|

Tomato Passata – How to Preserve Tomatoes

If you don’t know what to do with a glut of tomatoes, you can turn it into tomato passata and bottle it to use up over the colder months.

Close up of 2 jars of tomato passata with lids on a wooden table and 3 on the vine tomatoes at the bottom of the image. Behind the jars at the top is a white basket with 4 other sealed jars inside.

What is Tomato passata?

Tomato passata is a sauce made from pure strained tomatoes. It is a runny tomato sauce made only from fresh tomatoes and it makes the base for many Italian dishes. It’s a simple yet efficient mix to make and bottle which means you can be enjoying a rich tomato taste all year round.

Because the ingredient list is so simple, the key is in sourcing the most flavourful, vine-ripened tomatoes. If you’ve got those growing in the garden then you’re all set! Otherwise, check out your local fruit and vegetable markets for juicy vine-ripened tomatoes.

If they are ripened off the vines, the flavour isn’t nearly as good.

Close up of white basket filled with red on the vine tomatoes and 1 yellow cherry tomato on top. 1 yellow tomato in the background.

Tomato Passata vs Paste

Passata is traditionally made from uncooked, sieved tomatoes. The tomatoes are crushed and passed through a mill or a mouli to extract all the tomato juice and pulp. The main flavour and colour come from the tomato skins which are ground up in the mill or the mouli. This raw tomato sauce is then bottled. 

Tomato paste on the other hand is made from tomatoes that have been cooked right down into a thick and rich paste.

Now, this easy passata recipe is a little different to a traditional passata for two reasons. First, because I am cooking it. So, it’s not raw strained tomatoes, but it’s not cooked all the way down like tomato paste either.

It’s a simmered tomato sauce that makes the perfect base for pasta and soups. I cook my sauce to reduce some of the water. This cuts down on the meal prep and cooking time when it comes to actually cooking with the passata.

And secondly, because I don’t remove the cores or seeds of the tomatoes. I just blend it all together.  I love this method because it results in very little waste or work!

Close up of 5 jars without lids on a wooden table close filled with tomato sauce. A white basket in the top right out of focus and 4 on the vine red tomatoes in the background out of focus.

Straining Tomatoes

I don’t have a tomato passata machine, mill or mouli to use for this so instead I use my blender. I have a blender that does a really good job and blending everything really well including the seeds. 

There are always few whole seeds remaining but the majority have been blended up.

If you have a mill or a mouli, you can pass your tomatoes through that, and do it a few times to really extract all the pulp and grind up the skins. Any seeds and extra skin left at the end can be composted. 

Blended Tomatoes inside a blender from birds eye view. 5 on the vine red tomatoes out of focus on a wooden table.

Cooking Passata

Because it is made from raw tomatoes, passata at some point should always be cooked to get the best flavour. You can bottle passata raw and cook it later as you need it, or go through the cooking step now. This is the way I prefer how to make passata. It’s very runny if it’s not simmered down first.

I divide the passata over many saucepans and let them simmer and reduce by about ⅓ or until slightly thickened. It can still be a fairly runny sauce if you don’t reduce it enough, and that just means it will require some further cooking in the future, but it becomes a beautiful deep red colour with a bit more texture. Any foam that accumulates on top can be scooped off.

After it has cooked down I add salt for flavour.

3 saucepans of passata being cooked on the stove

Bottling Tomato Passata – Long Term Preserving

This tomato passata recipe could be stored in the fridge or freezer if you plan to use it soon, but for long term storage, it can be bottled and preserved using a hot water bath method.

This method is suitable for foods that are high in acids such as citrus and stone fruit. Tomatoes just make the cut in this too as they also contain a fair bit of acid. However, because it’s not nearly the same amount as citrus or stone fruit, a little extra acidity should be added to ensure that they are safely bottled.

Low acid amounts mean some bacteria can harbour in the bottled produce. The chance is fairly low with tomatoes, but it’s much better to be safe than sorry! 

A little citric acid can be added to each jar before it’s put in the hot water bath. ¼ tsp per pint jar /500ml is sufficient. (See the canning guidelines here.)

Pour the cooled sauce into clean preserving jars. Leave about 1.2cm (½ inch) space between the sauce and the top of the jar. Wipe the rims clean with a clean cloth and add on the lids and/or preserving bands. Don’t screw them on overly tight.

Close up of 4 jars without lids on a wooden table close filled with tomato passata. 5 on the vine red tomatoes in the top left out of focus.

Hot Water Bath

Fill a large pot with water and add in a rack or something similar in the pot too. This is to keep the jars slightly elevated. If you don’t have a rack, you could use the lids of your spare preserving jars instead. 

Lower the jars into the pot slowly and see that they are covered with about 2cm (1 inch) of water. Add more hot water if you need to. Bring the water to a boil and once it is boiling, leave it to boil for 35 minutes. 

After 35 minutes turn off the heat and leave them to sit for 5 minutes before removing them from the water. Set them on a tea towel on the bench and let them sit without touching them for at least 8 hours so they come all the way to room temperature.

You should hear the pops of the seals being sucked in if they have been fitted correctly. If sealed they can be stored in a dark pantry for up to 12 months. 

6 jars of tomatoes with lids sitting in a large pot with an almost boiling water bath covering the jars.

More Preserving Recipes

Want more preserving recipes? Try:

Pickled jalapeños
Peach Preserves
Quince Jelly

Close up of 2 jars of tomato passata with lids on a wooden table and 3 on the vine tomatoes at the bottom of the image. Behind the jars at the top is a white basket with 4 other sealed jars inside.

Homemade Tomato Passata

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

If you don’t know what to do with a glut of tomatoes, you can turn it into homemade passata and bottle it to use up over the colder months.

Makes approx. 6 pint jars (6 x 500ml)

Ingredients

  • 4 kg fresh vine-ripened tomatoes
  • salt, optional
  • citric acid

Instructions

  1. If using a blender - Remove the stalks from the tomatoes then place them, in batches, in a blend. Blend until smooth, then pour it into a large saucepan, or a few saucepans if you have a lot of tomatoes.
  2. If using a mouli or mill - Remove the cores of the tomates then pass them through a mill or mouli to extract all the juice and tomato pulp. Repeat this step a few times to break up the skins and remove as much liquid as possible. Pour the sauce into a large saucepan, or a few saucepans if you have a lot of tomatoes.
  3. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then let it simmer and reduce by about ⅓ or until slightly thickened. It’s still a runny sauce that will require some further cooking in the future, but it becomes a beautiful deep red colour with a bit more texture. Any foam that accumulates on the top can be scooped off.
  4. Once reduced, add salt to taste. This part is optional, you may want to leave it unseasoned. Leave the sauce to cool.
  5. Pour the cooled sauce into clean preserving jars. For each pint jar (500ml jar) add 1/4 tsp citric acid. Leave about 1.2cm (½ inch) space between the sauce and the top of the jar. Wipe the rims clean with a clean cloth and add on the lids and/or preserving bands. Don’t screw them on overly tight.
  6. Fill a large pot with water and add in a rack or something similar in the pot too. This is to keep the jars slightly elevated. If you don’t have a rack, you could use the lids of your spare preserving jars instead.  Lower the jars into the pot slowly and see that they are covered with about 2cm (1 inch) of water. Add more hot water if you need to. Bring the water to a boil and leave it to boil for 35 minutes. 
  7. After 35 minutes turn off the heat and leave them to sit for 5 minutes before removing them from the water. Set them on a tea towel on the bench and let them sit without touching them for at least 8 hours so they come all the way to room temperature. You should hear the pops of the seals being sucked in if they have been fitted correctly.
  8. If sealed they can be stored in a dark pantry for up to 12 months. 
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 60Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 0gSodium: 17mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g

Sharing is caring!

Similar Posts

10 Comments

    1. I usually add it to the jar before pouring in the passata but either way works 🙂

  1. Does the jar have to be completely covered whilst boiling to seal or just a couple of inches up the sides of the jars/bottles?

  2. I’m just wondering if I can use kilner clip top jars for this or do I need to use screw top jars? Any advice would be much appreciated

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *