Begin by washing and removing the cores from the tomatoes.

Next, quarter your tomatoes & squeeze out most of the seeds & juice.  You do not need to peel tomatoes.

You could use a food mill.  If you are like me and do not have a food mill you can just shove all the seeds out with your thumbs and toss the tomato “meat/flesh” into your giant sauce pot for the sauce.  No need to get EVERY seed out, but try to get most of them (they will make your sauce bitter).

Grab a giant, heavy-bottomed pot.

Add the oil to the bottom of the pot and the onions.  Sautee on the stovetop until the onions begin to be translucent.  Add the garlic and cook another couple of minutes.

Dump the tomatoes right on top of the onions & garlic.

Turn off the heat and get ready to mush some ‘maters.

Wash your hands and dive in.  Squish all the ‘maters into small pieces.  When all the big hunks are squashed, turn the heat back on to medium-high.

Stir in the 3 Tbsp of salt & bring it back to a simmer.  Let this cook for 30 minutes (so the veggies will be nice and tender).

This is the time to get out your immersion wand and go to work.  Blend the contents until you have…. sauce.  There will no longer be hunks of tomato, bits of onion or pieces of garlic.

Add basil AFTER you blend everything else up.

Wash fresh basil, remove stems & chop into bits.  Shove as many of the basil bits as you can possibly get into 1/2 Cup.  You want lots of basil – it’s wonderful.  Toss the chopped basil into the sauce & continue to simmer.

The sauce will have a red-orange color with pieces of fresh basil floating around making everything fabulous.  Cook until desired thickness.

When the sauce is glorious and thick, taste it one last time before canning.  Add salt if needed.

For the Canning:

1. HOT JARS:  The jars must be hot.  Filling cold jars with hot sauce can result in breaking glass.  To easily heat jars, run them through the dishwasher on the sanitize option.
2. LIDS & RINGS:  Be sure to use brand new lids to ensure a good seal (you can reuse rings).  Toss the rings and lids into the dishwasher with the jars so they are clean as well.
3. Add 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice to each pint jar.
4. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars.  Leave 1/2 inch headspace.
5. Wipe rims clean and adjust 2 piece lids.  This means put the flat lid on first then screw the ring on tightly.
6. Process in boiling water bath for 35 minutes.  Begin timing after water boils.
7. I place my hot jars filled with hot pizza sauce into hot water (not boiling).  If your jars are dunked into crazy boiling water this can also cause jars to spontaneously explode.  I’ve done this. It’s not fun.
8. Be sure the water level is 1-2 inches over the jars.  Add additional water if necessary.
9. Bring back to boil – then start a timer for 35 minutes.
10. After 35 minutes remove jars and set to cool.  Leave undisturbed for 24 hours before moving to long-term storage.

Now, we just need to make some pizza crust & we have dinner!

Disclaimer:  Always follow directions specific to your equipment and elevation for canning.  Dispose of any home-canned goods that show signs of spoilage which can include: bulging lids, leaking, corrosion, cloudy, mushy, moldy foods or disagreeable odors.