How to Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Canning Recipe Tutorial (2024)

FAQs

Do you have to add lemon juice to spaghetti sauce when canning? ›

The short answer is, yes. It is critical when home canning tomatoes, whether they are whole, crushed or juiced, to acidify them during the canning process by adding bottled lemon juice or citric acid.

Unripe tomatoes consist of a lot more acid as compared to fruit that has reached maturity. That is why it is recommended to make spaghetti sauce or preserve tomato-based sauces through the pressure canning method that requires no acid to be added to the sauce and ensures that the taste remains fresh even after days.

To ensure safety, acid must be added when canning whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes. Freezing is a safe, easy alternative to home canning. Frozen tomatoes and tomato products do not need added acid.

Citric acid, bottled lemon juice, or vinegar added in the correct amounts will ensure that whether tomatoes are boiling water bath canned or pressure canned, the C. botulinum spores will not germinate when a current recipe is used and the jars are processed properly.

Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice per pint to each sterile jar to be filled. Fill jars with tomato sauce, leaving 1/2" head space. Cap with lids and bands and process in a boiling water bath for 35 minutes.

Same goes if you're canning tomatoes for a later time, when they'll probably be turned into a sauce. Though it's completely a matter of preference, for the smoothest, mellowest sauce, you might consider peeling.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process pint jars for 35 minutes and quart jars for 40 minutes, adjusting for altitude.

Tossing in strips of basil, a sprig of thyme or some oregano can take your sauce to the next level. Although fresh herbs might pop a bit more, dried herbs and spices can work just as well. Sprinkling in some red pepper flakes, a pinch of parsley and a dash of salt and pepper can liven up your jarred pasta sauce.

IF YOU COOK spaghetti in a big pot of water, drain it, then toss it with sauce, you are pouring a lot of flavor down the drain, says Vendemmia chef Brian Clevenger. “The trick to good pasta is cooking it in the sauce,” he says. It was while working at Delfina in San Francisco that he really started to understand why.

Texture-wise, fat adds a rich, mouth-coating feel to a sauce, both when it's broken out of the sauce on its own, and when it is emulsified with the sauce's liquid phase, making the whole thing creamier. Add a bit of butter in there as well.

How do you can tomatoes the old fashioned way? ›

If you want it even thicker, add another can or so of tomato puree until it is thick to your likeness. Let it sit for a while! Make sure to stir every now and then. You can let it simmer anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours.

According to the National Center for Home Preservation, it is advised to use 1 tablespoon of fresh or bottled lemon juice per 1 pint of tomatoes. I do not adhere to this due to it changing the flavor. If you do decide to do this, you may want to add sugar to help offset the lemon flavor.

Canning Tomatoes

To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed or juiced tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon of citric acid.

Lime juice

Lime juice is the best substitute for lemon juice, as it can be used as a one-to-one replacement and has a very similar taste and acidity level ( 5 ). In fact, when canning or preserving food, it's the ideal substitute for lemon juice because it has a similar pH level.

A shot of red wine vinegar might do the trick here, but that adds its own flavor; a small splash of humble lemon can brighten the sauce exponentially without stealing the spotlight. That's what a hit of acidity does—it sharpens the flavors, sometimes imperceptibly.

Why Do You Put Lemon Juice in Pasta? Fresh lemon juice adds a fantastic bright flavor to pasta, and it's especially delicious when paired with savory Parmesan cheese, as in this lemon pasta recipe.