Hearty, savory and packed full of terrific flavor, this recipe for spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes is an excellent way to preserve the harvest from your backyard garden. Simply cook, freeze and enjoy fresh spaghetti sauce year-round.
September is bittersweet for us. Let me explain.
Here in Ohio we start our tomato seeds indoors, around April. The gardening season officially starts mid May when we get the tomato seedlings into the ground. All summer long we work to nurture the garden and by September, we finally see the fruits of our labor. Tomatoes galore!
I start canning tomato soup. Turning the peppers and tomatoes into a fermented salsa. Chopping. Peeling. Freezing. And of course, plenty of fresh eating.
While I love homegrown tomato season, it is a lot of work. The bittersweet feeling comes from the long, hard effort we have put into sowing our own food while also seeing the end of the growing season come to an end.
If you’re a homesteading family like us, you know the feeling all too well.
Now is the time for us to persevere and preserve the abundance you worked so hard for!
One of my favorite ways to put up the harvest is to make spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes. It is incredibly easy to make. And it works wonderfully with whatever type of tomato you have in your garden. Within just about an hours worth of cooking time, you can create many containers of spaghetti sauce that you can freeze to use throughout the winter.
It is truly a terrific feeling to pull out a jar of homemade spaghetti sauce from the freezer and pour it over some ground beef for a delicious meal. Super convenient and quite nutritious.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy – When making this recipe, the majority of the time is spent cooking the tomatoes down. There is little hands on time — no need to blanch or peel the tomatoes or spend tons of time canning. Just toss the tomatoes into the pot, cook, season and freeze the sauce to use through the winter months.
Flavorful – From the sweetness of the fresh homegrown tomatoes to the robust seasonings, this fresh tomato recipe is incredibly delicious.
Versatile – Use your favorite tomato variety! Adjust the seasonings to your taste. And use the finished sauce on pasta, mixed into ground beef, or spread between the layers of a hearty lasagna.
Freezer Friendly – If you’re swamped with a bounty of tomatoes, this recipe is a great way to use them up. It freezes well and saves time instead of spending your day canning.
Can You Use Fresh Tomatoes in Marinara?
Yes, you can use any type of fresh tomatoes to make this from scratch marina sauce. In fact, I believe fresh tomatoes make a sweeter, more flavorful sauce compared to sauces made with canned tomatoes or a jar of store bought spaghetti sauce.
Do I Peel Tomatoes for Spaghetti Sauce?
No. In this recipe for fresh tomato spaghetti sauce, peeling is not necessary. As the sauce cooks, it’ll break down the tomato skins. Any remaining peels will get blended using the immersion blender. Bonus, by leaving the skins on, you add more nutrition into the sauce!
Tools You May Need
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Sharp knife
Cutting board
Large stainless steel pot
Tips
- You can use any type of tomatoes — roma, amish paste, cherry, German pink, beefsteak, etc. for this spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes.
- This from scratch spaghetti sauce recipe using fresh tomatoes from your garden can easily be cut in half or doubled depending on the amount of tomatoes you have.
- Don’t skip adding the tomato paste as it helps to thicken the sauce.
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender. Carefully pour the contents into the blender as it will be very hot.
- Always cool sauce completely before freezing.
- Do not overfill the freezer containers or bags as the sauce will expand as it freezes.
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce With Fresh Tomatoes
Makes: 10-11 cups
Ingredients
1/2 cup oil
5.25 lbs (84 oz) tomatoes, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup onions, diced
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Directions
In a large pot over medium-low heat, add oil. Add diced onion and cook until onion begins to soften and brown slightly. Toss in garlic and cook, stirring occasionally for about 1 minute.
Increase heat to medium. Add chopped tomatoes into pot (no need to peel). Cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes to begin to break down the tomatoes.
Remove lid and mix in tomato paste, salt, pepper, basil, oregano and thyme. Replace lid and bring mixture to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.
Carefully pour sauce into a blender or use an immersion blender to puree sauce until completely smooth.
Cover and bring spaghetti sauce back to a simmer and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove pot from heat. Let sauce cool before serving or storing in freezer safe containers.
To use spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes, thaw for a few hours (if frozen) then give it a stir until it is smooth again. Pour 3 cups of sauce over 2 pounds of ground beef. Stir to combine then bring to a gentle simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.
FAQ
Can I Freeze Fresh Tomatoes to Make Sauce Later?
Yes! Freezing tomatoes to make from scratch spaghetti sauce at a later date is a great way to save time while preserving the harvest. I recommend coring the tomatoes, then freeze on a baking sheet. Once the tomatoes are solid, toss into a freezer bag and store in the deep freezer.
Can You Use Fresh Herbs in Spaghetti Sauce?
Yes, that is a great way to use up fresh herbs from your garden. I would triple the amount of herbs that the spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes recipe calls. This is because dried herbs are more potent since the water has been evaporated from them. For example, the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of dried oregano so I would use 3 tablespoons of fresh oregano. I recommend tossing them into the pot closer to the end of cooking since fresh herbs can be a bit more delicate.
What is the Best Way to Store Spaghetti Sauce in the Freezer?
When finished cooking, allow the homemade spaghetti sauce to cool completely before freezing. Ladle the cooled sauce into freezer safe storage bags or plastic containers. Wide mouth mason jars filled to the freezer line also work. Leave plenty of headspace at the top of the container or bag to allow room for expansion as it freezes. If using a Ziploc bag don’t forget to remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. Personally my favorite way to store freezer spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes, is by using cylinder plastic storage containers. However, I have used all three ways above and found all of them work well.
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Spaghetti Sauce With Fresh Tomatoes
Hearty, savory and packed full of terrific flavor, this recipe for spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes is an excellent way to preserve the harvest from your backyard garden. Simply cook, freeze and enjoy fresh spaghetti sauce year-round.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup oil
- 5.25 lbs (84 oz) tomatoes, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup onions, diced
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-low heat, add oil. Add diced onion and cook until onion begins to soften and brown slightly. Toss in garlic and cook, stirring occasionally for about 1 minute.
- Increase heat to medium. Add chopped tomatoes into pot (no need to peel). Cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes to begin to break down the tomatoes.
- Remove lid and mix in tomato paste, salt, pepper, basil, oregano and thyme. Replace lid and bring mixture to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.
- Carefully pour sauce into a blender or use an immersion blender to puree sauce until completely smooth.
- Cover and bring spaghetti sauce back to a simmer and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove pot from heat. Let sauce cool before serving or storing in freezer safe containers.
- To use spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes, thaw for a few hours (if frozen) then give it a stir until it is smooth again. Pour 3 cups of sauce over 2 pounds of ground beef. Stir to combine then bring to a gentle simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.
