Roasted Spaghetti Sauce *for Canning

    We've been tweaking the base NCHFP spaghetti sauce without meat recipe over the years - tweaking by way of spices!!  We also prefer to omit mushrooms and green peppers from the original recipe.  This year we decided to try roasting the tomatoes instead of blanching them to remove skins.  Thanks to my friend Mary for pointing out what a time-saver roasting tomatoes for sauce is!!!!  Our recipe must be pressure canned.  Enjoy! Diane 

Baker Roasted Spaghetti Sauce 
Yield: About 5 Quarts 

Ingredients:
25-30 pounds Roma Tomatoes
1/4 Cup White Vinegar *divided 
1 teaspoon Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Chopped Onion
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced Garlic 
4 1/2 teaspoons Pink Salt 
2 Tablespoons dried Oregano
2 Tablespoons dried Parsley
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce *can omit if canning 
Citric Acid

Directions: 
    Preheat Oven to 425F.

• Fill a large pot in your sink with 2 Tablespoons White Vinegar and water. Wash all your tomatoes really well in the vinegar water.  Rinse cleaned tomatoes, core and cut in half lengthwise. 
• Lay tomatoes in an over-lapping layer in a deep roasting pan (you will have juice accumulate in the pan as the tomatoes cook down.)  Place roasting pans in oven and let the tomatoes roast for 30-40 minutes *stirring twice while cooking to prevent scorching. 
• While tomatoes are roasting; sauté your onion in vegetable oil until softened and slightly browned.  Set aside.  
• Once done roasting, remove pans from oven and let the tomatoes cool down.  Once cooled - slip the skins off the tomatoes, placing skinned tomatoes in a large stockpot and tomato skins in a large bag or bowl (you can dehydrate those skins later.)  At this time add your cooked onion to the skinned tomatoes. 
• Pour any "liquid" from the roasting pans into a large pot and set aside.
• Using an Immersion Blender; blend/break-down the tomatoes to your liking. Bring stockpot with tomatoes up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.  If your sauce seems too thin, let simmer longer. If your sauce is too thick, use the reserved liquid from roasting pans to thin your sauce. 
• Add in your spices and continue simmering your sauce for another 15 minutes. 
• Prepare your canner and jars for pressure canning.   

• NOTE: IF you are going to be turning your reserved liquid from roasting pan into canned tomato vegetable juice - make sure to take 1 cup of final tomato sauce and add to liquid. 

• Add 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid directly to the bottom of each Quart Canning Jar. 
• Fill Jars with hot finished sauce up to 1" headspace.  De-Bubble Jars Wipe Rims with a paper-towel dampened with white vinegar to remove any residue before placing on a new lid.  
• Add a splash of White Vinegar to your pressure canners water.  Fill canner with water required by canner type.  Process Quarts for 25 minutes according to your canner type and altitude.  

 Save your skins to Dehydrate Skins into Tomato Flake or Tomato Powder
 Save your 'reserved' liquid from roaster to turn into Spicy Tomato Juice.