Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce

Nothing beats basic homemade tomato sauce…it’s fresh, delicious, versatile and eco-friendly!  Make sure to stock up when local tomatoes are in season!

Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce

Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce

Course cooking sauce, pasta
Servings 4 cups
Calories 70 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lbs fresh tomatoes (about 8 medium)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • tbsp lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Remove stems or leaves, if necessary, from tomatoes. It is not necessary to remove the core or seeds.
  • Drop tomatoes in the blender and blend until smooth, in batches if needed. You should end up with about 8 cups of puree.
  • Put the puree in a large saucepan, straining through a mesh colander, if desired, to remove seeds. Add salt.
  • Simmer on low for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice.
  • Hack: Store sauce, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze cooled sauce in one-cup servings in sealed freezer-safe bags or containers for up to 6 months.
  • Hack: To make tomato paste, double line mesh colander with cheesecloth and place in a bowl. Put 1 cup of cooled tomato sauce in the colander. Cover and leave in the refrigerator overnight. Using cheesecloth, squeeze out any remaining liquid. Yield: 3 tbsp.
  • Hack:  If you have leftover tomatoes and no time to make a sauce, simply puree them in the blender and freeze the fresh puree in sealed freezer bags or containers to cook with at a later date.
Keyword easy, fresh tomatoes, homemade, pasta, spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, tomato puree, tomato sauce, too many tomatoes

For more ways to deal with an overabundance of fresh tomatoes during the growing season, click here for advice for saving them for later use!

Suggestion:  Use this fresh tomato sauce to make spicy Spanish rice or homemade chili beans!

Homemade Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

Creamy, rich and bursting with brightness, this garden fresh tomato soup recipe is the ultimate sidekick to a grilled cheese sandwich.  It’s also great with homemade butter biscuits for dipping!

Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 110 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp)
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 4 cups fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 2 pounds)
  • cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • tsp black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic.
  • And cook until soft but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add tomatoes, vegetable broth, sugar, bay leaves, basil, salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming off and discarding any foam from the surface.  Remove bay leaves.
  • Puree in batches using blender or food processor until smooth and return to pot to keep warm.  Add additional sugar or salt before serving, if desired.
  • Hack:  Put serving-sized leftover portions in a freezer bag or container and store them in the freezer for future use.
  • Hack:  If you have leftover tomatoes that are becoming over-ripe, simply puree them in the blender and freeze the fresh puree in sealed freezer bags or containers to use in recipes at a later date.  No need to core, peel or seed ‘em...just toss ‘em right in.  Run the puree through a mesh colander if you want to remove the seeds.
Keyword fresh tomato recipe, fresh tomato soup, fresh tomatoes, garden fresh tomato soup, homemade soup, homemade tomato soup, vegan, vegetarian

For more ways to deal with an overabundance of fresh tomatoes during the growing season (or any time), click here for advice for saving them for later use!

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