How to Make Tomato Paste at Home

Use garden fresh tomatoes in this must-have cooking staple.

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Photo By: Mick Telkamp

Photo By: Photo by Mick Telkamp

Tomato Paste

Tomato paste is a thick tomato concentrate made by cooking the moisture out of fresh tomatoes. Used in a wide variety of recipes, tomato paste thickens sauces, adds inviting color and provides a rich burst of tomato flavor anywhere it is needed. It takes a lot of tomatoes to make just a little paste, but a little goes a long way. Wrangling a bountiful tomato harvest this summer? Follow these simple steps to make this kitchen staple using fresh tomatoes straight from the garden.

What You'll Need

Ingredients: 5 pounds ripe plum tomatoes / 1/4 cup olive oil / 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Five pounds of tomatoes will yield about ½ pint of paste, but this easy recipe can be scaled to accommodate any harvest. Equipment: Large, heavy pot and lipped baking half-sheet.

Core and Chop Tomatoes

Remove stem and core of tomatoes and quarter or roughly chop. Five pounds of tomatoes will provide approximately 4 quarts of chopped tomato.

Place Ingredients in Pot

Pour ¼ cup of olive oil into a heavy pot and add chopped tomatoes and kosher salt. Other ingredients like pepper or garlic may be added, but sticking to the basic ingredients makes paste more versatile when used in recipes.

Cook Tomatoes

Bring tomatoes to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes to soften tomatoes and release juices. Stir frequently to prevent burning.

Pass Through Food MIll

Pour tomatoes into a food mill and crank to remove skins and seeds.

Milled Tomatoes

Once milled, tomato juice yield will be approximately two quarts.

Cook Down

Return to pot and simmer uncovered over medium heat for about an hour until volume is reduced by half.

Spread on Baking Tray

Lightly grease a lipped baking half sheet and pour tomato sauce into tray in an even coat. Place in a 300 degree oven and cook for 2 hours.

Stir

Stir thickened paste and spread evenly to finish cooking. Return to oven for 30-45 minutes until desired consistency is reached. Paste should be thick, smooth and drawing a spatula though the paste on the baking sheet should leave a clean trail.

Store

Transfer paste into a ½ pint jar to store in refrigerator or into a Ziploc or other airtight container to store in freezer. Tomato paste will last several months in the fridge or up to a year when frozen.

How to Make Tomato Paste at Home

Related To:

Shop This Look

Tomato Paste

What You'll Need

Core and Chop Tomatoes

Place Ingredients in Pot

Cook Tomatoes

Pass Through Food MIll

Milled Tomatoes

Cook Down

Spread on Baking Tray

Stir

Store

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