Canning Homemade Pizza Sauce: Step-by-Step

If you love making homemade pizza, then having a stock of homemade pizza sauce on hand is a must. Not only does it taste better than store-bought sauce, but it’s also a great way to use up excess tomatoes from your garden or local farmers’ market. While making a large batch of pizza sauce might seem daunting, canning it allows you to preserve it for future use. Follow these step-by-step instructions to can your own homemade pizza sauce and have it ready whenever a pizza craving strikes.

Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients
To make homemade pizza sauce, you will need fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. You can also add other seasonings or ingredients to suit your taste. Make sure to have canning jars, lids, and a canning pot ready as well.

Step 2: Prepare the Tomatoes
Start by blanching the tomatoes in boiling water for about 1 minute. Then, transfer them to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Once they have cooled, peel the skin off the tomatoes and remove the core. Dice the tomatoes and set them aside.

Step 3: Make the Sauce
In a large pot, sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until they are soft and translucent. Add the diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper to the pot. Let the sauce simmer for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens to your desired consistency. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings as needed.

Step 4: Sterilize the Jars
While the sauce is simmering, sterilize your canning jars and lids in boiling water for 10 minutes to ensure they are clean and free of any bacteria.

Step 5: Fill the Jars
Once the sauce is ready, carefully ladle it into the sterilized jars, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace at the top. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean cloth to remove any spills, and then place the lids on top.

Step 6: Process the Jars
Place the filled jars in a canning pot, making sure they are covered with at least one inch of water. Bring the water to a boil and process the jars for 35 minutes.

Step 7: Cool and Store
Once the processing time is up, carefully remove the jars from the canning pot and let them cool on a towel-lined countertop for 12-24 hours. Check that the lids have sealed properly by pressing down on the center of the lid. If the lid doesn’t pop back up, the jar has sealed correctly. Store the sealed jars in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

By following these step-by-step instructions, you can easily can your own homemade pizza sauce and enjoy the taste of fresh, homemade pizza whenever you want. It’s a wonderful way to preserve the flavors of the summer harvest and always have delicious pizza sauce on hand. Happy canning!