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row of boiled bottles of tomato puree passata on a table

Homemade Tomato Passata

Our original family recipe for thick, smooth, glorious tomato purée. The basis of so much southern Italian cooking and a staple in our pantry. It's a flavour without comparison!
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: basil, bottled, passata, pasta sauce, Sauce, Tomato, tomato day, tomato sauce
Calories: 180kcal

Equipment

  • Large tubs, solid
  • Large tubs, perforated
  • Large cheesecloths (alternatively, cotton bed sheets)
  • Bottle washing and sterilising equipment (alternatively, dishwasher and/or oven)
  • Tomato sauce purée machine
  • Bottle filling tub or large funnel, with scooping jug
  • Dark brown beer bottles (if using 750ml bottles, then approximately 1 bottle per kilogram of unprocessed tomatoes)
  • Bottle caps, 26mm crown seals
  • Bottle capping machine
  • Large stockpots or metal drums, sufficient to hold all bottles (as an example, a 170 litre or 60cmx60cm pot will comfortably hold 40 x 750ml bottles)
  • 4 ring gas burners with 9kg LPG bottles, 1 each per pot or drum (a full 9kg LPG bottle on a 4-ring burner should burn for around 9 hours)
  • Hessian sacks or thick towels, for layering in between bottles

Ingredients

  • Tomatoes approximately 1kg to make 500-750ml sauce
  • Salt approximately 1 generous tbsp per 1kg of tomatoes
  • Basil enough for 1 large leaf in every bottle

Instructions

  • Wash the tomatoes, ideally letting them drain in perforated tubs. Wash the basil.
    close up of roma tomatoes in crates
  • Remove any bad bits from the tomatoes, and then cut open to remove the watery cores.
    close up of engraved tomato knife on box of halved roma tomatoes
  • Stretch cheesecloths across the tops of large perforated tubs, and then layer the tomatoes, sprinkling with salt as you go. Leave for 2-3 hours, before bundling up in the cheesecloths and wringing out firmly to remove any water that has not already drained.
    hands compressing salted halved tomatoes to make tomato puree passata
  • Process the tomatoes using the purée machine, passing them through 5-6 times. Give the resulting purée a stir to ensure consistency, and add more salt (generously) to taste.
  • Wash the bottles with hot, soapy water, before drying them in a 140 degree Celsius oven for 15-20 minutes. Sterilise the caps by sitting them in boiled water while you do this. Alternatively, for wider necked bottles or jars, you can use a dishwasher on its hottest setting.
  • Drop a large leaf of basil into each bottle, and then fill using a filling tub or funnel; be sure to leave 3-4cm empty in the bottle necks for the sauce to expand when cooked. Cap firmly.
    filling a bottle with tomato puree passata
  • Set the pots on their burners (but do not turn on yet), and then layer the bottles in tightly using the hessian or towels to prevent bottles touching. This will stop them knocking together and shattering as they heat.
    filled bottles of uncooked tomato puree passata on hessian sacks in a large stock pot
  • Fill pots with water to submerge all bottles, and then ignite burners and bring the water to a gentle boil. This may take up to 2 hours. Allow to cook for a further 4 hours, checking regularly to ensure that the boil remains low.
  • Allow pots to cool completely overnight before removing bottles. Store in a cool, dark location.

Notes

One kilogram of tomatoes will make approximately 500-750ml of purée. The more that you wring out the tomatoes after salting, the less volume you'll produce.

Nutrition

Serving: 750ml | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.9g | Protein: 8.8g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 2374mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 26.3g | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 3mg
Made this recipe? We'd love to see!Mention @pastaetal or tag #pastaetal!