Canning Pureed San Marzano Tomatoes (Rustic Passata Style)

If you’ve ever wanted to preserve tomatoes with less fuss — no peeling, no tedious seeding — this rustic method is for you. By heating and pureeing San Marzano tomatoes, skins and all, you can safely can a velvety purée that resembles Italian passata. It’s smooth, rich, and a perfect base for pasta sauces, soups, braises, or even pizza.

Why I Choose This Method

I love San Marzano tomatoes for their meatiness, natural sweetness, and low water content. Traditionally, canning recipes ask you to peel every tomato, but I prefer a rustic approach:

• No peeling required – saves hours of work.

• Thinner skins of San Marzano blend beautifully once puréed.

• Less waste – every part of the tomato gets used.

• Rustic flavor and texture – closer to a homemade passata, which in itself is a delight.

This gives me jars of versatile tomato purée that I can reach for all year long.

Safety First

Even though tomatoes feel acidic, modern varieties hover around the borderline for safe canning. That’s why acidification is non-negotiable:

• Add bottled lemon juice or citric acid to every jar (see exact amounts in the recipe below).

• Always process jars using either a water bath canner or a pressure canner.

• Follow headspace and processing times carefully.

These steps keep your jars shelf-stable and safe to enjoy all year long.

How This Differs From Passata

Traditional Italian passata is made by passing raw or blanched tomatoes through a food mill to remove skins and seeds, resulting in a silky-smooth sauce.

This version keeps the skins, blending them directly into the purée. The flavor is deeper, the color is slightly richer, and the texture more rustic — which I personally find delightful. Think of it as a homemade cousin of passata, less refined but every bit as flavorful.

Recipe: Rustic San Marzano Tomato Purée for Canning

Yield: about 7 pints (varies by tomato juiciness)

Ingredients

• Fresh San Marzano tomatoes (about 18–20 lbs for 7 pints)

• Bottled lemon juice or citric acid (see notes below)

• Optional: pickling salt (½ tsp per pint, 1 tsp per quart)

Instructions

1. Prepare Tomatoes
   Wash thoroughly and remove stems/cores. No need to peel. Cut into quarters or large dice.

2. Cook Down
   Place tomatoes in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Heat gently, stirring often, until they soften and release juice. Simmer until hot throughout.

3. Purée
   Use an immersion blender directly in the pot (or transfer in batches to a blender/food processor) until smooth.

4. Prep Jars
   Sterilize jars and keep them hot. To each jar add:

   • Pints: 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice or ¼ tsp citric acid

   • Quarts: 2 Tbsp bottled lemon juice or ½ tsp citric acid
     (Add optional salt at this stage too.)

5. Fill Jars
   Ladle hot tomato purée into hot jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove bubbles, wipe rims, and apply lids/rings.

6. Process

   • Water Bath Canner:

     • Pints: 35 minutes

     • Quarts: 40 minutes

   • Pressure Canner:

     • Pints: 15 minutes at 10 PSI

     • Quarts: 15 minutes at 10 PSI
       (Adjust pressure/time for altitude as needed.)

7. Cool & Store
   Let jars sit 12–24 hours undisturbed. Check seals before storing in a cool, dark place.

How to Use Your Rustic Passata

This purée is endlessly versatile:

• Toss with fresh basil for a 5-minute pasta sauce.

• Layer into lasagna or baked pasta dishes.

• Simmer with meat or vegetables for braises.

• Use as a base for soups, stews, or chili.

• Spread on homemade pizza.

Every spoonful brings back the sweetness of sun-ripened summer tomatoes — and that’s why I adore this method.

Canning San Marzano Tomatoes Without Peeling | Rustic Passata-Style Purée

Print

Author: Richelle Fortin

If you’ve ever wanted to preserve tomatoes with less fuss — no peeling, no tedious seeding — this rustic method is for you.By heating and pureeing San Marzano tomatoes, skins and all, you can safely can a velvety purée that resembles Italianpassata. It’s smooth, rich, and a perfect base for pasta sauces, soups, braises, or even pizza.

Ingredients

• Fresh San Marzano tomatoes (about 18–20 lbs for 7 pints)
• Bottled lemon juice or citric acid (see notes below)
• Optional: pickling salt (½ tsp per pint, 1 tsp per quart)

Instructions

1. Prepare Tomatoes
2. Wash thoroughly and remove stems/cores. No need to peel. Cut into quarters or large dice.
3. Cook Down
4. Place tomatoes in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Heat gently, stirring often, until they soften and release juice. Simmer until hot throughout.
5. Purée
6. Use an immersion blender directly in the pot (or transfer in batches to a blender/food processor) until smooth.
7. Prep Jars
8. Sterilize jars and keep them hot. To each jar add:
9. Pints: 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice or ¼ tsp citric acid
10. Quarts: 2 Tbsp bottled lemon juice or ½ tsp citric acid
11. (Add optional salt at this stage too.)
12. Fill Jars
13. Ladle hot tomato purée into hot jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove bubbles, wipe rims, and apply lids/rings.
14. Process
15. Water Bath Canner:
16. Pints: 35 minutes
17. Quarts: 40 minutes
18. Pressure Canner:
19. Pints: 15 minutes at 10 PSI
20. Quarts: 15 minutes at 10 PSI
21. (Adjust pressure/time for altitude as needed.)
22. Cool & Store
23. Let jars sit 12–24 hours undisturbed. Check seals before storing in a cool, dark place.

Notes

How to Use Your Rustic Passata

This purée is endlessly versatile:

Toss with fresh basil for a 5-minute pasta sauce.

Layer into lasagna or baked pasta dishes.

Simmer with meat or vegetables for braises.

Use as a base for soups, stews, or chili.

Spread on homemade pizza.

Every spoonful brings back the sweetness of sun-ripened summer tomatoes — and that’s why I adore this method.

Did you make this recipe?

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