Homemade tomato paste is a rich and flavorful ingredient that captures the essence of fresh tomatoes in a concentrated form. With just ripe tomatoes and a bit of patience, you can create a versatile and intensely flavored paste that elevates your culinary creations. The process involves cooking down the tomatoes to concentrate their natural sweetness and deepen their flavor. Whether used as a base for sauces, soups, or stews, homemade tomato paste adds a robust and authentic taste. Embrace the satisfaction of making your own tomato paste at home and enjoy the depth of flavor it brings to your dishes with each spoonful.
Homemade Tomato Paste
Homemade tomato paste is a rich and flavorful ingredient that captures the essence of fresh tomatoes in a concentrated form.
Equipment
- 4 4 oz canning jars
- Water bath canner
Ingredients
- 8 lb Roma tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 bay leaf (1 bay leaf per 2 lb tomatoes)
Instructions
How To Make Tomato Paste
- Wash and chop your tomatoes.
- In a hot pan drizzle a little bit of olive oil. I did about an tablespoon. Add your tomatoes and cook until soft.
- Pass the soft tomatoes through a food mill.
- Once you have a tomato pulp and puree, return it to the stove and add 1 bay leaf per 2 pounds of tomatoes. Cook on medium high to big heat to reduce the tomatoes down to the above consistency. Be sure to stir and scrape down the edges and the bottom of the pot. The longer the tomatoes reduce into paste, the lower you should turn down the temperature.
- Portion into 4 ounce canning jars and water bath can or freeze in ice cube trays.
Canning Tomato Paste Instructions
- Portioned out the tomato paste into 4 ounce canning jars. Leave ¼ inch head space on the top.
- Process in a hot water bath for 40 minutes. That is right. 40 minutes. These guys may be small but the contents in them are dense.
How to Freeze Homemade Tomato Paste in Portions
- Using my piping bag I pipped the tomato paste into each square. If you don't have a pastry bag you can always snip the corner off of a resealable plastic bag. I think a gallon bag would work well in this example. If you need ANOTHER option, you can alway just spoon the tomato paste into each cavity. I was going for 'neat' so I used the pastry bag.
- Once done, pop them in the freezer until frozen through. Flip them over and they easily pop right out. I love silicone bake ware for applications like this one.
- Store in an air tight container in the freezer and you have proportioned tomato paste. I am calling each square a tablespoon of tomato paste.
Notes
The approximate eight pounds of tomatoes I started with took just over 3 hours to reduce to the above consistency.
This recipe is courtesy of Sarah Mock from Savoring The Good.