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Easy Small-Batch Canned Tomato Sauce: Best Beginner Recipe

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This small-batch canned tomato sauce is forgiving, straightforward, and tastes like the end of summer in a jar. Perfect for beginners, it uses the water bath method and simple ingredients to create a rustic, balanced sauce that’s safe and satisfying.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 5 pounds Roma tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice per pint jar
  • 1/2 teaspoon canning salt per pint jar
  • 1–2 sprigs fresh basil per jar (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil per jar (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare your jars and lids: Wash jars, lids, and bands in hot, soapy water. Rinse well. Place jars in a stockpot, cover with water, and bring to a simmer. Keep hot until ready to fill. Place lids in a small bowl and cover with hot water (not boiling) to soften the sealing compound.
  2. Blanch the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Using a slotted spoon, lower tomatoes into boiling water in batches for 30-45 seconds until skins start to split. Immediately transfer to ice water bath.
  3. Peel and core the tomatoes: Once cool enough to handle, slip off the skins. Cut out the core and discard. Don’t worry about every seed.
  4. Crush the tomatoes: Crush by hand for chunkier sauce or use an immersion blender for smoother result. Give a quick blitz (about 5 seconds) to break them down.
  5. Simmer the sauce: Transfer crushed tomatoes to a large pot. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour until sauce reduces by about a third and thickens slightly.
  6. Fill the jars: Using a jar lifter, remove a hot jar from stockpot and drain water. Place on a clean kitchen towel. Add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon canning salt to jar. Ladle hot sauce into jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Run a clean chopstick around inside to release air bubbles. Wipe rim with a clean, damp paper towel. Center lid on jar and screw on band until fingertip-tight.
  7. Process the jars: Using jar lifter, lower filled jars back into stockpot of simmering water. Ensure jars are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Bring water to a full rolling boil. Process pint jars for 40 minutes at altitudes up to 1,000 feet. Add 5 minutes for every additional 1,000 feet above 1,000 feet.
  8. Cool and check seals: Turn off heat and remove jars with jar lifter. Place on a clean kitchen towel, leaving space between them. Don’t tighten bands or touch lids. Let cool completely (overnight is best). The next day, press center of each lid. If it doesn’t flex up and down, it’s sealed. If it flexes, refrigerate that jar and use within a week.

Notes

Don’t skip the lemon juice for safety. If a jar doesn’t seal, refrigerate and use within a week. For high altitude, adjust processing time. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools. Label jars with date and contents.

Nutrition

Keywords: small-batch canned tomato sauce, beginner canning recipe, water bath canning, homemade tomato sauce, Roma tomatoes, easy canning recipe

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