Need help- frozen tomatoes for spaghetti sauce!

**Mckeekitty** · 10-23-2010, 06:30 PM

Hello!

Our neighbor presented us with 3 bags of whole frozen tomatoes from his garden (approximately 18-20 tomatoes in total). I have never attempted a spaghetti sauce using fresh frozen tomatos. I would like to make a large batch of sauce (on the stove or slow cooker...makes no difference) so that I can freeze batches for future use.

Honestly, I'm clueless. Do I remove the skins? The seeds? How? And I have no idea how to calculate just what 20 frozen tomatoes will yield in terms of actual sauce. I would love recipes (with or without meat).

Any suggestions will be most appreciated!

**furray** · 10-23-2010, 07:36 PM

hi, you first need to take skins off, boil water in a pot and then pour over tomatoes in a bowl, once they cool alittle the skins will come off, do small batches at a time, look on recipe sites for a good recipe...All recipes is an awsome site,,, good luck

**frugalwarrior2** · 10-23-2010, 07:43 PM

I generally just defrost and put in blender. Then i cook them down and spice to taste. Make then all in a large dutch oven and freeze in smaller sandwich bags.
When I get them from the garden and chop up after washing. Then do what I already said,simply because freezer space is premium.

**lisaflex** · 10-23-2010, 07:52 PM

it will depend on what type of sauce you want...are you roasting? simmering? what type of tomatoes are they? you have lots of options...

**HappyMama** · 10-23-2010, 08:14 PM

I grew up in an Italian community with wonderful recipes and good food all the time. I have several recipes. But honestly in trying to duplicate a favorite sauce and restaurant from childhood, I discovered a roasted sauce that is very very close to it, and quite frankly easier then my own that cooks on the stove all day.

Take your tomatoes and cut down the middle, squeeze out as many seeds as you can ( seeds will make your sauce bitter but I don't panic about and always have some in and hasn't affected taste), quarter, fill a roasting pan, or glass 11x18 pan, quarter 2 onions, 4-6 cloves of garlic, two red or green peppers if you have them, then mix in a spice bowl, two heaping teaspoons of oregano,and basil, 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and roast at 325 for 4-6 hours . Check it and keep cooking it down , the more you roast it without burning the more intense and wonderful the flavor. When done cool, take an immersion blender or food processor and puree. Yes this recipe leaves the skin on !!! You can also boil water plunge in cold ice water to remove the skins and take out seeds if you want. By the way only put this in fridge for a few days or freeze . This is not safe to can.

I am sure you will find many options and recipes out there. My family loves this one. We have others that are more work and time intensive but thought you might want to start here.

**lisaflex** · 10-23-2010, 08:40 PM

oh happy, i just did that when the garden was at the end of producing! nothing better than fresh roasted tomato sauce! i used red and white onions. no peppers though! lots and lots of frsh garlic cloves and pepper! i added frsh basil and frsh parsley while pureeiing it.