Homemade Spaghetti Sauce for Canning

Spaghetti Sauce. What kid (and admittedly adult!) doesn't like a big, giant bowl of saucy spaghetti? Despite the fact that Lucas has now entered the "I will not eat vegetables" stage, he loves this sauce. He even helps cut up the tomatoes (using a butter knife), measure the ingredients, and set the timer.

The most important thing here is to only use ingredients and spices that your family likes. If you're not huge on basil, omit it. If you love garlic, add more. Use my recipe as a guide to make your sauce, well, YOUR sauce.

He's my start-from-scratch version of sweet spaghetti sauce, have fun customizing it into one your family will love.

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The Ingredients

From Around the House

• A big sauce or stock pot
• An immersion blender, food processor or potato masher
• A water bath canner or gigantic pot with false bottom
• Canning Tongs
• Funnel that fits in your jars
• A few dish towels or silicone mats
• A clean, dry washcloth
• Spoons or spatulas
• Clean Canning Jars
• Lids and rings

From the Store or Garden

• Enough roughly chopped Tomatoes to fill your pot 2/3 full. I used Early Girl.
• 1 bunch of celery, less the top and bottom
• 1 medium-sized sweet or red onion
• 1 bulb of garlic, peeled and chopped
• A hand full or two of fresh Basil
• A small hand full of fresh Parsley
• Hand full of fresh Chives
• A few leaves of Rosemary
• Two palmfulls of Spaghetti Sauce Spice (I LOVE Wildtree's Blend)
• Salt and Pepper
• Sugar 
• Lemon Juice
• Apple Cider Vinegar

The Recipe

Prep the Tomatoes, Celery and Onions

I choose to leave the seeds in and peels on for my spaghetti sauce. You can do either way. Take the cores out of the tomatoes and rough chop the celery and onions.

Simmer until Veggies are brown down

Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. After things are bubbling, turn down the heat a little until the tomatoes are smushy (technical terms, I know!). Simmer 10-15 minutes.

Blend it up and Start Waterbath

Use an immersion blender or Potato Masher to blend everything together. You can also work in small batches using a food processor or blender. Be careful! This stuff is HOT!
Start your jars to boil in your canner. Need directions? Check Ball's website here.

Add Other Ingredients

Chop up your herbs and garlic. Add it to the pot. Add in the Spaghetti seasoning, and 1/2 cup of lemon juice and Apple Cider Vinegar (for preserving and flavor). Add sugar to taste (start with 1/2 cup, add to taste), and Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 20-30 minutes.

Add to jars, and Process

Once your sauce is the desired consistency, ladle it into hot jars, wipe off rims, place lids on, add rings (but not too tight!), and process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes. Use tongs to remove jars, and allow to cool on a towel at room temperature. Listen for the lids to pop.