Homemade Tomatoe Paste or Tomato Paste

You are going to need smaller canning jars.  Who uses 2 cups of tomatoe paste in one recipe?

🙌 Here’s the oven method for making tomato paste from your leftover skins and pulp (works the same way as the dehydrator, just a little quicker).

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Homemade Tomato Paste (Oven Method)

Ingredients

• Tomato skins & pulp (leftover from milling)
• 1–2 Tbsp olive oil (optional, for richness)
• ½ tsp salt (optional)
• Pinch of citric acid or lemon juice (optional, brightens flavor)

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Instructions

1. Reduce excess liquid

   • If the pulp is watery, simmer it in a saucepan over medium heat for 20–30 minutes, stirring often, until thickened.

2. Blend smooth

   • Puree in a blender/food processor until smooth. Stir in olive oil, salt, and lemon juice/citric acid if using.

3. Oven-dry

   • Preheat oven to 200°F (93°C) or the lowest setting.
   • Spread the puree thinly (about ⅛ inch) on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
   • Place in oven and bake with the oven door cracked slightly (a wooden spoon in the door helps release moisture).
   • Dry for 3–5 hours, stirring every hour and spreading it back out, until it’s thick, glossy, and paste-like.

4. Cool & store

   • Once cooled, scrape into small jars.
   • Cover the surface with a thin layer of olive oil if refrigerating (lasts about 2 weeks).
   • For long storage: freeze in small portions (ice cube trays are perfect) for up to a year.

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👉 Bonus: If you spread it super thin, you can let it dry completely and then grind it into tomato powder. Add water back when you want instant tomato paste.

Would you like me to put together a small-batch canning recipe too, so you could preserve the paste in jars instead of freezing?

Perfect! 🙌 A small-batch tomato paste canning recipe is great when you don’t have a mountain of tomatoes at once. Here’s a safe, scaled-down version that makes about 2–3 half-pint jars:

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Small-Batch Canned Tomato Paste

Ingredients (yields ~2–3 half-pints)

• 6 lbs ripe tomatoes (about 18–20 medium)
• ½ cup chopped sweet red pepper (optional, for flavor)
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• ½ tsp canning salt (optional, for taste)
• Bottled lemon juice (required for safety)

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Instructions

1. Prep tomatoes

   • Wash, core, and cut into quarters.
   • Simmer in a large pot until soft (about 15–20 minutes).

2. Mill the tomatoes

   • Run through a food mill to remove skins/seeds.
   • If using peppers, soften them first, mill, and add to tomato pulp.

3. Cook down

   • Return pulp to pot, add bay leaf if using.
   • Simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until reduced by half.

4. Thicken to paste

   • Transfer thickened pulp to a wide shallow pan (like a roasting pan or skillet).
   • Continue cooking over low heat on the stove or in a 300°F (150°C) oven, stirring occasionally, until very thick and paste-like. Remove bay leaf.

5. Prepare jars

   • Wash and keep jars hot.
   • Add 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice per half-pint jar (2 Tbsp if using pint jars).
   • Add ¼ tsp salt per half-pint if desired.

6. Fill jars

   • Ladle hot paste into jars, leaving ½ inch headspace.
   • Remove bubbles, wipe rims, apply lids and rings fingertip-tight.

7. Process jars

   • Water Bath Canner: Process half-pints or pints for 45 minutes (adjust for altitude).
   • Pressure Canner:
     • Dial gauge: 15 minutes at 11 lbs.
     • Weighted gauge: 15 minutes at 10 lbs.

8. Cool & store

   • Let jars sit 12–24 hours undisturbed.
   • Check seals, label, and store in a cool dark place (best used within 12–18 months).

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🌟 This version is much easier for a weekend project — just enough to give you a few jars of rich paste without dedicating a full bushel of tomatoes!