This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
This homemade canned spaghetti sauce is FAR better than anything you can find in a store. You’ll love the rich, savory flavor. The best way to use fresh garden tomatoes! Canning spaghetti sauce is easy and rewarding and makes for the best pasta sauce ever!
This canned spaghetti sauce is HANDS-DOWN, the very best with home-grown tomatoes. We are kind of crazy about our tomatoes over here. The taste of this savory tomato sauce stays fresh and turns any pasta dinner into something special.
Ingredients in Canned Spaghetti Sauce
All you need for perfect spaghetti sauce are some herbs, spices and of course, fresh ripe tomatoes! This sauce couldn’t be simpler to make:
- Tomatoes – about 25 pounds. This recipe makes a huge batch of tomato puree.
- Onions – I start with about five large yellow onions. You’ll end up with 7-8 cups chopped onions.
- Red bell peppers – four large peppers work great.
- Green bell pepper – dice one large pepper
- Tomato paste – four 6-ounce cans should do the trick.
- Soy sauce – Sounds weird, but trust us, it deepens the tomato flavor like you won’t believe!
- Worcestershire sauce – stir in a little sauce to enhance the flavor of the tomatoes and give the sauce a meaty flavor.
- Brown sugar – a little sweetness balances the acidity of the tomatoes and all the herbs.
- Seasonings – Salt, garlic, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves is all you need to season this delicious sauce.
- Lemon juice – for the jars
Why Can Spaghetti Sauce?
Canning spaghetti sauce offers several great benefits. It may take a little time up front but I love the satisfaction of walking into my pantry and seeing rows of freshly canned spaghetti sauce jars! Here are some more great benefits to canning:
- Long-term preservation: Enjoy homemade sauce even when fresh tomatoes are out of season.
- Control over ingredients: Customize the flavors, spices, and level of heat to suit personal taste preferences.
- Convenience and time-saving: Have ready-to-use sauce on hand for quick and easy meal preparations.
- Cost-effective: Save money by utilizing homegrown or bulk-purchased ingredients.
Tomatoes: A Family Tradition
Growing tomatoes is a “family tradition” of sorts for us. Our Uncle Larry is arguably the best gardener ever. He always has an immaculate garden and has studied and taught about gardening. The man knows ALL the tricks to get plants to grow. Uncle Larry has 10 green thumbs! His techniques have been passed around the family, luckily for us. He shared his secrets with our mom, who also grows a bountiful garden every year. To learn more about our tips and tricks for growing tomatoes, see our full guide.
Tomato growing is our family’s way to connect year after year. We compare notes on everything, from how our crops are faring, to what varieties we planted, to what has been canned so far. And of course, we love talking about all the delicious ways we can eat them! Along with the abundance of tomatoes comes a million ways to prepare them. One of our fondest memories growing up with our mom was making her delicious Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce. We’ve tweaked the recipe over the years and now it’s darn near perfection!
Family Tested, Dad Approved
Part of the reason we worked so hard to perfect this canned spaghetti sauce recipe is because of our dad. To know him is to know his passionate love for Italian food. He is super picky about spaghetti sauce; it has to be just right. Well, we’re happy to report that we served this sauce at family dinner recently and our dad loved it! He couldn’t get enough. In fact, he used a spoon to get all the excess off his plate. He’s crazy about this savory sauce, and you will be too!
How Can I Use Canned Spaghetti Sauce?
The name may say spaghetti, but this marinara sauce is so versatile, it’s sure to become one of your favorite staples, and not just on pasta night. Try it as a thickener for Italian-style soups like Minestrone, or add tomato paste to a serving to make pizza sauce. Here are some more delicious recipes that use spaghetti sauce:
Water Bath Canning Spaghetti Sauce
Water bath canning tomatoes is the most common way to can tomatoes, but it must be done the right way. Tomatoes are in the “gray area” of having enough acidity, so you need to add a bit of lemon juice or citric acid to ensure it reaches the correct acidity for canning. You can learn all about water bath canning in my water bath canning guide. If you want to learn about the basics of canning and other ways to can, check out my Canning 101 post as well. Between these two posts, you will learn how to be a water bath canning pro in no time!
How to Use a Pressure Canner
For a weighted-gauge pressure canner, you will want to process 20 minutes for pint jars and 25 minutes for quart jars. I like to use the Presto 16-Quart Pressure Canner, which is great for canning spaghetti sauce, homemade jams, and more. You can get it for $78 at Walmart to start canning your own sauces.
Process at 10 pounds for altitudes between 0-1,000 feet. Process at 15 pounds for altitudes above 1,000 feet. For more information on pressure canning spaghetti sauce, check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation here.
Where to Buy Canning Jars
We like to use 1-quart canning jars from Ball. They’re the BEST for canning spaghetti sauce. You can get 12 of them at Walmart for around $16, which makes it a little over $1 a jar and one of the more affordable ways to start canning. We also like to use them as drinking glasses, food storage, flower vases, and more, so you’ll get a ton of use out of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do not, I repeat, do NOT skip this step. Stick a reminder note on your jars or tie a ribbon on your finger so you don’t forget. You absolutely can not safely can tomatoes without bringing up the acidity first. If you forget to add the lemon juice you will need to open the jars, add the juice, replace with new lids, and reprocess.
You can add ground beef or ground Italian sausage ONLY if you are going to pressure can it OR if you freeze it instead of canning it (or you just want to eat it fresh or within a few days). Do not add ground beef if you are planning to water-bath can or steam can — it will not be safe to eat after sitting on the shelf.
Be really careful when adding or omitting ingredients to a canning recipe. You are usually fine adding spices but when it comes to adding fresh mushrooms, celery, parsley, thyme or meat it could throw off the acidity levels, thus making unsafe for canning.
We usually try to eat anything that we have canned within a year. You can probably go a couple years but probably not much longer than that. Some canning sites even say you shouldn’t go more than 6 months, but I think you are fine going longer than that.
Absolutely! This spaghetti sauce recipe freezes beautifully and lasts for several months in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. Just make sure to thaw the sauce completely in the refrigerator before re-heating. If you DO want to add more random ingredients like ground beef or extra veggies, freezing is a good way to go if you are worried about acidity levels.
The only ingredient that has any gluten in this recipe is the soy sauce. It sounds weird to even have soy sauce in a spaghetti sauce recipe, but trust us, it is divine! Instead of cutting the soy sauce, opt for a gluten free brand. The rich flavor will knock your socks off!
Still Have a Question about Canning Spaghetti Sauce?
This recipe has been tried and LOVED by many of you. Be sure to check out the comments to see everyone’s reviews about this canned spaghetti sauce. We also answer a lot of canning questions that have been asked in the comment section so if you have any questions, read below and I am sure you will find the answer you are looking for! Still can’t find an answer? Leave a comment and we will try to answer it as quickly as possible. With the sheer volume of comments we get, it may take a few days for us to respond but we try to get to every question!
READ NEXT: Ravioli Sauce
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
- Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
- One Pot Creamy Garlic Noodles
- Nick’s Authentic Italian Spaghetti
- Old Spaghetti Factory’s Mizithra Pasta
How to Make Canned Spaghetti Sauce
Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 25 pounds tomatoes
- 5 medium onions (about 7-8 cups chopped)
- 4 red bell peppers
- 1 green bell pepper
- 4 (6oz) cans tomato paste
- 1/4 cups soy sauce Sounds weird, but trust us, it deepens the tomato flavor like you won’t believe!
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup salt
- 10 cloves garlic chopped or minced
- 3 tablespoons oregano dried
- 3 tablespoons basil dried
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/4 cups lemon juice for jars
Instructions
- Fill a large pot or Dutch oven half-way with water, bring to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, add tomatoes one at a time until you can't fit any more (about 8-10 tomatoes).
- Boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove tomatoes one at a time with slotted spoon and plunge in an icewater bath. Peel and quarter tomatoes.
- In a food processor, cover and process green peppers and onions in batches until finely chopped (if you want to add extra flavor, saute the peppers and onions in a little oil and a pinch of salt before processing).In a large stockpot, combine the tomatoes (do not discard excess juices from the tomatoes), onion/pepper mixture, tomato paste, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, garlic, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, and bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so (tomatoes burn easily so keep an eye on it). Discard bay leaves.If you want to make your sauce thick and smooth, use an immersion blender to blend the tomatoes until smooth with no large chunks (you can also blend it in batches in a blender).
- Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to 9 or 10 hot 1-quart jars (depending on how much sauce you have). Ladle hot mixture into jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace at the top. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids.
For Water Bath Canning:
- Process for 40 minutes in a boiling-water canner for altitudes of 1,000 feet or less. For altitudes up to 3,000 feet, add 5 minutes; 6,000 feet, add 10 minutes; 8,000 feet, add 15 minutes; 10,000 feet, add 20 minutes.
For Pressure Canning:
- Using a weighted-gauge pressure canner, process 20 minutes for pint jars and 25 minutes for quart jars. Process at 10 lb for altitudes between 0-1,000 feet. Process at 15 lb for altitudes above 1,000 feet.
Notes
- This recipe makes 9-10 quart-sized jars
- Our Uncle Larry is arguably the best gardener ever. He always has an immaculate garden and has studied and taught about gardening. The man knows ALL the tricks to get plants to grow. Uncle Larry has 10 green thumbs! His techniques have been passed around the family, luckily for us. He shared his secrets with our mom, who also grows a bountiful garden every year. To learn more about our tips and tricks for growing tomatoes, see our full guide.
- This spaghetti sauce recipe freezes beautifully and lasts for several months in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. Just make sure to thaw the sauce completely in the refrigerator before re-heating. If you DO want to add more random ingredients like ground beef or extra veggies, freezing is a good way to go if you are worried about acidity levels.
I have a recipe for roasted garlic, tomatoes and onion spaghetti sauce that I will be pressure canning. Is it safe to add ‘canned’ crushed tomatoes to recipe? Thank you
We can only endorse the recipe as written for canning purposes. Substitutions can be safely made if you plan to freeze the sauce instead of canning.
I am excited to try this recipe but I have regular tomatoes not roma will it still be okay and can you use citric acid instead of lemon juice?
We can only endorse the recipe as written for canning purposes. Substitutions can be safely made if you plan to freeze the sauce instead of canning.
Looking for to trying this recipe once my tomatoes start to ripen. What is your preference to water batch canning (shelf life 1/5 yr) vs pressure canning (shelf life?)
Thanks and appreciate you sharing this great recipe
Both are great options! We eat this spaghetti sauce pretty quickly so we don’t need more than half a year on the shelf!
Hi! I’m interested in making this recipe but am wondering about the hours it simmers. Is that to blend the flavors? Would it be okay to just simmer for about an hour? Thanks!
Yes, it is to let the flavors blend. You can shorten the simmering time if needed.
I made this recipe for the first time and I am a little new at canning. When I jarred all the sauce up I ended up with 11 jars. I felt like I fallowed everything. Now I am worried that the acid level will be off. So I added an extra tablespoon of lemon juice.
Help! Do you leave the seeds in or do you deseed the tomatoes after you peel them? Looking forward to can ing this sauce!
Can you substitute raw cane sugar for the brown sugar? I am so excited to make this recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
We can only endorse the recipe as written for canning purposes. Substitutions can be safely made if you plan to freeze the sauce instead of canning.
Hello, so excited to try this recipe this summer.
If i’m pressure canning do I still add lemon juice to each jar?
Thanks so much!
Yes! You should still add the lemon to make sure the acid levels are right for canning.
I don’t have a scale to weigh my tomatoes, which are medium to large in size. About how many tomatoes would I need to use to make 25 lbs?
Usually 2 average sized tomatoes equal 1 lb. I hope this helps!
What kind of tomatoes are the best for this sauce?
Our favorites are Roma or San Marzano!
This recipe sounds amazing and I would love to can it, could I use tomatoes I have already canned? If yes, how many quarts would I use for your recipe?
We’ve had other readers say that 5 quarts of canned tomatoes works great for this recipe!
OMG! this is the best sauce ever!!
Since we had a super good crop of tomatoes this year I’m very thankful I found your recipe. I made a couple of batches and canned several quarts. Now I wish I had even more. We love this sauce so much we drink it like V8 juice. I did grill the green peppers and onions before adding them into the sauce.
Thanks for a wonderful recipe that I will use for years to come!
I’m so happy you love this recipe as much as we do! Thank you for sharing your tip for adding grilled peppers and onions. Great idea!
I thought adding other things like fresh vegetables messed with the pH of the total batch and we weren’t supposed to do that to stay safe.
The green peppers and onions are already in the recipe. This reader just grilled them before adding.
I love making spaghetti sauce from my garden tomatoes and veggies. It taste so fresh and I can add more or less of what I like.
We make spaghetti a ton & to have this on hand, makes it so nice & convenient. Plus, it tastes so good!!
Hi! I just made this recipe and I am super stoked! I do have a few questions, once taken out from the 40 minute water bath is it bad to press on the lids right away? Does that mess with the air in the jar? Also how can you really test if you canned the sauce properly?
You can tighten the lids as soon as they are cool enough to touch. It doesn’t mess with the air. There isn’t really a way to “test” to see if it is canned properly. The best way to tell is if the seal on the lid is pressed in. If it still makes a “pop” sound when you press on the top of the lid after it has cooled completely, it didn’t seal properly. You will want to put that jar in the fridge and use it within a few days. Hope that helps!
Can I use a high quality canned tomatoes leaning towards a cento san marzano. If canned tomatoes work would I still use 25lbs of canned tomatoes. Has anyone used canned tomatoes with good results. Thanks
Yes, that would absolutely work, and yes still 25 pounds. Hope you enjoy!
Have used this recipe 2 years in a row and have loved it. We did a couple of different things to make a more sweeter sauce. 1) roast the tomatoes with skins on in the oven for 30-40 min at 400 f. Roast until the skins start to break. This brings out the tomato sweetness
2) carmelized the onions
3) sauteed the peppers
All 3 of these really make the recipe TOP NOTCH
Please help! I’ve had really good spaghetti sauce recipes but when canned, they ended up tasting like an Italian seasoning factory! What has been your take on this after it’s sat on the shelf for a month or two? I’m hoping this one works. Any ideas?
We haven’t had this issue with this recipe. If it is too intense, you can always add a little tomato paste or canned tomato sauce.
Hello,
How long will this last on the shelf if canned properly in a water bath?
It should last a year on the shelf!
I love having homemade spaghetti sauce on had during the winter months. It tastes so much for fresh too!
Oh yes this was absolutely delicious. Good thing my kiddos know how to make pasta noodles. They loved this sauce with it and will make a batch of noodles to have with the sauce for an afternoon snack. Daily!! lol It’s SO good.
Rich in flavor, this spaghetti sauce is delicious!! I will be making a big batch to store in jars!!