
Have you been looking for the easiest way to make the best pasta sauce with what you’ve grown in the garden? It’s that time of year that we have too many tomatoes to eat before they go bad. Of course canning is the answer to what to do with the a tomato overload. But tomatoes tend to require blanching, and honestly I absolutely hate that. Plus, removing the skin and seeds takes out some of the nutrients that come naturally with the tomatoes. So for me, one of the things I always try to do is find the “lazy” way to process my tomatoes. This year, I found the easiest way to make sauce as possible – roasting the tomatoes and blending into a flavorful sauce. It’s the perfect additive to recipes, or to use on its own, and is so easy to make.

Ingredients:
- 8 cups of garden fresh tomatoes, stem section removed and chopped
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning

Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Wash, step, and quarter all of your tomatoes and place them on a baking sheet lined with a baking sheet or tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake your tomatoes for 45 minutes – 1 hour until they are bubbly and begin to caramelize.
- Immediately place all of your roasted tomatoes in a large sauce pot, seeds and skin and all. Blend it completely with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Add in your minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Stir until combined. Use immediately or can to enjoy later.
Canning Instructions:
- Place 7 clean Pint jars on a rack in your stock pot. Fill the jars and stock pot with cool water until it completely covers the top of the jars. Cover and put on medium heat. Simmer but do not boil.
- Prepare 7 lid sets, put the bands aside and put the flat lids in a small sauce pan and put on medium heat. Do not boil, but keep warm through the whole process.
- Prepare your sauce according to the directions above.
- Now, remove the jars from the warm bath. Tip them as you pull them out and pour the water back into the pan. Place them on a towel on the counter with the opening up. Do not dry them! Just put them down and put the funnel in. Ladle the sauce into each jar until there is about 1/2 inch of space in the top. Once all jars are full, take a plastic or wooden utensil and move it around to get extra air bubbles out.
- Take the small magnet tool and remove flat lids from their hot bath. Place over top of each jar. By hand screw on the collars, but not too tight! Remember some air still needs to get out of each jar.
- Place the jars back into the hot stock pot and replace the lid. Turn your temperature up to high. When it starts to do a rolling boil, start a timer for 40 minutes.
- After the jars have processed for 40 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the lid to the pan. Let cool for 5 minutes. Remove all the jars without tipping them and place them back on the towel. Remember – don’t towel them off!