Homemade Tomatoes to Preserve for Winter, Without Water or Vinegar

Would you like to enjoy the delicious taste of tomatoes even after the season is over? This method allows you to preserve ripe, flavorful tomatoes so you can use them later in sauces, soups, pasta dishes, casseroles, and countless homemade meals.

The recipe is particularly simple because it requires neither water nor vinegar. The tomatoes slowly cook in their own juices, concentrating their flavor and creating a rich, aromatic preparation.

Important: If you want to store tomatoes at room temperature for several months, it is essential to use a tested and appropriate home-canning method. Simply cooking the tomatoes and sealing them in jars does not guarantee safe preservation. The method below is therefore designed for freezer storage. If you want to keep jars in a pantry throughout the winter, use a tested canning recipe with an appropriate heat-processing method.

Preparation Time

• Prep: 20 minutes

• Cooking: approximately 1 hour

• Cooling: approximately 10 hours

• Yield: approximately 3 cups

Ingredients

• 2–2.5 kg (4.4–5.5 lb) very ripe tomatoes

• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

• 1 teaspoon sugar, optional

• 1–2 cloves garlic, optional

• A few basil or parsley leaves, optional

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, optional

Preparation