How to Make Homemade Tomato Sauce
Homemade tomato sauce is easy to make and can be an excellent addition to children’s diets. It has several health benefits and serves to complete the recommendation of at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
We’re going to teach you how to prepare it in a short time so you can enjoy it to the fullest. Before we begin, it’s important to mention that many industrial tomato sauces contain a large amount of additives or added sugars. These elements are considered negative when consumed frequently and in large quantities.
Homemade tomato sauce recipe
Ingredients
- 4.5 kilos of roma tomatoes
- 1 large carrot
- 6 cloves of garlic
- Basil or parsley leaves
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes in cold water and cut into 4 parts. Set aside for later.
- Peel and wash the carrot, then chop it.
- Put both vegetables in a baking dish together with the garlic cloves and basil to taste.
- Stir everything well and cook for an hour and a half.
- Once the mixture dries and the tomatoes are sufficiently cooked, remove the baking dish from the oven and put all the contents in a large bowl, which is suitable for a hand blender.
- Blend well to a smooth paste. If a lighter paste is required, it’s always possible to add a little water or pour it through a sieve or strainer.
- Finally, distribute in small jars and put in the freezer for better preservation.
Why make this recipe?
Tomatoes provide many benefits for children when included in the context of a varied and balanced diet. It’s a food that contains a high dose of phytochemicals with antioxidant capacity. These elements can help prevent the development of complex diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases. This is evidenced by a study published in the journal Atherosclerosis.
Moreover, this food is a source of vitamin C. We’re talking about a nutrient capable of stimulating immune function, as stated in a study published in Nutrients. Maintaining the levels in adequate ranges will reduce the incidence of infectious diseases and will help to better control the symptoms in case they develop.
Prepare homemade tomato sauce
As you’ve seen, it’s very easy to prepare homemade tomato sauce in a few steps and with just 4 or 5 ingredients. The result is excellent to combine with meat, fish, vegetable, or pasta dishes, among others. In addition, it’s capable of providing a significant amount of essential nutrients and phytochemicals with antioxidant activity. Both will be necessary to maintain a good state of health over the years.
Finally, remember that it’s also possible to store tomato sauce outside the freezer, but in this case, a series of hygienic processes must be followed beforehand. It’s important to divide it into properly sterilized glass jars and then cook them in a bain-marie to create a vacuum. At this point, it can be kept for a few months in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight. But keep in mind that it’s key to make sure that you hear a clunk when you open them for consumption.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Cheng HM, Koutsidis G, Lodge JK, Ashor A, Siervo M, Lara J. Tomato and lycopene supplementation and cardiovascular risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Atherosclerosis. 2017;257:100-108. doi:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2017.01.009
- Carr AC, Maggini S. Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017;9(11):1211. Published 2017 Nov 3. doi:10.3390/nu9111211
