Homemade Spaghetti Sauce With Canning Directions

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce 

With Canning Directions

Hi All!  This year, I will be "putting up" lots of vegetables, most of them being tomatoes.  So before my kitchen starts overflowing with fruit, I'm spending some time finding recipes I really like.  Today I'm trying Spaghetti Sauce.

The original recipe is from the USDA.  I altered it a bit and did the forbidden - I increased the amount of bell peppers and onions!  GASP!  I'm sure we will all die now.  I did chop them finely in the food processor so they can cook themselves to death and get rid of all those pesky germies.  Also, since I'm doing this in winter, and don't have 30lbs of tomatoes, I'm using 4 pints of tomatoes I canned a while back - the recipe below is for a 1/2 batch.


Homemade Spaghetti Sauce, without meat - for Pressure Canning

Olive Oil Spray (or 1Tablespoon oil - I used spray)
4 pints of crushed or diced tomatoes (I weighed the tomatoes and it was 8lbs - original recipe called for
           7.5lbs fresh - i might have too many tomatoes for the rest of the ingredients...)
1/4C chopped onion (I used 1 whole onion)
1/4C bell peppers, diced (I used 1 whole pepper)
1 clove garlic, minced
2Tablespoons chopped fresh basil (I added this ingredient)
1Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
.5 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf (I added this one too)
1Tablespoon brown sugar (optional, if necessary)

Spray large pot with EVOO spray or add oil.  Saute onions and peppers until tender.  I whirred mine in the food processor to make them as small as my crushed tomatoes.  When tender, add the remaining ingredients, except sugar.

Simmer, stirring frequently, until "serving thickness", which should be reduced about 1/2.  Neat trick for this - use a dry erase marker (or even permanent) to make a mark on the outside of your pot at about the level of your sauce.  Then you know when it's reduced by half!  It washes right off - even a sharpie.

Ladle into well washed, hot jars.  Wipe rims, fix lids, place in pressure canner with 2-3" of simmering water.  Lock lid onto canner, increase heat to high, and time 10 minutes after steam pours out of the vent.  Place the weight onto canner and process as per below.  When the time is elapsed, turn off heat and allow to cool naturally until pressure is zero.  Remove jars to a towel or cooling rack and do not disturb for at least 12 hours.  Check to see that lids are sealed, wipe jars off with a wet cloth, label and store.


PROCESSING:
Pints - 20min @ 10lbs (15lbs for above 1,000ft)
Quarts - 25min @ 10lbs (15lbs for above 1,000ft)