This homemade spaghetti sauce recipe is really easy to make. You can customize it by using the spices and herbs listed or use the ones that you personally prefer. It’s a great way to use up a lot of those ripe tomatoes sitting in your garden. You can easily double-up the recipe to make a larger batch.

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It will take you an afternoon to make it (to blanch and cook down your tomatoes, chop the peppers & onions, etc.) so make sure you allow a few hours in your schedule. You can make it go quicker by enlisting help. I will often draft my mother and husband to help me! This recipe will make approximately 5 quarts.

You can use this spaghetti sauce with any pasta dish you may be making. I will use this same sauce when I’m baking manicotti, ziti, lasagna, etc. It’s versatile! If I want to add ground beef to it…I will brown up my 1/2 lb. ground beef and add it after I pop open a jar while I’m heating up the sauce for whatever recipe that I’m making.

Home Canning Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

12 pounds of large, ripe, red tomatoes
2 large green bell peppers, chopped
1 large orange bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, diced
12-ounce can tomato paste
5 Tbsp. olive oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 cup bottled lemon juice
water

Wash all produce under running water. Blanch tomatoes in boiling water, remove skins, rinse away seeds and quarter. Place tomatoes in a large stock pot.

Chop the bell peppers into small pieces using a food processor or knife. Dice up the onion. Place peppers and onions into the stock pot with the tomatoes. Add in the tomato paste, olive oil, granulated sugar, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, dried parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and ground black pepper. Add enough water to cover all of the ingredients by at least 1″ over the top. Cover. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer (medium heat) and simmer (uncovered) for 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to prevent sticking. You’re basically cooking down the tomatoes and softening up the peppers and onion.

While sauce is cooking prepare all of your canning jars by washing them. Lay out all of the canning supplies that you’re going to need during the canning process. (jars, seals, rings, wide mouth funnel, jar lifter, magnetic lid grabber, ladle, linens, etc.)

Ladle the spaghetti sauce into hot mason jars leaving a 1/2″ headspace. Add 2 Tbsp. bottled lemon juice to each quart-size jar. Remove air bubbles, wipe the jar rim clean. Add your lid and ring until it’s finger-tip tight.  Place jars into your water bath canner with simmering (not boiling) water. Use your canner rack. Continue this process until all of your jars are filled.

Lower rack into your water bath canner. Water should cover all of the jars by at least 2″. Cover. Turn the heat up on the burner to medium-high. Bring water to a boil. Process jars in boiling water for 40 minutes. Turn off heat. Remove lid. Let jars sit in the hot water for an additional 10 minutes.

Carefully remove jars from the canner. I like to lay out an old cotton towel on my kitchen counter-top and place the jars on top. Make sure you don’t place them in a drafty area. Let them cool to room temperature. Double check all jars to make sure they sealed. Label jars with contents and date. Store for up to 1 year.

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Last month we harvested a few large zucchinis from our garden. I’ve already canned several jars of zucchini relish and zucchini pickles. You can find both of those recipes on the blog. This time around I knew I wanted to make a large batch of mild zucchini salsa. Making your own salsa is an easy process but it does take quite some time to complete.

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You’ll need a water bath canner, basic home canning supplies, glass mason jars, a grater, colander, large bowls, knives, large pot, cutting board, etc. Gather up all of the ingredients and canning supplies before starting the recipe. If you can get another person to help you…better yet! You can find over 100+ home canning recipes on The Classy Chics blog.

Mild Zucchini Salsa Recipe

12 cups zucchini, shredded
12 cups tomatoes, chopped, seeds rinsed away
1 1/2 cups onion, finely chopped
2 green bell peppers, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. Ball Canning Salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white vinegar

Wash zucchinis, peppers, and tomatoes under running water. Use a scrub brush if necessary to remove dirt and debris. The zucchinis that I was using were quite large so I cut them down into manageable chunks which made them easier to handle. You need to grate the zucchini (skins-on) until you get 12 full cups. Place shreds in a bowl and sprinkle the Ball Canning Salt over the top. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for several hours.

While that’s in the refrigerator you want to chop up the tomatoes, onions and peppers. I try to avoid tomato seeds in our salsa so I rinse those away by placing chopped pieces in a colander and running tap water over them. Shake off excess water and pour your chopped tomatoes into a clean bowl. You need a total of 12 cups of chopped tomatoes. Proceed on by chopping up your onions and all of the peppers.

Remove zucchini from the refrigerator and pour it into a large colander. Rinse all of the salt off by placing it under running water from your faucet. Let strainer sit for several minutes to allow all of the water to drain away.

Place the grated zucchini, chopped tomatoes, onions and peppers into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the rest of the ingredients, stirring after each addition. Bring mixture to a full boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour to allow everything to cook down. You need to stir the mixture every 5-10 minutes to prevent sticking and to make sure everything is cooking down evenly.

While that is cooking down get all of your canning supplies in order. Wash jars, rings and lids. Add water to your water bath canner filling it 2/3 of the way full. Lay out your funnel, ladle, spoons, etc. that you’ll need for the canning process.

Your canner needs to have simmering water, not boiling so do that over medium heat.  I warm up my glass mason jars in my oven set at 170 degrees F. I place my seals in a small pan on my stove-top on low heat. They need to be warm but not boiling hot. Fill your hot jars with the relish leaving a 1/2″ headspace. Use a clean cloth to wipe the jar rim. Add your warm seal and ring until it’s fingertip tight. Place jars in your canner and continue until all of your jars are filled. Lower rack into the canner. Cover. Turn up the heat to medium-high to bring it to a boil. Process your jars for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove canner lid. Let your jars sit in the hot water for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove jars from canner. I place mine on a towel on my kitchen counter-top to cool. Once cool check to make sure all jars have sealed. Label and store for up to 1 year.

Canning Tips: This recipe makes a lot of salsa! My water bath canner only holds 7 pint-sized jars at a time. You can make several batches one after the other or run two water bath canners at a time. If you’re doing one batch after another keep the salsa still left in your pot warm by turning down the heat to the lowest setting. You don’t want to keep it cooking…just keep it warm!

Cooking and canning can be messy! Wear an apron or an old t-shirt. I keep all of my old kitchen linens in a bin and use them only for canning, so don’t toss away your old linens…save them just for this purpose. The process goes a lot faster and easier if you can recruit someone to help you with all of the prep work (grating and chopping).

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