Homemade pizza sauce adds a fresh and vibrant taste to any pizza. It’s a great way to use up an abundance of fresh tomatoes from the garden or local farmers’ market, and canning the sauce allows you to enjoy its flavor all year round. Canning your own pizza sauce is not only a fun and satisfying project, but it also ensures that you have a healthy and preservative-free option for your favorite homemade pizzas.

To start, you’ll need ripe tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, oregano, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The key to a delicious pizza sauce is using high-quality, fresh ingredients. Roma tomatoes are ideal for their meaty texture and rich flavor, but any variety of fresh, ripe tomatoes will work well. If you don’t have access to fresh tomatoes, you can also use canned tomatoes as a substitute.

To prepare the sauce, start by blanching the tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes, then transfer them to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. This makes it easier to remove the skin, which can be tough and unpleasant in the finished sauce. Once the tomatoes are peeled, chop them and simmer with the other ingredients in a large pot until the mixture has cooked down and thickened.

Next, it’s time to prepare your canning jars. Wash the jars and lids thoroughly in hot, soapy water and sterilize them by boiling in water for 10 minutes. Once the sauce is ready, fill the jars with the hot sauce, leaving a little space at the top, and seal them with the lids and bands. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 35 minutes to ensure that they are properly sealed and safe for long-term storage.

Canning your own pizza sauce not only allows you to capture the bright and fresh flavors of the summer season, but it also ensures that you have a supply of delicious sauce on hand for quick and easy homemade pizzas. Plus, there’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing rows of beautiful, homemade jars of sauce lining your pantry shelves.

When you’re ready to use your homemade pizza sauce, simply open a jar, spread it on your favorite pizza dough, and top it with your favorite toppings. The flavor of the sauce will be so much more vibrant and fresh than anything you can find in a store-bought jar. Plus, knowing that you made the sauce yourself and preserved it for later use adds an extra element of enjoyment to your homemade pizza experience.

So if you’re looking to add an extra level of freshness and flavor to your homemade pizzas, consider making and canning your own pizza sauce. It’s a fun and rewarding project that will yield delicious results you can enjoy all year round. With just a little effort and some quality ingredients, you can ensure that your homemade pizzas are always bursting with fresh, homemade flavor.