A beautiful basic sauce, with added mushrooms to give it some umami oomph, is something that can be made and stored in a couple hours but last months in the freezer.

Made to honor those small harvests, this recipe is an affordable option for those who’s tomato plants are ending or those who are wanting to preserve farmer’s market finds in a frugal manner.

Here I go into tools you need (not many!), ingredients, and instructions so you can get this delicious, summer Tomato & Mushroom Sauce in your freezer for the winter ahead.

Crushed Tomato & Mushroom Pasta Sauce Recipe for the Freezer

Tools you Need

• Large, 3-quart saucepan or another large, shallow pot of your choice
• 2 wide mouth mason jars, or any freezer friendly container of your choice

Ingredients

Makes 2 pints or 4 half pints jars (quart mason jars are not suitable for freezing)

• 2 pounds of tomatoes, any color, shape or size, cut in half or diced
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-3 baby bell mushrooms, diced (put as much as you want but no more than 3)
• 8 leaves fresh basil, chopped
• 1-2 teaspoons salt, (to taste)
• 1-2 teaspoon sugar (to taste)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Wash and cut all your vegetables and basil. Place them in your saucepan.
2. Sprinkle salt, sugar, and olive oil over all the vegetables. Place on medium high heat.
3. Stir well. Tomatoes should release plenty of juice and should look quite watery at this point.
4. Bring up to a simmer, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, or until it’s reduced by half. Stir occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom.
5. Once reduced it should be thicker but not paste-like. Take off the heat and let it sit off the heat for 5 minutes. Make sure your jars are clean and ready to go.
6. Fill your mason jars, leaving 1.25-inch headspace, or up to the “for freezing” line marked on the jar.
7. Place lid and band on finger tight. Allow to cool for 1 hour, on the countertop before placing in the freezer. Freeze for up to 18 months.
8. TO THAW: Grab a jar out of the freezer up to a week before you want to use it and place it in the fridge. Keep refrigerated. Use the jar within two weeks of thawing. It takes about a day or so for the sauce to thaw enough to get the contents out of the jar. Reheat in a saucepan, serve with pasta and meatballs like any other sauce.

That’s It!

What’s great about freezing in jars is that only the very top layer is susceptible to freezer burn, and it takes months before that occurs.

Just please don’t can this. Just put it in the freezer.

I know people are afraid to freeze food due to power outages (completely understandable) but one can easily eat from the freezer first, before predictable seasons of bad weather come.

Just please be safe with your food, and don’t let all that hard work of growing these tomatoes and onions and basil go to waste.

Enjoy!

The Cottage Vegetable

Gardening & Preserving for a Practical Kitchen

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