Canned Tomato Bruschetta Topping
A canned tomato bruschetta topping that results in a surprisingly firm, flavorful topping for bread, salads, and more – it’s like “summer in a jar” all through the winter!
- Prep Time: 45 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 9 half-pints 1x
- Category: Preserving
- Method: Canning
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 7–8 cups chopped, cored, and peeled plum/paste tomatoes*
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry white wine (for alternative, see Notes section below)
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dried basil**
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano**
Instructions
- Prepare tomatoes.
- Prepare canner, lids, and jars.
- In a large, deep, stainless pot, combine all the ingredients except the tomatoes. Bring to a full, rolling boil over high heat, stirring often.
- Reduce heat, cover, and boil gently for 5 minutes. Keep warm on lowest heat while filling the jars.
- Pack tomatoes into hot jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Ladle the hot vinegar mixture into jars, making sure to keep the 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a non-metallic spatula, adding any additional liquid needed to retain the 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rims, attach lids and place jars in canner.
- Bring to a boil, then process for 20 minutes. Turn off heat, remove canner lid and wait 5 minutes before removing the jars to cool on a cloth-lined counter.
- Check seals after 24 hours, then store in a cool, dark place.
Notes
*I always prepare a bit extra tomatoes to make sure I have enough.
**As an alternative, you can use 2 tablespoons of Italian Seasoning in place of the oregano and basil. All herbs MUST BE DRIED, though, for this recipe to remain safe to can.
Alternative to using wine (I haven’t done this, so can’t attest to the flavors, just researched the safety aspect):
- Replace the 1 cup of dry white wine (ph of 3.0-3.4) with an equal amount of apple cider vinegar (ph of around 3). This keeps the acidity about equal, so doesn’t impact the safety.
- Increase the sugar to 3 tablespoons to counteract the stronger vinegar flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of a jar
- Calories: 18
- Sugar: 1.8g
- Sodium: 3mg
- Fat: 0.1g
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 2.7g
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Protein: 0.4g
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: Tomatoes, Tomato Recipes, Canning Tomatoes, Preserving, Appetizer
More Tomato Preserving Recipes You May Like:
- How to Dry Tomatoes And Store In Olive Oil
- Home Canned Pizza Sauce (From Frozen or Fresh Tomatoes)
- Canned Tomatoes & Chilies {a Rotel Copycat Recipe}
- Addictive Tomato Chutney: Updated With Less Sugar
And here are more fall harvest preserving recipes from my garden buddies for you:
Pear Freezer Jam @ Frugal Family Home
Zesty Salsa Canning Tutorial @ Simplify Live Love
Homemade Applesauce @ Hearth and Vine
Homemade Marinara Sauce @ Homemade Food Junkie
This recipe has been updated – it was originally published September 2009.
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TERESA says
July 29 at 9:13 amIs there anything I can use in place of the wine?
Jami says
July 30 at 1:35 pmI’ve done some research on this for people like you who need to (or prefer) not buying or cooking with wine (I’ll be adding this to the recipe, too). I cannot vouch for the flavor, as it will be impacted, but hopefully not a lot.
Here’s what I suggest:
-Replace the 1 cup of dry white wine (ph of 3.0-3.4) with equal amount of apple cider vinegar (ph of around 3). This keeps the acidity about equal, so doesn’t impact the safety. I would also up the sugar to 3 tablespoons to counteract the stronger vinegar flavor.
ACV is relatively mild compared to white vinegar, so hopefully it won’t make a huge difference in the finished product.
Let me know what you think about the tomatoes with these changes!
Peg Stewart says
July 2 at 12:02 pmCan you use fresh basil in this recipe?
Jami says
July 5 at 5:56 pmNo, you can’t add anything fresh outside of what the recipe states since that changes the acid balance. You can always add fresh basil when serving, though.
Jeanne says
September 28 at 8:15 amHi Jami. I just found, and love your site! There is sooo much great information here. Is there something I could substitute for the wine and still be safe to safely can this bruschetta? My tomatoes are beckoning!
Jami says
October 1 at 10:29 amI’m so glad you found AOC, Jeanne! Hmmm, as for the wine substitution, I did a bit of research and some sites suggest half water, half vinegar, and a teaspoon or so of sugar for wine. For this recipe, I would probably do 1/2 cup water, 1/4 c. + 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar which is sweet so you wouldn’t have to add more sugar. I have no idea what this would do to the flavor, but it would still be perfectly safe, since you’re adding vinegar.
Michelle Marine says
September 12 at 8:57 amThis recipe sounds so good, Jami. I need to remember to make it this year. My tomatoes are slowing down big time, but I think I can pull together enough for one last batch of something! 🙂
Jami says
September 13 at 10:23 amThat’s so funny as mine have just started taking off in the last couple of weeks. September is always about tomatoes (and plums!) for us here. 🙂
Diane Williams says
September 11 at 1:39 pmWhat a thoughtful post! i enjoyed your videos too. This recipe is SO interesting. I am going to make it. Dave and I love bruschetta and this topping will be marvelous for a taste of summer in the dead of winter. Thanks Jami!
★★★★★
Jami says
September 13 at 10:21 amWe think alike, Diane – my gut told me it wouldn’t work, but I had to try it anyway. 🙂 Of course they’re not as good when you’ve got fresh tomatoes coming in, but in February? Pretty darn good!
Shelly says
September 11 at 10:51 amLooks like a delicious recipe for canning. We have a lot of tomatoes this year so I need to give this recipe a try. I like that the tomatoes don’t get mushy, I would have been concerned about that too.
★★★★★
Jami says
September 13 at 10:19 amYes, it really was a pleasant surprise when I first tried it. 🙂
Patti says
September 11 at 5:01 amWhat a great idea! I love fresh bruschetta but nice tomatoes are hard to come by here in winter. This would be a great substitute.
★★★★★
Anita Thompson says
August 30 at 7:07 amThank you for this recipe. I made this this year and just can’t quit eating it. The Best!!!!!
Jami says
August 31 at 11:17 amI’m so glad you like this, Anita!
Heidi says
September 17 at 5:00 pmI liked the recipe, however, I am not a huge fan of oregano. So, I think next time I will only use basil. I was surprised how overpowering the smell of the oregano was…Thank you for the recipe!!
Jami says
September 17 at 7:35 pmThat’s what I love about making our own foods, Heidi – we can customize them just how we like!
Adrienne Smith says
August 29 at 11:20 amThis recipe looks great, thank you for posting it. One question, do you have to peel the tomatoes?
Jami says
August 30 at 12:04 pmNo, not from a safety standpoint at least. However the skins will all start peeling and floating after canning and they will be tough. Not really what I’m looking for in a topping. 🙂 It’s up to you, though – try it without and see what you like.
Jessica Spanswick says
September 7 at 7:54 amCould I use unpeeled cherry tomatoes for this recipe?
Jami says
September 7 at 3:21 pmI’ve never done that and it would definitely impact the texture, but I it should be okay if you keep to all the same measurements. You’ll need to cut the tomatoes in half, though, to release the juices.
Lisa from Iroquois says
September 23 at 1:33 pmJust filled the canner with 7 x 1cup jars of this. The liquid didn’t go far enough so we topped each jar with extra vinegar/water. Sure smells like summer in the kitchen right now. It was the perfect idea for the last few paste tomatoes I had on the counter.
jim says
September 21 at 7:57 amwhat is the reason that all the bruschetta recipes call for wine? can you make it with out the wine, could I use the basil that we grew and have in the freezer from this year?
Jami says
September 21 at 9:29 amHmmm, I think, Jim, that it may be a mellow way of adding acid to make it safer for canning? I don’t use wine in my fresh recipe, so that would be my guess. Since it is an acid, you’d need to replace it with a mild vinegar (like a wine vinegar or a rice vinegar). The basil needs to be dry or it becomes another low-acid ingredient which would mess up the ratio. Hope that clarifies some!
Sheila says
May 29 at 11:48 amWow that says a lot since I have fresh basil and oregeno.
carol says
August 8 at 1:40 pmcan you use fresh basil instead of dried?
Jami says
August 8 at 2:51 pmNo, Carol – adding fresh, low-acid ingredients like herbs and garlic would make it not safe for water-bath canning and storing on a shelf. You can add fresh basil when you serve it, if you’d like. This isn’t like fresh bruschetta – but in the depths of winter, it comes pretty close. 🙂
Lindy H says
May 12 at 3:40 pmThis was SOOOO good! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Jami @ An Oregon Cottage says
September 20 at 9:57 pmOh, I loved the concept of that book and, in fact, tried 2 new tomato types that she recommended! But I never saw a picture of her pantry- was it on the blog/website she has?
I’m afraid mine wouldn’t compare- I don’t think it would feed all of us all winter. 🙁 It’s just the things that I like to have and don’t want to buy and I try to spread them out the rest of the year…
I will take a picture, though- that’s a good idea and may give you a better idea of the reality. 🙂
Jenelle says
September 20 at 7:43 pmJami,
Do you think we could get a photo of your pantry filled with all your home grown/ canned goodness? I have a vision of it looking just like Barbara Kingsolver’s pantry at the end of the summer of Animal, Vegetable Miracle. 🙂
Nicole Feliciano says
September 19 at 2:56 amWhat a great idea. I adore tomatoes and hate the mealy ones in winter. Hope you get a chance to swing by Momtrends for my recipe exchange. Have a great weekend.
Jenelle says
September 17 at 6:16 pmIf I ever get any tomatoes to grow I will definitely make this. Or maybe I can find a good deal at the farmers market…….