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How To Make Tomato Sauce [low-carb, whole30 compliant, grain-free, paleo-friendly, no added sugar] | Lexi's Clean Kitchen

Have an abundance of tomatoes right now? The perfect way to use them up is to make Tomato Sauce from Fresh Tomatoes! This Freezer Friendly Tomato Sauce is a labor of love, but so so worth it! The perfect way to make use of all of these fresh tomatoes during tomato season!

How To Make Fresh Tomato Sauce With Summer TomatoesTomato Sauce From Fresh Tomatoes Recipe

This time of year is one of my favorites. Tomatoes on EVERYTHING. A few years ago I visited tomato farms and really gained an appreciation for them. So many variations, so many flavor profiles. I can eat the little grape tomatoes like candy, no joke. Plus, they are gorgeous, too!

How To Make Fresh Tomato Sauce With Summer Tomatoes

How to Make Homemade Tomato Sauce

  1. First you’ll want to process the fresh tomatoes, if using! You’ll need to take the skin off, core them and puree or mash them down.
  2. Then you’ll sauté your aromatics, or the onion and garlic.
  3. Add in your spices and toast them until they are fragrant and have released there oils.
  4. Then add in those fresh tomatoes and cook low and slow for at least two hours!
  5. You can use the sauce immediately or storage for later!

How To Make Fresh Tomato Sauce With Summer Tomatoes

How to Take the Skins off of Fresh Tomatoes

Probably the trickiest part of making fresh tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes is taking off the skin! It isn’t a hard process, but it does add an extra step.

To take the skin off of fresh tomatoes you’ll need to blanch the tomatoes in boiling water. Once that is down the skin will peel right off! To blanch them: Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Working in batches, drop the tomatoes in the water for 1 minute. Carefully take tomatoes out and place in a large bowl. Let tomatoes cool. Once cool, carefully peel off skins.

How To Make Fresh Tomato Sauce With Summer Tomatoes

SO, while it’s a little bit of a process, it’s for sure worth it. It’ll be some of the best tomato sauce you’ve ever had. Plus, you’ll feel good knowing you didn’t waste those farm fresh tomatoes! Can it if you’d like, or if you’re lazy like me… go for the freezer option!

How To Make Fresh Tomato Sauce With Summer Tomatoes

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How To Make Fresh Tomato Sauce With Summer Tomatoes

How To Make Fresh Tomato Sauce With Summer Tomatoes

5 from 7 votes
This Freezer Friendly Tomato Sauce is a labor of love, but so so worth it! The perfect way to make use of all of these fresh tomatoes during tomato season!
Servings 5
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
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Ingredients
  

  • 10-11 pounds fresh heirloom tomatoes or any tomatoes of choice
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt more to taste
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano more to taste
  • Optional: 1 4.5-ounce can tomato paste
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/4 cup lemon juice if canning!

Instructions

  • Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Working in batches, drop the tomatoes in the water for 1 minute. Carefully take tomatoes out and place in a large bowl. Let tomatoes cool. Once cool, carefully peel off skins.
  • Core the tomatoes and place in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth, or pulse until desired consistency is reached if you want a chunkier sauce. Set aside.
  • In a large pot, heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent.
  • Add in dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Pour in tomato puree and stir well.
  • Bring the mixture to a simmer and let cook for 2 hours, or until thickened and reduced. Add lemon juice if using. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
  • Take sauce off heat and cool down to room temperature. Pour into freezer friendly plastic containers and freezer!

Notes

Tomato sauce will last in the freezer for 4-6 months. *Feel free to can this tomato sauce instead of freezing it! If you do so, make sure to take out the extra-virgin olive oil from this recipe. Oil is known to higher the probability of potential strains of botulism when canning. Also, make sure to up the amount of lemon juice to 1/4 cup! The lemon juice will increase the acidity in this sauce to safe levels for canning. Here is a great go-to recipe when wanting to can your tomato sauce:
  • 10-11 pounds tomato, skinned and pureed
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt, more to taste
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper, more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil, more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano, more to taste
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
Place all ingredients into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until thick. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed! Let cool. Pour into sterilized canning jars and twist on sterilized lids until very secure. Place jars in a pot of boiling water for 30 minutes. Let cool completely on the counter. Make sure that the lids have sealed completely. If the lid pops up when pressed, the canning process did not work properly. Store in your pantry for up to one year!
Course: sauce
Cuisine: Gluten-free, Paleo, whole30
Author: Lexi
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Comments

  2. 5 stars
    Hello! I used this recipe the other day for all the backyard maters that grew so bountifully this year in central texas. Thank you for keeping it simple & easy for people like me who do not cook! 🙂 Great recipe, and very yummy.

    Reply

  3. Made this today, not sure if the type of tomato I used was right. I used butter instead of olive oil. And I neglected to “core” the ‘maters… Wife harped on me that it is not tomato sauce but spagetti sauce because of the onions and garlice. Oh well.

    Reply

  4. When you say leave out the olive oil if canning, what should be substituted to state the onion, garlic, etc?

    Reply

  9. 5 stars
    Fantastic Recipe!! I made one addition: Honey! Honey smooths out that sharp tang that tomatoes can have. I probably had close to 25 lbs of tomatoes and ended up with about 8-10 quarts of sauce. Once it cools, I’ll freeze it in quart bags. I’m delighted to have found your recipe. Thank you so much for sharing it.

    Reply

  10. 5 stars
    This recipe is excellent!! My husband and I just purchased a 25 pound box of tomatoes from our local farm stand on Eastern Long Island . So far we prepared this amazing homemade tomato sauce ( our first time making sauce from scratch) and salsa with chillis from the indian grocery store . Our youngest daughter helped peel and seed the tomatoes.

    Reply

  11. Thank you for sharing! Just read this and it was perfect timing – I have a bunch of tomatoes I just took out of the garden and need something to try 🙂

    Reply

  13. There is NOTHING as delicious as getting to enjoy some homemade tomato sauce in the dead of winter. I always make sure to make some this time of year and freeze it away for when I’m totally desperate! Beautiful photos!

    Reply

  15. I need to be part of your CSA – 10 lbs of tomatoes sounds amazing! I’ve never canned anything before – I don’t think I’m that brave! But the freezer version sounds amazing!

    Reply