I recently told the mister that I needed tomatoes to can for the winter. He accepted the challenge and brought home 125 pounds of tomatoes! That was a “little” more than I expected, Being the “I will not be defeated” type, I accepted his challenge.
After canning 40 pints of tomatoes and 11 pints of salsa, I ventured into a realm I had not entered before….spaghetti sauce! We eat spaghetti often. It is my “go to” meal when I am tired or in a hurry to get dinner on the table. While some people cook their sauce for hours, I’ve never been one of those people (although I LOVE a slow simmered sauce). When I decided to try canning spaghetti sauce, I scoured the internet and Pinterest for ideas. One recipe that really caught my attention was a recipe that called for allspice as an ingredient. Seriously? That is one spice I would NOT have considered, but after trying it I admit it’s a wonderful addition.
Just to give you an idea of what 125 pounds of tomatoes will do to your kitchen….
Sorry…back to the spaghetti sauce.
INGREDIENTS
20 pounds tomatoes
2 cups onions, chopped
2 cups green pepper, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
4 heads garlic, chopped finely
2 oz. dried parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
SPICES
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons sea salt
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons rosemary
2 teaspoons allspice
1 teaspoon basil
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons sage
1 teaspoon cumin
Peel the tomatoes and put them thru a food processor using the blade attachment. Combine the tomatoes, onions, celery, garlic, parsley, and olive oil in a large stock pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the spices and simmer for 2 hours. Stir every 5-10 minutes to prevent the sauce from sticking.
Pour the sauce into quart jars, wipe the rims, and process in a water bath canner for 40 minutes. This recipe yielded 10 quarts.
I had the mister try the sauce before it was processed. I *might* have had another quart, but he kept going in for another “taste”. It’s THAT good!
