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Canning Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe: Easy Guide
Can you can homemade pizza sauce? Yes, absolutely! Canning homemade pizza sauce is a fantastic way to preserve the fresh, vibrant flavor of your favorite pizza topping. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know to create and preserve your own delicious tomato sauce for pizza, ensuring you have a taste of summer’s bounty all year long. We’ll cover everything from selecting the best tomatoes to ensuring your canned creations are safe and sound, making this an accessible project even for beginner canning enthusiasts.
Why Can Your Own Pizza Sauce?
The allure of homemade pizza sauce is undeniable. It’s a chance to control the ingredients, tailor the flavors to your liking, and avoid the preservatives and additives often found in store-bought versions. When you decide to venture into canning pizza sauce, you’re not just making a condiment; you’re creating a pantry staple that’s ready to elevate any pizza night. Preserving pizza sauce means you’ll always have a flavorful base on hand, whether it’s for a quick weeknight meal or a weekend gathering. This easy pizza sauce recipe, once canned, transforms into a convenient shortcut to deliciousness.
Selecting the Best Tomatoes for Your Sauce
The foundation of any great tomato sauce for pizza is, of course, the tomatoes themselves. For the best results when canning pizza sauce, it’s ideal to use paste tomatoes. These varieties, such as Roma, San Marzano, and Plum tomatoes, have less water content and more flesh, leading to a thicker, richer sauce. If paste tomatoes aren’t readily available, you can certainly use other ripe, flavorful tomatoes, but you might need to cook them down longer to achieve the desired consistency.
Key Tomato Characteristics to Look For:
- Ripeness: Choose fully ripe, firm tomatoes. Avoid any that are bruised, soft, or show signs of mold.
- Variety: Paste tomatoes are preferred for their density, but any sweet, flavorful tomato will work.
- Quantity: Canning requires a significant amount of tomatoes. For every pound of tomatoes, you’ll typically get about 1 to 1.5 pints of sauce.
The Best Pizza Sauce Recipe: A Flavorful Foundation
This easy pizza sauce recipe is designed for canning and is a crowd-pleaser. It balances the sweetness of tomatoes with savory aromatics, creating a marinara sauce recipe that’s perfect for pizza.
Yields: Approximately 6-7 pints
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 2-3 hours (for sauce simmering) + canning time
Ingredients:
- 15-20 pounds ripe paste tomatoes (like Roma or San Marzano)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2-3 large onions, finely chopped
- 8-10 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for a little heat)
- 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons sugar (optional, to balance acidity)
Equipment You’ll Need for Canning:
- Large stockpot or Dutch oven
- Large bowls for blanching and ice baths
- Slotted spoon or spider strainer
- Fine-mesh sieve or food mill (optional, for a smoother sauce)
- Canning jars (pint or quart size), lids, and rings
- Canning funnel
- Jar lifter
- Large pot for water bath canning
- Lid for the canning pot
- Towel
Step-by-Step Guide to Making and Canning Pizza Sauce
This detailed process will ensure your homemade pizza sauce is both delicious and safely preserved.
Step 1: Prepare the Tomatoes
- Wash Tomatoes: Gently wash all tomatoes under cool running water.
- Blanch and Peel: To easily remove the skins, score a small “X” on the bottom of each tomato. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Dip tomatoes into the boiling water for about 30-60 seconds, or until the skins start to split.
- Shock in Ice Water: Using a slotted spoon or spider strainer, carefully remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and immediately plunge them into the ice bath. This stops the cooking process.
- Peel and Core: Once cooled, the skins should slip off easily. Remove the skins and the tough cores from the tomatoes.
Step 2: Cook the Sauce
- Chop Tomatoes: Roughly chop the peeled tomatoes. If you prefer a smoother texture, you can pass them through a food mill or a food processor, but avoid over-processing them into a liquid.
- Sauté Aromatics: In your large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.
- Simmer the Sauce: Add the chopped tomatoes, chopped basil, chopped oregano, red pepper flakes (if using), salt, pepper, and sugar (if using) to the pot. Stir everything together.
- Reduce and Thicken: Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Let the sauce simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 hours, or until it has thickened to your desired consistency. This is where the magic happens for your oven-roasted pizza sauce, as the flavors meld and deepen. The longer it simmers, the richer the taste.
Step 3: Prepare for Canning
- Sterilize Jars and Lids: While the sauce is simmering, prepare your canning jars, lids, and rings. Wash them thoroughly in hot, soapy water. Sterilize the jars by boiling them in water for 10 minutes. Keep the jars hot until ready to fill. Lids should be prepared according to manufacturer instructions (usually by soaking in warm water).
- Boil Water for Water Bath: Fill your large water bath canner or a large stockpot with enough water to cover the jars by at least one inch. Bring the water to a simmer.
Step 4: Fill the Jars
- Taste and Adjust: Before filling the jars, taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as needed. Remember that flavors can mellow slightly after canning.
- Fill Jars: Using a canning funnel, ladle the hot pizza sauce into the hot, sterilized jars. Leave a headspace of 1/2 inch at the top of each jar. Headspace is the empty space between the surface of the food and the top of the jar rim.
- Remove Air Bubbles: Slide a non-metallic utensil (like a plastic spatula or chopstick) around the inside of the jar to release any trapped air bubbles.
- Wipe Rims: Wipe the jar rims clean with a damp cloth to ensure a good seal.
- Apply Lids and Rings: Place the sterilized lids on the jars and screw on the rings until fingertip tight. Do not overtighten.
Step 5: Process in Water Bath Canner
- Place Jars in Canner: Carefully place the filled jars onto the rack in the simmering water bath canner, ensuring they are covered by at least one inch of water.
- Process: Once the water returns to a rolling boil, begin processing the jars.
- Pint jars: Process for 35 minutes.
- Quart jars: Process for 45 minutes.
- Adjust for Altitude: If you live at an altitude higher than 1,000 feet, you will need to increase processing times. Consult a reliable canning guide for specific altitude adjustments.
Step 6: Cool and Store
- Remove Jars: After the processing time is complete, turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes. Then, carefully remove the jars from the canner using a jar lifter and place them on a towel-lined surface or a cooling rack.
- Cool Completely: Allow the jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. You will hear the lids pop as they seal.
- Check Seals: Once cooled, check the seals. The lids should be curved downwards and should not flex when pressed. Remove the rings from any jars that have sealed properly. Wash the outside of the jars and label them with the contents and date.
- Store: Store sealed jars in a cool, dark, and dry place. Properly canned pizza sauce can last for at least 1 year. Jars that did not seal should be refrigerated and used within a week.
Tips for the Best Homemade Pizza Sauce
- Roasting for Flavor: For an even more intense, oven-roasted pizza sauce flavor, you can roast some of your tomatoes and onions before adding them to the pot. Toss halved tomatoes and sliced onions with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400°F (200°C) until softened and slightly caramelized.
- Spice it Up: Adjust the red pepper flakes to your preference. For a milder sauce, omit them. For a spicier kick, add more.
- Herbal Notes: Fresh herbs make a big difference. If fresh aren’t available, you can use dried herbs, but use them sparingly as they are more potent (start with about 1/3 the amount of dried as fresh).
- Acidity Control: Tomatoes can vary in their natural acidity. If your sauce tastes too tart, the optional sugar can help balance it out.
Frequently Asked Questions About Canning Pizza Sauce
Q: Can I can pizza sauce that has added meat?
A: No, you cannot safely can pizza sauce with meat added using a standard water bath canning method. Meat requires a pressure canner to reach the temperatures necessary to kill botulism spores. If you wish to add meat, it’s best to cook it separately and add it to your canned sauce when you reheat it for serving.
Q: What is the best way to store my canned pizza sauce?
A: Store sealed jars in a cool, dark, and dry place. An ideal temperature is between 50-70°F (10-21°C). Avoid storing in places with extreme temperature fluctuations, as this can affect the seal.
Q: My lids didn’t seal. What should I do?
A: If a lid hasn’t sealed after 24 hours, you can refrigerate the jar and use the sauce within a week. Alternatively, you can reprocess the jar with a new lid and ring, ensuring proper headspace and processing time, or freeze the sauce.
Q: How long does homemade canned pizza sauce last?
A: When properly canned, homemade pizza sauce should last for at least one year. The quality may start to decline after that, but it will remain safe to eat as long as the seal is intact.
Q: Do I need to peel the tomatoes for canning pizza sauce?
A: While not strictly mandatory for safety, peeling tomatoes before making sauce for canning is highly recommended for a smoother, more pleasant texture. The skins can become tough and sometimes bitter when processed for long periods.
Q: Can I use a food mill for this recipe?
A: Yes, using a food mill after blanching and peeling is an excellent way to achieve a smoother tomato sauce for pizza. It effectively removes seeds and skins while pureeing the tomato flesh.
Q: What makes this an “easy” pizza sauce recipe?
A: This recipe is considered easy because it uses common ingredients, straightforward cooking steps, and a forgiving simmering time. The canning process itself is a standard water bath method, which is the most common and accessible for acidic foods like tomato sauce.
Q: Is this recipe suitable for beginner canning pizza sauce?
A: Absolutely! This guide is designed to be beginner-friendly. We break down each step clearly, from tomato preparation to the water bath process, making it an ideal starting point for anyone new to canning.
Flavor Variations and Additions
Once you’ve mastered the basic marinara sauce recipe for pizza, you can experiment with flavor variations. Consider adding:
- Dried Herbs: Thyme, marjoram, or a pinch of rosemary can add depth.
- Bay Leaf: Add one or two bay leaves while simmering and remove them before jarring.
- A Splash of Red Wine: A quarter cup of red wine can add complexity to the sauce.
- Sweetness Adjustment: Depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes, you might need more or less sugar.
Canning homemade pizza sauce is a rewarding endeavor that connects you to your food and provides a delicious, versatile staple for your kitchen. Enjoy the fruits (or rather, vegetables!) of your labor!