Small Batch Fresh Tomato Sauce

Many of you might not have tried to make from scratch, fresh sauce. That’s ok!

If I were to take a stab at guessing why – it’s probably due to the recipes out there looking WAY more complicated than they need to be.

25 POUNDS of tomatoes?

Peeling and deseeding them??

Checking pH levels to can them since you will make 20 pints of sauce… (‘wait – where would I even KEEP 20 pints of tomato sauce??’)

I get it.

But guess what? IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LIKE THAT.

Sure, if you are going to make a big batch of sauce to put up in your pantry or other food storage area you need to understand safe canning practices and pH levels and how to properly can it for the best longevity and best taste. But if you just want to make fresh sauce for the dinner you are having later this week? You don’t need to have a minor freak out OR need to overly plan your whole day around simmering down a sauce.

Let me show you how easy (and delicious) a simple sauce can be.

Tools you will need:

medium sized, heavy bottom sauce pan
wooden spoon
knife (to section raw tomatoes)
food mill (well worth the investment if you like to make sauces of ANY sort or even fruit purees)
jar for storage

INGREDIENTS (will make just over 1 pint of sauce, the extra is perfect for dipping garlic bread or pizza crust!)

2 pounds of fresh tomatoes, quartered (it doesn’t matter the kind but you will get more sauce from a paste style tomato like a plum or roma)
1 tbsp of minced garlic
1 shallot, sliced thin
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of kosher salt (approx 1/2 tsp)
1 tbsp dried oregano (fresh works too, I find dried imparts more flavor though)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Add olive oil to pan and heat over medium heat.
Add garlic and shallot. Sauté for approx. 1 min or until just starting to soften.
Add in tomatoes and salt and red pepper flakes. Stir to blend all together. Continue to cook for approx. 5-7 min or until the skin separates and they begin to break down. At this point they will have released a bunch of liquid and you should have a very chunky sauce simmering.
Remove pan from heat and prepare a medium sized bowl with the food mill fitted with the medium grate over it.
Transfer the contents of the sauce pan into the food mill (the watery liquid will strain right through, it’s ok. You want all that goodness!)
Process the mixture through the food mill. The best part of a food mill is that it will push thru all the soft tomato flesh, cooked garlic and shallot, and break down any bit of the pepper flake that is soft enough BUT leave the skins and the seeds inside the food mill!
When all you have left in the mill is the skins and seeds (and pepper flakes seeds), stir the sauce mixture in your bowl. You will see a smooth and silky sauce (a bit thin, but we’ll take care of that next.)
Return the sauce to your pan and place over LOW heat.
Add in spices and bring to a slow simmer over that LOW heat.
Continue to simmer until the sauce has reduced 1/4 to 1/2 (depending on how thick you like your sauce.) Approximately 20 minutes is all mine takes.
Adjust salt and spices as desired.
Transfer finished sauce to a Ball jar with airtight lid and store in fridge for up to 5 days.