Canning Chunky Vegetable Pasta Sauce
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We love our pasta sauce around here. We use it in just about all of our meals in one way or another. The obvious meal is spaghetti, but you can also use it in lasagna, pizza dip, chicken parmesan, and even to dip your cheese roll-ups in. This recipe has tons of yummy veggies in it as well to make your spaghetti dinner that much more nutritious. Bonus!
But what is even better is being able to make it with friends. I had the fortunate experience this weekend to be able to share my pasta recipe with some wonderful ladies who came over to make it with me. Don’t get me wrong, I love canning. I have a huge store of goodies already made downstairs in the basement to share with my family. However, good friends in the mix always makes every experience much better, and I got to share some of my other goodies with them too!
Canning in general usually takes a good bit of work. There’s the massive preparation of shopping for all of the various items, making a plan for using them, chopping them all up and cooking them down and then the canning itself. And of course you’ve got to scrub your kitchen down just to have the room ad the clean workspace to work. Although, this weekend was fun! I can’t wait for my next project. Pineapple!! I will have a canning recipe book and two online canning courses coming out soon, so keep an eye out so you don’t miss them!
When your veggies are soft, chop and add in all of your tomatoes, spices, and tomato paste.
Mix everything really well, cover it, bring it to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for about 2 hours.
(You can also do this in your large crockpot on high all day.)
When ready, I use my immersion blender to blend it smooth in the pot.
Well, relatively smooth with some chunks.
Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to each of your quart jars.
Since I doubled the recipe in my pot, I prepared about 9 quart jars just in case.
Then I filled my jars with pasta sauce. I highly recommend using the canning funnel.
Fill each jar with sauce to the bottom of the neck of each jar.
Wipe the rims of your jars clean with a damp washcloth so nothing will keep your jars from sealing.
Add a lid to each one.
And then add a ring to each jar. Tighten only until you get the smallest amount of resistance.
Use your jar lifter to add your jars to your pot.
Obviously I washed my pot with soap and water first and filled it halfway with fresh water. Make sure to cover your jars with water in the pot.
Put the lid on and heat on high, but just to the number right below the highest setting.
When boiling, lower the temperature a couple of numbers and tilt the lid. Boil rapidly for 40 minutes.
When finished, remove your jars with the jar lifter and set them aside on a towel to cool for 24 hours. You’ll hear them pop as they each seal.
Maybe you simply have some questions or need a refresher! Come check out my water bath canning online course for all you need to know about water bath canning.
Want to Do Some Canning Yourself But Don't Know How?
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 bell peppers,, any color
- 2 large carrots
- 1 yellow squash
- 24 roma tomatoes
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon pink Himalayan salt
- 2 teaspoons parsley
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 cup tomato paste
Instructions
- Set up your canning workstation with clean jars, lids, rings, all of your canning supplies and your measuring spoons.
- I use my water bath canner for cooking my pasta sauce because it’s my largest, sturdiest pot, and then I wash it with soap and water before using it to can my jars.
- Put a 1/4 cup of olive oil into the bottom of your pot. Do not substitute another type of oil. Heat your pot to medium heat.
- Chop up each of your veggies and pour them into the bottom of your pot.
- Cook your veggies until soft.
- Then start chopping tomatoes and adding them in.
- Add in your garlic, spices and tomato paste and stir.
- Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down and simmer for about 2 hours.
- (If you would like to use your crockpot to make your sauce, that’s fine. Just follow the recipe so far. You can leave your sauce on high heat all day. It won’t hurt anything.)
- When everything is soft, I use my immersion blender to blend everything until smooth. You can use your blender if you’d like or leave it super chunky.
- Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into each of your quart jars before ladling pasta sauce into each one.
- Fill each jar to the bottom of the neck.
- Wipe the rim of your jars with a damp washcloth to get rid of any liquid or debris.
- Add a lid to each one and then a ring. But be sure to tighten the lids only until you start feeling the slightest resistance. Air has to be able to escape the jars during the canning process.
- Add your jars to your water bath canning pot, fill with water until the jars are completely covered, or as close as you can.
- Heat water on high, but just to the number right below the highest setting.
- When you reach a rolling boil, turn the heat down just a couple numbers and tilt the lid so it doesn’t spit too bad.
- Set your timer to 40 minutes and boil vigorously until the time is up.
- When finished, turn off the time and set the jars aside (with your jar lifter) on a towel to cool for 24 hours.
- You will hear them popping as your jars seal. If one doesn’t seal, it needs to go into your refrigerator and be used within a few days. The rest can be stored in your pantry or basement.
- Remove the rings on your jars before storing as any liquid or food still under the ring can compromise your product.
- These should stay good for at least a year or more.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1 | |
| Calories | 56 |
| Calories from Fat | 0 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 0 g | |
| Carbohydrates 11 g | 4% |
| Sugar 7 g | |
| Fiber 3 g | 12% |
| Protein 2 g | 4% |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | |
| Sodium 486 mg | 20% |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
So what you’re seeing in the picture is 6 batches of sauce. I put two batches in the water bath canner and one in the crockpot twice in order to get so many quarts. Unfortunately my canner only holds four quarts at a time, and they have to process for 40 minutes each round.
However, what I like the most about water bath canning is that when one batch is finished, I can leave the heat on, remove the first set of jars and put in a second without changing anything else. Within minutes I can get another batch going, unlike the pressure canner where it takes time to heat back up and you’ve got to let it cool completely in order to switch out jars.
This stock of pasta sauce will last us a while but I plan on doing another round again in about another 6 months. In the meantime, on to tomato soup, pineapple and refried beans! I will have a canning recipe book and two canning courses coming out soon, so keep an eye out so you don’t miss them!
Maybe you simply have some questions or need a refresher! Come check out my water bath canning online course for all you need to know about water bath canning.
Want to Do Some Canning Yourself But Don't Know How?
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So with your recipe you don’t peel your tomatoes? I want to make your recipe this week. Our tomato crop is blowing up. So many tomatoes. LOL
Honestly, we don’t most of the time. I personally am not going to peel all of our cherry tomatoes, lol, but may peel the really big ones if I have time. Personal preference.