriad of dishes, making it a foundational element in your culinary repertoire.
Delicious flavour: The combination of fresh tomatoes and the earthy essence from bay leaves results in a sauce that is not just good but absolutely delightful.
Versatility: Its a versatile basic sauce which can be used for making pasta sauce, pizza sauce or any other tomato based sauce or a dipping sauce for various snacks. It can be a base for simmering eggs, a complement to eggplant Parmesan.

Ingredients for Fresh Tomato Sauce:

Tomatoes: The key to a superb tomato sauce lies in choosing the right tomatoes. While any tomatoes can be used, but paste tomatoes, with their lower water content and fleshier texture, are the ideal choice. I personally prefer using vine-ripened tomatoes from my garden, but you can also buy from farmers market of from stores. The aroma juiciness and ripeness are key indicators- opt for tomatoes that scream freshness and flavour.
Vinegar or Lemon juice: To ensure acidity, crucial for safe canning.
Salt: Opt for fine sea salt without iodine or anti-caking agents.
Dried Bay Leaf: Dried bay leaves have a delicate, warm aroma and you’ll find them a lot less bitter than their fresh bay leaves. Dried bay leaves adds earthiness to the sauce. Always add herbs at the end to maintain a fresh taste, avoiding bitterness during the cooking process.

Texture of Homemade tomato sauce:

I love my tomato sauce with a little texture, so I use potato masher to break down the big chunks of tomatoes. Mashing the cooked tomatoes with potato masher helps to achieve a texture between chunky mash and smooth puree. But if like a smooth sauce feel free to use hand-immersion blender or food processor and process until desire consistency is reached.

How long to cook the sauce?

I prefer to cook for 45 to 90 minutes. Shorter cooking time will yield a thinner sauce with a fresh tomato flavour. But longer cooking time will yield a thicker sauce with a richer flavour. Cook your sauce until it reaches the consistency and flavour you like.

Use of Homemade Tomato Sauce:

This Homemade Tomato Sauce recipe is a perfect primary ingredient for your pizza or pasta sauce or for any other tomato based sauce.
It’s a perfect for sauce dishes like Shakshuka, Eggplant Parmesan or any recipe requiring tomato sauce.

Storage instruction:

Refrigerate: Store in the fridge for up to two weeks in an airtight container.
Freeze: Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to six months.
Canning process: Follow proper sterilization and canning procedures for a shelf life up to a year.

Ingredient:

1.5 kg Fresh Tomatoes
2 tbsp Vinegar
Salt to taste

Process:

Bring a large Dutch oven or stockpot of water to a boil on high heat. Fill a large bowl with ice and water, set the bowl next to stove.
Blanch tomatoes in batches, drop tomatoes into the boiling water. Cook until you see skin starting to wrinkle and split, 15 seconds.
Turn off the heat and using a slotted spoon, lift the tomatoes out and submerge them in the ice bath. Now remove the tomatoes and peel them using your hand or knife.
Add the peeled tomatoes in a stockpot, bring to a simmer over medium heat, then mash the tomatoes using a potato masher for chunky sauce or hand blender for smooth sauce. Continue simmering the sauce, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reaches the taste and consistency you like, for 45–90 minutes.
Stir in vinegar or lemon juice and salt, taste and add more lemon juice or vinegar if needed.
Let the sauce cool, then transfer to glass jars and place one dried bay leaf in each jar and freeze them. Sauce can be kept frozen for up to 6 months.

Tips:

Add herbs at the end to maintain a fresh taste, avoiding bitterness during the cooking process.
Don’t throw away the blanching water, water your plants with the water.