One Ingredient Tomato Paste
A great way to use excess tomatoes from your harvest.
PREP TIME 30 mins
COOK TIME 2 hours
TOTAL TIME 3 hours
YIELD 2 pounds
Ingredients
10 pounds of tomatoes
Equipment and Tools
Strainer
Blender or Immersion Blender
Boiling Stock Pot
Steps:
Rinse tomatoes thoroughly then cut them into quarters.
Blend Tomatoes into a puree. This will take several batches unless you have an immersion blender.
Pass the blended tomatoes through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds and some skin.
Place the strained tomato puree into a large pot and let it cook down, until it reduces to look like a thick paste. When it reduces significantly, turn the heat down to medium to prevent it from burning. Do not stir as it cooks. This whole process takes about 2-3 hours depending on the intensity of the heat and how watery the tomatoes are.
Store tomato paste by freezing in ice cubes, refrigerating in mason jars or canning
Ice Cube Tray: Put homemade tomato paste into an ice cube tray and freeze overnight. Once it freezes, remove the tomato paste cubes and put into freezer safe bags and store in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Olive Oil: Put homemade tomato paste in mason jars up to three quarters full. Then pour olive oil to completely cover the tomato paste. Screw on the lid and store in the fridge for up to a week.
Canning: You could also can homemade tomato paste to make it last longer, though this method requires a fair amount of prep to sterilize.
Homemade tomato paste will always carry an intense flavor profile you will never find from store bought varieties. If you have an excess of tomatoes, you can easily transform them into something that will last for months in the freezer. Many different types of tomatoes would work for this recipe, but try to pick a kind with more tomato pulp, like Roma tomatoes or San Marzano tomatoes.
