Our Family’s Go-To Spaghetti Sauce

Grab your apron. The cute one without stains on it.

Today we’re canning spaghetti sauce.

We’re channeling our best home maker selves from the 1880s.

Just a big pot on the stove and tomatoes that went absolutely wild this year. Ours were pushing eight feet tall, so we froze the extras and saved sauce-making for Christmas break when there’s a Blizzard Warning outside.

This is the sauce my kids prefer over Prego.

Here’s why I love this recipe: it’s simple. You don’t need a pressure cooker from the 1950s that’s probably hiding in your grandma’s cellar under spider webs. A regular water bath works great.

Your future self will be very thankful on a busy school night.

Ingredients

• 25 lbs tomatoes (whatever you grew — a mix is great)

• 5 medium onions, chopped

• 5 bell peppers (4 red, 1 green)

• 4 small cans tomato paste (6 oz each)

• 1/4 cup soy sauce (sounds weird, but it works)

• 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 2/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup salt

• 10 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 Tbsp dried oregano

• 3 Tbsp dried basil

• 2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 2 bay leaves

• Lemon juice for jars (only if water bath canning)

How To Make It

1. Peel the tomatoes.
   Boil whole tomatoes for 1–2 minutes, then drop into ice water. Skins slip right off. Quarter them and keep all the juice.

2. Chop onions & peppers.
   Pulse in a food processor until finely chopped. (If you feel like it, sauté them first with a little oil and salt.)

3. Into the pot.
   Add everything to a large stockpot.

4. Simmer.
   Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 4–5 hours, stirring occasionally so nothing burns.

5. Blend if you want.
   Use an immersion blender if you like a smoother sauce. Remove bay leaves.

6. Jar it up.
   Add 2 Tbsp lemon juice per quart jar (1 Tbsp for pints). Ladle sauce into jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Wipe rims, add lids.

7. Water bath can.
   Process quarts for 40 minutes (adjust for altitude).

Recipe adapted by Lulu’s Blooms from Favorite Family Recipes.

One Last Thing

We double the batch since we use this sauce weekly — spaghetti nights, baked pasta, quick dinners when everyone’s hungry and tired. Bonus points, grow your own tomatoes next year, I love the Romas and Better Boy varieties!