Cook down tomato sauce: Simply preserve fresh tomatoes

Experience the pure pleasure of homemade tomato sauce that you can use all year round for your favorite dishes.

There is no better and delicious tomato sauce than homemade. And if you're enjoying a bountiful tomato harvest, this is a great way to make use of those sweet, ripe tomatoes. With these tempting recipes you can make a tasty tomato sauce and stock up for the winter.

Cooking down tomato sauce: basic recipe and prepared spicy

If you have large quantities of fresh tomatoes, you can make a delicious tomato sauce and preserve it for the winter. The homemade tomato sauce is prepared very quickly and easily and is definitely worth it as it is the basis for many delicious dishes. If you want to use the sauce later, you should simply refine it with the appropriate flavors and herbs. Remember that fleshier tomato varieties such as Roma, Oxheart or San Marzano tomatoes are best for this as they contain little water and therefore require less time to reduce the sauce.

Ingredients for homemade tomato sauce

You will need 4 preserving jars (500 ml) with sealable lids to make this delicious tomato sauce.

  • 4 kg of ripe tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • Citric acid or lemon juice from the bottle

Cook down simple tomato sauce

  • First, sterilize the mason jars and lids by placing them in a large pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Then let them dry completely.
  • Wash the tomatoes and remove any damaged or discolored parts.
  • Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil.
  • Add the tomatoes to the boiling water and blanch for about 30 seconds.
  • Then, using a slotted spoon, transfer them to an ice bath to cool.
  • Peel off the skin of the tomatoes, cut them in half and squeeze out the seeds.
  • Then chop them roughly.
  • Place some of the chopped tomatoes in a saucepan with the salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
  • Add more tomatoes to the pot a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
  • Make sure the mixture continues to boil vigorously as you add the remaining tomatoes.
  • When all the tomatoes are in the pot, mash them with a potato masher, stirring constantly to release the juice, and cook the mixture until reduced by about a third.
  • If the sauce begins to stick to the pot, reduce the heat and stir more frequently.
  • Add a tablespoon of lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid to each glass.
  • Pour the hot tomato sauce into the jars, leaving about an inch of space around the edge.
  • Seal the jars tightly and place them in a pot filled with water, making sure they are not completely covered with water.
  • Then let them cook for 40 minutes.
  • Remove the jars and let them cool.
  • The cooked tomato sauce can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

Prepare and reduce the spicy tomato sauce

No store-bought tomato sauce can compare to the taste of homemade sauce. And if you season them with fresh herbs before cooking, you get the perfect sauce for pasta and other dishes.

Ingredients:

  • 4 kg of ripe tomatoes
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 minced garlic cloves
  • 30 ml olive oil
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 tsp cane sugar
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • Citric acid or lemon juice from the bottle

Preparation:

  • After sterilizing the jars and washing, blanching and removing the skin from the tomatoes, peel the onion and garlic and cut them into small pieces.
  • Heat a larger skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and fry the onion until soft.
  • Then add the garlic and fry it briefly.
  • Then put the mixture in a large pot and also add the halved tomatoes along with the oregano, bay leaves, black pepper, salt and sugar.
  • Bring to a boil and simmer until reduced by half, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove the pot from the heat and puree or strain the mixture.
  • Pour the tomato sauce into the sterilized preserving jars and cook in a pot filled with water for 30 minutes.

How to cook a tomato sauce in the Thermomix or ovenfind out here.