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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

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)
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian, New Zealand
Servings 12
Calories 60 kcal

Ingredients
  

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

Instructions
 

  • If using a blender (see post above):
    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.
    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.
    Blended Tomato passata inside a blender from birds eye view. 5 on the vine red tomatoes out of focus on a wooden table.
  • 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.
    Once reduced, add salt to taste. This part is optional, you may want to leave it unseasoned. Leave the sauce to cool.
    3 saucepans of passata being cooked on the stove
  • 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.
    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.
  • 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. 
    6 jars of tomato passata with lids sitting in a large pot with an almost boiling water bath covering the jars.
  • 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. 
    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.

Nutrition

Calories: 60kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 17mgPotassium: 790mgFiber: 4gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 2777IUVitamin C: 46mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Passata, Tomatoes
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