How To Make Tomato Sauce

Preserving tomatoes by making tomato sauce is a go to for my household because it can be used for so many recipes. You can make flavored sauces but I prefer a pretty simple sauce that if more versatile for many recipes. If you refrain from heavy spices, you now have a simple base sauce that can be used for spaghetti sauce, chili, stews, cajun soups, etc.

Below you will find directions for those that have a sieve and those that do not. However, I highly recommend investing in sieve. It is well worth the money to not only skip some steps and make the process easier, but to make the end product smoother with less seeds and such. You could use a large strainer over a pot or bowl but it is quite a bit harder to work the chunky sauce through.

What the heck is a sieve? You’re not the only one wondering. Promise! A sieve is specifically designed for this exact type of process. It can also be used for soups and many older recipe books will actually call for one. Yes you can use a blender, but that will leave seeds and smaller pieces in your end product. This article should clear up what I mean with photos of the process, but you can also check out the link below to see what they look like and even purchase one from Amazon.

Here is a sieve that is close to the size and design that I use.

What do you need to make tomato sauce?

Tomatoes. I would recommend having at least 3 – 5 pounds to make the process worth it. Remember each pound will give a 16 oz. or pint jar full on average.
2 Large pots. 1 to make sauce in and 1 to process the jars. The one for processing needs to be tall so a large stew pot minimum
Salt & pepper to taste.
Sieve or blender to smooth out the sauce

Getting started making tomato sauce

People ask sometimes if they need to peel tomatoes for making sauce. Well it depends. To sieve or not to sieve? Peeling isn’t needed if you have/use a sieve but unfortunately is without one. You could technically strain the sauce but those tools aren’t designed for this and will be a bit harder and messier to get all of the skins out.

Starting with a sieve

Rinse tomatoes and cut into small pieces. Not quite a dice. You can go as big as quartering the tomatoes unless it is the “big boy” variety. Those I’d do in at least 8 pieces. Don’t worry about trimming them. The sieve will take of this later!

Put pieces in a pot, I use a dutch oven, with salt and pepper to taste. As you can see love us some black pepper!

Cook on medium heat, stirring to prevent burning to the bottom.

Starting without a sieve

Start by cutting an X into the bottom on the tomatoes and placing them on a baking tray X up.

Put in oven preheated at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes. Once you pull them out, the peels should easily pull right off. Handle with care. They are 425 degrees on the surface. This should go without saying but…you know.

Now cut into quarters or eighths and put into a pot, I use a dutch oven, with salt and pepper ( to taste) and cook on medium heat, stirring to prevent burning to the bottom.

Cook Tomatoes to Soften

If you are making a flavored sauce, add herbs and spices now to cook into the body of the sauce. See below for a recipe on Italian Tomato Sauce. Add all ingredients at this stage.

Cook on medium heat until the tomatoes pieces are soft enough to cut into with whatever stir spoon you’re using. This can take between 30 – 1 hour depending on the amount of pieces and size of the pot. Remember to stir often. This is definitely not a “set it & forget it” process. The bottom pieces can burn and/or stick to the bottom if left for too long.

This part of the process is where a Dutch oven comes in, especially if you replace the lid after stirring. Because they are cast iron, they hold and maintain the heat better than many pots and will really speed up the cooking process for you.

Smoothing out the Tomatoes Sauce

In this stage you’re basically making tomatoes sauce from diced tomatoes. They’re just heated up and ready to process!

No matter which option below you use, once the pot is emptied, give it a quick rinse just to be sure there is not skin pieces or debris left stuck to the sides.

Processing Without a Sieve

Ladle tomato sauce into a blender or food processor. You may have to do this in batches and put into another container until pot is emptied.

Blend until smooth. Stopping to scrape down the sides may be needed to be sure everything goes through he blades.

Pour sauce back into pot for further cooking. If you have a mess strainer, pour sauce through it catch any missed skin pieces, seeds or larger pieces that didn’t cook properly and discard.

Processing With a Sieve

Put the sieve over a bowl or pot and ladle sauce into it in small amounts. Rotate the wooden pestle in a circle around the sieve. This will force the sauce though the holes and draw out the sauce leaving behind all of the skin, seeds and larger chunks.

Repeat this process until all sauce has been sent through the sieve. Remember that we didn’t peel or trim the tomatoes so we are removing everything during this process.

When you think all of the sauce has been pushed through, rotate the pestle a few more time to be sure and discard skins. If you have a compost pile, these are ok to add to it.

Pour or ladle sauce carefully back into pot.

Condense Tomatoes Sauce

Now simmer for as long as needed. This is how you thicken tomato sauce to your preferred consistency. If you are flavoring, give it a taste and add more herbs and spices as needed.