Herbed Spaghetti Sauce

Marie Overton
Apr 25, 2022
2 min read

Updated: Jun 12

This combination creates an Herbed Spaghetti Sauce which has a great fresh-tasting sauce that marries the flavors of the herbs perfectly. In celebration of all the spaghetti my family eats I have come up with 4 different spaghetti sauce recipes that use similar ingredients but have their own distinct flavors. Tomatoes go fabulously with so many of the Italian spices.

Spaghetti with meatballs and red sauce on a white plate, resting on a rustic wooden table. Warm and appetizing presentation.

This recipe makes approximately 7 quarts of herbed spaghetti sauce.

Ingredients:

32 pounds quartered Tomatoes
5 chopped Onions
3/4c minced Garlic
3/4c Olive Oil
6 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp Oregano
1 tbsp Basil
2 tbsp Parsley
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp Pepper
1.5 tbsp Sugar
3 tbsp Salt
2 tsp crushed Red Pepper
2 tbsp Lemon Juice per quart

Soften the tomatoes by simmering for about 20 minutes.

Hands slicing onions on a wooden board on a speckled countertop. A bowl of diced onions is in the background. Bright lighting.

Person in a green sweater stirs chopped onions, garlic, and butter in a stainless pot on a granite kitchen counter. Cozy cooking scene.

While this is softening combine the olive oil, butter, garlic, and onion. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Hand adding red pepper flakes to a pot with onions, herbs, and spices on a speckled countertop. Text reads "2 teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes."

Add the oregano, basil, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, sugar, salt, and crushed red pepper. Simmer an additional 5 minutes and then set aside.

Process the soft tomatoes through a food mill. Then place the pulp in a strainer (I like my husband’s honey strainer.) or cheesecloth to drain out the juice. Save the juice to be canned later. This step of straining the sauce allows you to skip the reducing down process which usually takes about 3 hours to do. If for some reason the sauce seems too thick you can add some of the juice back in.

A large silver pot with reddish-orange soup being stirred on a stovetop with a hexagon tile backsplash and granite countertop.

Place the strained pulp in a large saucepot and add the onion mixture. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Filling and Processing Jars of Herbed Spaghetti Sauce:

Using a jar funnel, I like to put a little of the sauce in the bottom of the hot quart-sized jar before adding the lemon juice to give the jar a buffer from the cooler temperature of the lemon juice.

I then fill it up leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Place the lid on top of the jar and add the ring. Tighten the ring to fingertip tight and process in a boiling water bath canner for 40 minutes if at sea level. Remember to adjust your processing time if you are above 1000 feet in elevation.

(For quality, American made Superb canning lids and jars follow this link and use the coupon code WP20 to get 20% off your purchase.)

Person using jar lifter to handle six sealed jars of orange sauce on woven mat in a kitchen, featuring granite countertops and appliances.

Once your sauce has completed processing, turn off the heat, remove the lid and allow the jars to cool for 5 minutes. Next, space the jars about an inch apart on a heat resistant surface for 24 hours to cool and completely seal.

Jars of tomato sauce lined up on a counter with fresh tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. Cozy kitchen setting with warm, inviting colors.

If your jar did not seal, then place it in the fridge and use it immediately. Store the sealed jars in your cool, dry, dark pantry to enjoy for the next 1-3 years. After three years the nutritional value of canned food diminishes. The quality is best in the first year.

If you have any questions about canning with a boiling water bath canner or how to adjust the pressure or processing time for altitude, take a look at my canning basics videos.