Roasted Tomato Sauce

Tomatoes roasted first for deep, caramelized flavor — then acidified & water-bath canned, safe for the shelf

~4 pints · 40 min

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~10–12 lb tomatoes (paste/roma best), halved
olive oil · salt (a little, for roasting)
bottled lemon juice — 1 Tbsp per pint / 2 Tbsp per quart (or ¼ tsp citric acid per pint / ½ tsp per quart) — required

What you need

~10–12 lb tomatoes (paste/roma best), halved

olive oil · salt (a little, for roasting)

bottled lemon juice — 1 Tbsp per pint / 2 Tbsp per quart (or ¼ tsp citric acid per pint / ½ tsp per quart) — required

Roast the tomatoes. Spread them cut-side up on sheet pans, drizzle with a little olive oil and salt, and roast at 425°F, 40–60 min, until soft, collapsed, and charred at the edges. This is where all the deep flavor comes from.
Mill & reduce. Run the roasted tomatoes (and their pan juices) through a food mill or sieve to drop the skins and seeds, then simmer the purée down to the thickness you want. Reduce it now — you can't safely thicken it after canning.
Acidify every jar — the safety step. Into each hot, sanitized jar put the bottled lemon juice (1 Tbsp/pint, 2 Tbsp/quart). Roasting doesn't add acid, so this dose is exactly as essential as in the plain sauce.
Fill & seal. Ladle the hot sauce in at ½″ headspace, release bubbles, wipe the rims, and set lids finger-tight.
Water-bath process. Boil, submerged 1″ under water, pints 35 min / quarts 40 min at sea level — add time for altitude. Cool 12–24 hr and check the seals.

Steps — tap one to keep your place

1. Roast the tomatoes. Spread them cut-side up on sheet pans, drizzle with a little olive oil and salt, and roast at 425°F, 40–60 min, until soft, collapsed, and charred at the edges. This is where all the deep flavor comes from.

2. Mill & reduce. Run the roasted tomatoes (and their pan juices) through a food mill or sieve to drop the skins and seeds, then simmer the purée down to the thickness you want. Reduce it now — you can't safely thicken it after canning.

3. Acidify every jar — the safety step. Into each hot, sanitized jar put the bottled lemon juice (1 Tbsp/pint, 2 Tbsp/quart). Roasting doesn't add acid, so this dose is exactly as essential as in the plain sauce.

4. Fill & seal. Ladle the hot sauce in at ½″ headspace, release bubbles, wipe the rims, and set lids finger-tight.

5. Water-bath process. Boil, submerged 1″ under water, pints 35 min / quarts 40 min at sea level — add time for altitude. Cool 12–24 hr and check the seals.

Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.