Homemade Tomato Paste
Wow, the flavor in homemade tomato paste is amazing! Food tastes so much better and fresher when it is made homemade and all from scratch. Learning how to make tomato paste at home all from scratch is a fantastic start to those pasta sauces, soups and stews! It is so much better than store bought and gives me a feeling of accomplishment every time I make it. It gives your soups and pasta sauces such a great, fresh taste that makes it all worth the time and effort in making it!
Ingredients:
12 tomatoes on the vine (you can also use Roma tomatoes or steak tomatoes)
2 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp white vinegar
Tools needed:
1 stock pot
1 baking dish
Blender, I am using an immersion blender
Fine mesh strainer or chinois
Sharp Chef’s knife
Measuring spoons
Procedure:
Thoroughly wash and dry tomatoes. Cut core ends off, I like to trim tomato flesh around the core to minimize waste. Cut tomatoes into equal pieces, about 4 pieces for roma and 8 for steak tomatoes. See Picture below!
Place tomatoes in stock pot along with oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Simmer over low heat for 45 minutes or until tomatoes break down and are soft.
Blend tomatoes in a blender. Strain seeds and pulp with fine mesh strainer. Discard seeds and pulp
Use a rubber spatula to work the puree out of the fine mesh strainer, leaving behind seeds and pulp that you can put in your compost pile.
Place puree into a baking dish and bake 170 for 4-6 hours stirring 2-3 times during this baking process. May take longer if you want a really thick paste.
Cool for 1 hour at room temperature and place in a glass storage container. Don’t forget to label and date!
I use homemade tomato past in chilis, pasta sauces, stews and tomato soups.
It takes some time to make, but most is oven work. Much superior to store bought tomato paste.
Enjoy!
-Logan
