This past week I made some fresh roasted tomato and herb sauce that you may can or freeze! This recipe is easy and absolutely delicious and only calls for a couple of minor adjustments if you plan to can it!

I chose to freeze this first batch so that we have a quick pull out and simmer meal on a night we are crazy busy with the school schedule starting back up. 

I will do another batch and can it for long term storage next and it only requires a couple of small tweaks so that what you are storing is properly and safely done.

It is incredibly easy because unlike other sauce recipes this one does not require any deseeding or skin peeling. Everything stays right in your batch and is such a boost of nutrition because of it.

The smoky flavored roasted skins add layers of flavor in your sauce and the seeds soften just enough so that they are present but do not throw off anything in the consistency.

 

Fresh Roasted Tomato and Herb Sauce – Can or Freeze

My tomato plants have been booming this year! We have been picking and enjoying ripe tomatoes right off of the vine for weeks now.

I plant a ton of cherry style tomatoes because it is our kids favorite go to snack. Even the baby has been chomping on them as much as I will possibly let her!

They have been so sweet this year, barely having any acidic note and have gone beautifully in salads or just by the handful to munch on.

I have gorgeous, large beefsteak tomatoes coming in so naturally I wanted to make a sauce with them. However….who could pass up the gorgeous and sweet smaller variations like my sweet 100’s, sungold cherry tomatoes and black cherry variations. 

I roasted a batch of them all and brought them together to make a smoky and sweet sauce with added herbs and a touch of spice. It was GOOD!

Roasting the Tomatoes

When roasting the tomatoes I used high heat and little seasoning. I did not add in olive oil as you typically would when roasting tomatoes only because I wanted to have a recipe that was versatile with both freezing and canning. Oils can cause your canned goods to go rancid in certain situations. 

Just a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper and a good high heat and these delicious little cuts came out excellent!

 

I went to a cookie sheet for my larger cuts and to a glass baking dish with my cherry variations. I did not cut the cherry tomatoes. They went in whole with a touch of seasoning and in the oven at 450, F. 

The timing is by eye. It could take around 30 minutes but possibly a bit less or a bit more! I waited until they were cooked and the skins were darkening. That is where all that big, bold flavor comes from. 

To be honest, one of the best parts about this recipe is the minimal amount of work that goes into it. We all know a recipe that we love that requires a TON of work peeling and deseeding. It gives you a velvety smooth sauce but it is extremely time consuming. 

When you have little ones that are pulling you in all of the directions out of the kitchen it is sometimes easier to find a recipe that works better for the amount of time you can commit in a single instance within the walls of the kitchen. Or maybe, you just want a sauce that is quicker and less laborful!

This one is definitely for you, if any of those things ring true in your world. I know that the added flavors and textures throughout this sauce actually makes it more exciting for my families palate!

Blend the Sauce

Place all the tomatoes into a blender with your choice of herbs and blend. Once you are blended down to the consistency you desire you can transfer to a pot and add in all of the extra flavors and seasonings. I love to bring in some onion, herbs, and a touch of chili flakes for a bit of heat!

Pour the blended sauce into a stockpot and heat on medium temperature. You can let this simmer and combine flavors for as long as you’d like, stirring frequently so you don’t burn the sauce. 

Some will bring everything together and take off of the heat in 30 minutes where others prefer to let your sauce simmer and thicken for several hours. 

I let mine go for about an hour, once the onion were soft and everything seemed nice and rich and deep I took it off of the heat and allowed it to cool before transferring to a container for freezer storage.

Storing Fresh Roasted Tomato and Herb Sauce in the Freezer

If you are going ahead and storing in the freezer make sure you are using a freezer safe container or even a freezer ziplock style bag.

There are also freezer safe mason jars which are the masons without the shoulder at the top of the jar. 

Freeze flat to allow more storage room if you are freezing in bag!

Make sure to label and date your sauce. Typically recommended to consume within 8 months to a year for best quality.

Canning Tomato Sauce in Water Bath Canner

1. Make sure to prepare you jars appropriately. Check out this article by The Spruce Eats for how to properly prepare jars in a water bath canning device…
2. You will want to make sure your jars are hot and your sauce is hot when you bring the sauce into the jars themselves.
3. Use a funnel for easier transport from pot to jar. 
4. You will want to make sure you are leaving 1/2″ headspace to allow for expansion. 
5. When canning tomatoes you need to add in citric acid to make sure the levels of acid are appropriate for shelf storage.
6. Add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon to each pint glass you plan to can. 
7. Use a clean towel to wipe the rim of your jar removing any access food or debris.
8. Spin your ring on to finger tight and place jar into the water bath.
9. Make sure that you have at least 1 inch of water above jars.
10. Place lid on water bath canner and bring to a boil. Once a rolling boil begins start your timer. Process for 40 mins for pint jars. 
11. Remove from heat without tipping and allow to cool untouched for 24 hours.
12. Check that your jars have sealed appropriately by unscrewing bands and gently holding the top of the jar to make sure lid is in tact and sealed.

This sauce can go great as a pasta sauce but also is wonderful to add to soups, use on pizza and so much more!

I hope this becomes part of your go to recipes that is easy going from harvest to freezer or shelf! 

It really makes a difference when you feel like the fruits of your labor have been used to their full potential. 

Happy saucing!

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Love, light and a little grace..

-Olivia