Freezer Tomato Sauce (Blanched and Simmered) Recipe
This is how I blanch and freeze tomatoes every August, peeled, crushed, and simmered down into a thick sauce base instead of frozen tomato chunks. Portion it into freezer bags and you're most of the way to dinner all winter.
Ingredients
- San Marzano or Roma tomatoes
- salt to taste (optional; add when using)
Instructions
- Wash the tomatoes and cut a small X through the skin on the bottom of each one.
- Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Working in batches, blanch the tomatoes 2 to 3 minutes, until the skin at the X starts to peel back.
- Remove tomatoes and let them drain and cool until easy to handle.
- Peel the skins away with a small sharp knife, starting at the X.
- Crush the peeled tomatoes and add them to a large pot.
- Simmer uncovered until reduced and thickened, about 90 minutes for a quarter bushel, longer for more tomatoes.
- Let the sauce cool completely, then package it in freezer-safe bags or containers.
- Freeze flat for up to 6 months.
Notes
Recipe Card Tips
- Don't rush the simmer. If it's still thin at 90 minutes, keep going; the reduction is what keeps it from being watery once it thaws.
- Blanch in batches of 4 to 6 tomatoes at a time. Crowding the pot cools the water down, and the skins won't peel as easily.
- If a few skins don't want to budge, drop those tomatoes back into the simmering water for another 30 seconds. Don't fight it with the knife.
- Leave headspace in whatever container you freeze it in. The sauce expands as it freezes, and a full container can crack or split a bag.