Eggplant and tomato pasta sauce (summer harvest recipe)

This summer harvest recipe is definitely a favourite of ours. It reminds us of long summer days, with most of the ingredients coming straight from the garden. The eggplant makes this delicious sauce rich and almost creamy, while the olives and capers offer the perfect saltiness to balance out the acidity of the fresh tomatoes. This recipe is the perfect way to use up lots of tomatoes and other summer vegetables, and this step-by-step guide shows you how you can make this yummy spaghetti sauce at home.

One of the best things about this recipe is that you can make a huge batch and preserve it for the months ahead. This sauce can be safely canned at home to add to your collection of pantry staples. Preserve your tomato and eggplant pasta sauce by either water bath canning or freezing in glass jars/containers. You can then grab a jar off the shelf or from the freezer to use as an easy mid-week meal, simply serve with pasta or fresh sourdough bread and butter. This is also great alongside a simple, fresh, rocket salad.

What is canning?

Canning, also known as bottling, is a method of preserving fresh produce. Once your produce has been canned, it becomes shelf stable so that you store it in your pantry for when you need it over the coming months. Canning has been widely used as a preservation method since the late 1700’s. Canning is not limited to preserving tomatoes, but can be used to preserve many things including fruits, vegetables, meat and even dairy. It is important to learn about the process before attempting to can fruits and vegetables at home, as if done incorrectly can lead to food spoilage and potential health risks – read more about canning safety below.

Is it safe to can this pasta sauce at home?

Canning tomato products at home is considered safe, as long as you follow the correct procedure and add some kind of acid into your jars before canning.

The canning process pasteurises the food within the jars to reduce any bad bacteria to levels that don’t harm us. The pasteurisation process involves heating the food within the jars to 72-80^oC and maintained at this temperature for 20-30 minutes. As the jars cool, a vacuum seal is created. The food is held in a vacuum seal to prevent any airborne bacteria from entering the jar and contaminating the contents.

Because some bacteria survive the pasteurisation process, we need to add acid to the jar to prevent these bacteria from multiplying and contaminating the food. Acid such as lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid preserves food by reducing the pH (to pH 4.6 or below). This acidity prevents the growth of a particularly nasty bacteria Clostridium botulinum, responsible for causing botulism infection.

Guidelines recommend that you add the following quantities of acid to your jars before water bath canning or pressure canning your tomato products:

• Citric acid – 1/4 teaspoon per pint/500ml
• Bottled lemon juice (not freshly squeezed) – 1 tablespoon per pint/500ml
• Vinegar – 2 tablespoon per pint/500ml (may alter the taste of the final product)

As with all home canning recipes, please use your senses and intuition while canning, and when consuming foods that have been canned at home. If in doubt, do some more research.

Is it worth the effort of canning this pasta sauce?

This is question really depends on you! Canning definitely takes some time and acquired skills (which anyone can learn!) Some people see canning as simply not worth it when you can just grab a tin or jar from the store. While this is very true, and we definitely still grab tinned goods from the store when we need to, there are several reason that I love canning my own homemade eggplant and tomato pasta sauce:

• Canning is a great way to preserve your harvest and enjoy the taste of summer throughout the year.
• Preserving food via canning makes for super convenient additions to many meals.
• Canned jars of eggplant and tomato pasta sauce are shelf-stable and last for a long time, up to 18 months, but you will probably use them up well before then.
• I think it’s fun to learn skills that haven’t necessarily been passed down in recent times, and knowing how to can/bottle adds a little bit more resilience to the mix.
• Once you’re set up with the right equipment, canning becomes very cost effective. Growing your own produce allows you to make months and months worth of goodies for a tiny fraction of the cost of buying them from the grocery store. 
• Even if you need to buy tomatoes and other produce in bulk to make this sauce, you will be saving money! 
• It’s soooo satisfying having a well-stocked pantry of homemade goodies.

Are there any alternatives to canning/bottling?

​You may not have all the canning equipment ready to go yet, but I still encourage you have a go at making this delicious summer harvest recipe! The good news is that you can still make a large batch of this sauce, and instead of canning it, you can portion into jars or containers and freeze it for later use. This is a great option if you have the freezer space!

What is the most cost effective way of preserving a large batch of pasta sauce?

As you might have guessed, the most cost effective way to make and preserve a big batch of pasta sauce is to grow your own veggies. I always plant extra so that I have enough tomatoes, eggplants, zucchinis, basil, capsicum and garlic for this very reason – it’s great to grow enough to eat and enjoy in the summer, and to have excess to preserve and continue to enjoy over the months ahead.

If you aren’t able to grow your own veggies, or don’t have the capacity to grow excess, then you can always buy these things when they are in season and affordable. Even if you need to buy all the ingredients, you will be saving money in the long run by buying produce seasonally to preserve and use later.

Although purchasing the jars and equipment for canning can seem like a big expense upfront, remember that you can reuse these for a lifetime and they pay for themselves many times over if you’re committed to the preserving game for the long haul! If you’re still not sure whether canning is for you, the best way to find out is to give it a go with a small batch of homemade tomato sauce such as this one.

What equipment do you need for this recipe?

To make this sauce you need some basic equipment:

• Very large pot
• Knife and chopping board
• Wooden spoon
• Jars or containers for freezing

​You also need some specific equipment if you are canning/bottling this sauce for longer term storage:

• Canning jars and lids
• Large pot for water bath canning
• Canning tongs/jar lifter
• Wide mouth funnel

What ingredients do you need?

• Fresh tomatoes (or canned tomatoes)
• Eggplant
• Zucchini
• Fresh garlic
• Brown onions
• Tomato paste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh basil
• Pitted olives
• Capers
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Brown sugar
• Optional: chilli flakes, bell pepper

How to make eggplant and tomato pasta sauce

Prepare your ingredients

Dice brown onions and finely chop garlic cloves. Roughly eggplant and zucchini (these will cook down a lot so don’t be too fussy). Chop tomatoes into quarters and remove cores. You can use whole tomatoes if they are a small tomato variety. 

Saute onion, eggplant, zucchini

Place a large pot over medium heat and add a good drizzle of olive oil. Add onion and cook, stirring often until translucent. 

Add eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper (if using), turn up to medium-high heat and sauté vegetables until slightly caramelised. Stir often to prevent vegetables sticking to the bottom of the pot. You may need to add a little olive oil every now and then as the eggplant tends to soak it up.

Add tomatoes and garlic

Add tomatoes and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally. The tomatoes will release their moisture and the sauce will be quite watery, this is fine. 

Add other ingredients

Add the pitted olives, capers, salt, pepper, brown sugar and tomato paste.

Simmer and reduce

Cook over medium-low heat, simmering uncovered. This cooking process helps to remove excess moisture. This will take some time, from a half hour up to an hour, so be sure to keep an eye on it an stir occasionally.

Wash you jars and lids

Wash your jars and lids well using hot, soapy water. This is an important step that should never be skipped when canning/bottling. Allow jars to drain.

Fill your jars

Once the sauce is the desired thickness, add the fresh basil and give it a good stir. Taste and add salt your liking.

Add your preferred acid to the jars (I use lemon juice). See above notes for the amounts required.

Using a wide-mouth funnel, fill you jars with the eggplant tomato sauce, leaving about 1 inch head space.

Using a knife, insert into the side of the jar to remove air bubbles. Clean the rims of the jars using wet paper towel. Add the lids and seal to finger tight.

Add lids and water bath can

Water bath can jars by placing them in a large pot with a rack or tea towel at the bottom. Cover with water to just above the lids of the jars. Bring to the boil and hold at this temperature for 20 minutes. Remove jars using canning tongs/jar lifter, or allow to cool before removing from the hot water bath.

Cool, label and store

Allow your jars to cool completely to room temperature. Remove the rings and check that the jar lids have good seals. If any of the jars haven’t sealed correctly, repeat the water bath canning step with a new lid. Label your jars with the contents and the date. Store in a cool dark place for up to 18 months.

If you don’t plan on water bath canning your sauce, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.

To serve your homemade eggplant and tomato pasta sauce

We love to serve this delicious pasta sauce with good quality spaghetti or penne pasta and some pecorino romano, feta cheese or parmesan cheese.