Whether you are just canning this for your family’s consumption to save money or because you like the taste better than the store-bought variety, canning spaghetti sauce is fun and practical. And with a little decorative creativity, these jars make great gifts! Just leave on the lid band, cover with a piece of material or tissue paper, tie ribbon or string around the band with a tag attached. Create an even more practical gift by including a small bag of frozen crescent rolls or bread loaf along with the jar of spaghetti sauce inside a basket. Many, many ideas….
Let’s get started, shall we?
You’ll need a 16-quart stockpot. (This was my Christmas present this past year so now I can whip up a batch of sauce without needing to borrow my sister’s pot.)
Needed Ingredients:
- 2 cans or bottles V8 Juice
- Water
- (1) #10 can or (9) 12 oz. cans Tomato Paste
- 1/2 C. sugar
- 1/2 C. salt
- 1 lg. onion finely chopped
- 1/3 C. oregano
- 3 T. basil
- 1/2 C. Romano
- 1 C. oil
- 1/4 C. granulated garlic
- lg. beef or pork bone (optional)
Empty tomato paste into stockpot.
Pour in V8 Juice and mix well with a whisk.
Fill rest of the pot with water; continuing to whisk.
Grate the Romano cheese. (I grated the remainder of the Romano and put inside the deep freeze to use at a later date. I’m excited that one block was enough for three batches, or I can use it in my meatball recipe.)
After all ingredients except for the onion and (optional meat) have been added.
By the way, the longer you let your sauce simmer, the thicker it will become. Cook as long or as little as you wish depending on how thick you want your sauce. Also, you will need to cook it longer if you have a meat bone inside. If you do use a meat bone, you will need to use a slotted spoon and fish out the bone and any chunky meat bits that are in the sauce before canning. The meat bone does add a bit of extra flavor but it is not vital to the overall yummy taste of the sauce.
I like the onion to be finely chopped so you don’t end up eating a hunk of it in your spaghetti. 🙂 You can also see the sauce beginning to bubble as it gets close to boiling. DO NOT boil, just simmer!
A few of the needed tools. You will also need at least 14 quart jars that have been thoroughly washed and dried. Always wash a few extra jars just in case you need them.
Pour into first seven jars one at a time leaving a 1-inch head space at the top.
Always use a damp cloth to clean the rim of the jar and ensure that there are no cracks of chips.
Carefully take a heated lid (heated in a small saucepan of boiling water) and press down with your finger while you tighten the band.
Use the can holder to gently place each jar into the canner which should be full of hot (NOT boiling) water. If you don’t have a canning rack for your canner, throw in a handful of extra lids so that the jars can rest on something other than the direct surface of the canner.
The canner can only hold seven quart jars at a time. Ensure that all the lids are covered with water. If not, add water. Cover pot and cook 20-30 minutes.
One batch usually yields 14 quarts, but this one made 15 so one is going into the frig to be used this week in a meal. Let your jars sit overnight before removing bands and storing. Also, check to ensure that all the lids sealed properly before you store otherwise you will get a nasty surprise one day when you go into your pantry and find a rotting jar of spaghetti sauce.
Final price averaged out to be $0.56/quart. Oh happy day!
Are We There Yet? 