Info on freezing tomatoes for later use in spaghetti sauce and recipe needed

Question

My tomatoes are only turning red a few at a time. I'm wanting to use them in spaghetti sauce in the future. Do I need to peel them before I freeze them? Also, does anyone have a spaghetti sauce recipe that doesn't have chunks of veggies in it? My kids won't eat it. None of us really like green peppers either. When I buy sauce at the store, it is usually the Ragu traditional. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Answer 1

Here's my basic pasta sauce recipe. You can substitute your fresh/frozen tomatoes for my tinned ones, but add them right at the start. "Chunk size" is entirely up to you. You can even blend it and use it on pizzas.

Please read the ingredients label on the ready made sauce and compare it with my list of ingredients. I know which I'd rather feed to my daughter.

ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE

Enough for pasta for 2

INGREDIENTS

2 cloves of garlic

2 onions

2 tablespoons of olive oil

400g tin of plum tomatoes*

2 teaspoons of basil or mixed herbs

Ground pepper to taste

METHOD

Peel the garlic and chop it into tiny pieces. Peel the onions and chop them into tiny pieces.

Put the oil into a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the garlic and onion. Fry the garlic and onion for about 2 minutes. Stir frequently to stop it sticking.

Open the tin of tomatoes. Put the juice into the pan. Chop the tomatoes while they are still in the can (it’s easier than chasing them around the pan).

Put the chopped tomatoes into the pan. Add the herbs. Continue to cook, stirring as the mixture boils. Season with the pepper. Continue to cook, stirring as the mixture boils, until the sauce has reduced.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Add a glass of wine and cook for a bit longer.

Add ¼ of a teaspoon of chilli powder to make it into an Arrabbiata sauce, which is usually served with penne pasta.

TIPS

Always “take the pasta to the sauce”. Put the cooked pasta in the pan with the sauce and stir together until thoroughly coated.

* Plum tomatoes can be used either whole or chopped. It is difficult to stick chopped tomatoes back together again if you need to use them whole.

Answer 2

I usually freeze them whole.  Then toss them loose in a zipper bag once hard.  All you have to do is let them thaw a few minutes to get the skins off and core out, then dice up and cook as if they were fresh for your sauce.

Of course, if you want to peel, core, and chop now, then freeze in zipper bags or plastic containers w/ lids, you can do that also.

Answer 3

I have heard that if you freeze vegetables in water, they will freeze well and not get mushy.

My cousin Elmo used to freeze corn in water and it came back OK.

Answer 4

The skins get really tough if you freeze them with the skins on; I find it more convenient to blanch them in boiling water for like 15-20 seconds, then the skin slips right off, before freezing.

Of course, I also think freezing the sauce turns out better than freezing whole tomatoes, but if you don't have that opportunity...