Homemade Spaghetti Sauce With Homegrown Tomatoes
There's nothing quite like the taste of homemade spaghetti sauce made with fresh, homegrown tomatoes. Not only is it delicious, but it's also a great way to use up all those extra tomatoes from your garden. In this article, we'll walk you through the steps of making your very own homemade spaghetti sauce with homegrown tomatoes.
What You'll Need
Before you get started, you'll need a few key ingredients:
- 10-12 large homegrown tomatoes
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 can of tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon of dried basil
- 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon of dried thyme
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Olive oil, for cooking
Step-by-Step Instructions
Now that you have all your ingredients, let's get started on making your homemade spaghetti sauce.
- First, you'll need to blanch your tomatoes. To do this, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut a small "X" on the bottom of each tomato and carefully drop them into the boiling water for 30 seconds.
- Remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and immediately place them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Once the tomatoes have cooled, remove the skins and chop them into small pieces.
- In a large pot, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, and tomato paste to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Next, add the dried basil, oregano, and thyme to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Once the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency, remove it from the heat and let it cool slightly.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until it's smooth.
- Your homemade spaghetti sauce is now ready to use!
Tips and Tricks
If you're new to making homemade spaghetti sauce, here are a few tips and tricks to help you out:
- If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender to blend the sauce. Just be sure to let it cool slightly before blending.
- If you prefer a chunkier sauce, you can skip blending the sauce and leave it as is.
- If your sauce is too acidic, you can add a pinch of sugar to help balance out the flavors.
- If you have any leftover sauce, you can freeze it for up to 6 months.
Conclusion
Making homemade spaghetti sauce with homegrown tomatoes is a great way to use up all those extra tomatoes from your garden. Plus, it's a delicious and healthy alternative to store-bought sauces. With just a few simple ingredients and some patience, you can make your very own homemade spaghetti sauce that's sure to impress.