How To Make Homemade Tomato Sauce

This is the time of year when you see all the Italians sitting in their garage making homemade tomato sauce. Ever wonder what their secrets are? I’m about to give you a step by step guide, with photos. The secret is out! 🙂

Reader Feedback:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I have been wanting to make my own sauce for years, but have always felt very intimidated since I had no one to actually show me. I finally did it this past weekend!! Rosa's step by step instructions and pictures made me feel like I was right there with her learning! I followed her recipe and method and on my own was finally able to make my own! The sauce was amazing and exactly what I had been missing! Thank you soo so much for sharing this! Absolutely wonderful! - Michelle

The end of August to early September is tomato sauce-making season. Growing up in an Italian household means being spoiled with the most amazing homemade tomato sauce all year round. 😉

The process of making tomato sauce is a tradition that I remember partaking in every single year growing up. There are no exceptions! This time of the year is no different than celebrating birthdays or Thanksgiving! It’s never missed. 🙂

We make enough to last us an entire year until we make the next batch the following year. That means the entire family gets together so we have all hands on deck.

The photos to follow are for a batch of 8 bushels of Roma tomatoes. (We typically produce anywhere between 8 and 12 bushels.)

However, I’ve broken down the steps below so you can make as much or as little as you’d like.

The recipe at the bottom is scaled down to ONE bushel of tomatoes, approx. 50 pounds.

So, this is simple enough for a beginner if that’s where you’re at. 😉

How to make tomato sauce

(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)

Before you begin

Get everything ready!!!

Grab baskets, bushels, clean and dry mason jars and lids, your food mill or Italian tomato press, etc.

Prepare your onions, garlic, and basil. Peel and cut them so they are ready to go when needed. Then set them aside.

Prepare your tomatoes

Start by thoroughly washing your tomatoes.

We use a giant tub to wash ours since we make large quantities, but of course, you can also do this in your kitchen sink!

Once you’ve washed all your tomatoes, cut each one in half.

The reason for this is to check for any spoiled tomatoes or rotten spots.

Although the tomatoes may feel firm on the outside, it’s possible to have a few spoiled ones, so it’s safer to check.

You don’t want ANY rotten tomatoes in your sauce, or it may ruin the entire batch.

Cook your tomatoes

Bring a large pot of water to boil. We use industrial-sized pots with propane burners outside, given the amount of sauce we produce.

That said, you may do this using a large stock pot on your stovetop if you’re making a smaller amount. Or work in batches, as needed.

Add the tomatoes to the boiling water and give them a stir. The cold tomatoes will likely make the water stop boiling.

Once it returns to a boil, it’s almost time to remove the tomatoes and drain them.

Look for the water to appear foamy on top with an orange film from the tomatoes, like the image below.

NOTE: DO NOT overcook the tomatoes, or you will be wasting and losing sauce when you drain them.

Drain the tomatoes

Next, you will drain the tomatoes until mostly drained.

Don’t over-drain since the water will have absorbed a lot of the tomato goodness!

Transfer the cooked tomatoes to a basket or anything large enough to hold them.

Crush the tomatoes

We use an industrial, motorized Italian tomato press that separates the skin and seeds from the tomato.

It discards the skin and seeds and pours the sauce out. You will need two separate containers/buckets. One to collect the delicious sauce, and another to collect the seeds and skins to be disposed of.

If you’re making a smaller batch, a food mill works fine.

Cook your tomato sauce

Once all the tomatoes have gone through your mill, you will cook the sauce.

Heat the oil, with the chopped onions, garlic, and bay leaves in a large sauce pot.

NOTE: If you’re avoiding oil, you may sauté with water or broth instead. Just be mindful, stir often and add more as needed to prevent sticking.

Once golden, add your crushed tomatoes and salt to the pot and bring to a low boil, stirring often.

Make sure to stir often to prevent burning it! (There I am stirring the sauce.) 🙂

Continue cooking and stirring and add the basil around the halfway point. Taste for salt and adjust if needed.

Fill the jars

Once the sauce is fully cooked, you will fill your mason jars and seal them tightly. Use a pitcher or ladle to fill your jars. Then seal each jar with a new lid.

We use NEW Bernardin snap lids each year to ensure a proper seal.

NOTE: You may reuse the jars, and the rings, as long as they are thoroughly washed and dried. But do not reuse the snap lids. New snap lids each time will ensure a proper seal.

EXPERT TIP: Use gloves to handle the jars and seal them tightly. They will be very hot to handle when filling the jars with hot sauce.

Preserve the jars

To preserve the jars, you will boil them in a water bath to get a proper seal that will keep the sauce from spoiling.

Add the jars to a pot large enough to hold them. (Or use multiple pots.) Then cover them completely with water and boil for at least 30 minutes.

Turn off the heat and DO NOT touch the jars as they will be very hot. Leave them for 8-12 hours or overnight.

Once cool enough to touch, remove the jars from the pot and store them in a cool dark place.

Now you have homemade tomato sauce ready to use all year long!

The reward after a hard day’s work!

My favourite part of the tradition is enjoying a delicious plate of pasta with the new batch of freshly made homemade tomato sauce! YUM.

Recipes with homemade tomato sauce

📖 Recipe