A Very Necessary Pie Accoutrement
Many people can or do buy pizza sauce. I don't. I think that a multitude of factors contribute to my lack of pizza sauce procurement from commercial sources:
One: I am a total cheapskate when it comes to food. If I can make it in large quantities for less than the cost of a small jar, then I am probably not going to buy it.
Two: the store is three miles away and pizza sauce is twice is as expensive there as it is in town thirty miles away.
Three: I think I have some residual logging camp effect going on when it comes to groceries. I either grow what I need, or if I was lazy and/or had a crop failure, tend to buy in bulk. I know subconsciously that my food isn't delivered weekly by Cessna anymore, but perhaps a ride in my friend's old VW beetle reawakens those old thought patterns. Who knows?
Fourth: Perhaps most importantly, my half-Hawaiian offspring are gigantic and consume huge amounts of comestibles. My nine year old was five foot one inch tall in height and weighed one hundred and forty pounds. I'm pretty tiny in stature, but it is really hard on your ego when your now ten year old looks slightly down upon you.
Back to pizza sauce. I buy number 10 cans of diced tomatoes at my local restaurant supply store. That would be 102 ounces of tomatoes. Now we're logging! That 6lbs and 6 ounces of tomato goodness costs me $2.57. Now, I took a sabbatical last year from canning tomatoes due to the attendance of many a family funeral. Normally, I would use my own home grown tomatoes in the sauce, and to be honest, the taste is much better with your own brand of red fruit. However, I know that I cannot grow, harvest, and can 102 ounces of tomatoes for two dollars and fifty-seven cents. You also can't put a price on sustainability, enjoying the outdoors, growing your own produce, and the taste of something produced from your own land and hands. So, with that said, home grown and canned tomatoes will be making a comeback to my kitchen even though I kind of enjoyed my year's retreat.
There are two ways of doing my big batch of pizza sauce. The thirty minute, I'm in a hurry way. Like anything else convenient; it is going to cost more. There is also the stew all day cheapskate way. I'm going to show you the cheapskate way, but I will include the fast method of the recipe in the notes at the end.
To begin, you gather your sauce ingredients:
I promise that dried green herb in the baggie is oregano, for I buy that in bulk as well
I spared you the thrill of seeing twenty-five pounds of brown sugar in a bucket, you're welcome
Bulk Batch Pizza Sauce Recipe
1 #10 can of diced tomatoes
1 12 ounce can of tomato paste
1/4 -1/3 cup brown sugar to taste
2 TBSP dried basil (I would double this number if using fresh basil)
2 TBSP dried oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp of salt
Note: I like to put in an idiotic amount of minced fresh garlic instead of powdered, at least 3 TBSP, garlic it up as much as you like and/or can handle.
To start, I get out the biggest stainless steel stock pot that I have. I also get out the food processor. You can pay a couple of dollars more and get tomato sauce and skip this step, but I honestly don't mind the couple of minutes that it takes to puree the diced tomatoes in the food processor. That would be the next step. Puree the diced tomatoes (in batches, if you can fit all 102 ounces in your food processor that I commend you!!). Next, put the tomatoes, tomato paste, and all of the other ingredients in the stock pot. Give it a stir.
Now it's simmer time. Because I didn't use tomato sauce I have to let this simmer for a long time. I'm going to say a minimum of an hour or two. I usually throw this sauce together in the morning and let it percolate on the kitchen or wood stove until I need to make the pizzas later that day.
Note You can substitute 1-#10 can of tomato sauce and use 3-12 ounce cans of tomato paste for a less chunky sauce that will be ready in 30 minutes. It will cost more, if you can handle that fact, go for it!
The super neat thing about this recipe is that I throw a jar of sauce in the fridge for the hungry offspring to make mini pizzas on tortillas for lunches during the week, and there is enough to freeze for at least another meal. I freeze the sauce in 2 cup packages.
This recipe makes around 10 cups of sauce.
Here is a cost breakdown:
Tomatoes $2.57
Tomato Paste .92
Brown Sugar .07 (I buy this in 25 or 50 lb bags at the restaurant supply store as well and keep it in a food grade bucket.)
The spices might bring about .25 into the total, as I buy all of this stuff in bulk, and usually have the basil and oregano laying around the house dried from the summer harvest. .25 is probably over-kill. Still, that brings the total for 10 cups of sauce to:
$3.81
One 16 ounce (2 cups) jar normally runs from 1.39-1.99, so I totally win here! Yay!
The heat off of the pan is the only thing keeping that ravenous creature at bay
Additional notes:
If you don't like chunky texture, go with the tomato sauce variation.
If you think that your sauce is a touch too chunky; you can always stick an immersion blender in the stock pot and puree a bit. Or go with the tomato sauce variation. It is okay to live it up once in a while;o)!
All of the pictures in this post were taken by the author on her flour dusted iPhone.