Use this easy, safe water bath canned stewed tomatoes recipe to preserve the summer tomato harvest and use in recipes all winter. Fresh tomatoes are combined with sweet peppers, celery, and onion for a flavorful, ready to use pantry staple that I love to use in soups, stews, and casseroles for a change from plain tomatoes.

I’m going to be honest and come out and say I don’t use stewed tomatoes very often. I mostly use diced tomatoes in my recipes.

BUT, I will say that one of my favorite, must-make-often winter recipes, this lentil and sausage stew, tastes better with stewed tomatoes. And I’ve made it often enough to know for sure. So I would buy enough cans to be able to make the stew whenever I wanted.

Until I read the label. (You knew that was coming, didn’t you?) Apparently it wasn’t just the vegetables adding flavor to the tomatoes, but sugar. Wah-wah. Why am I constantly surprised by this?

In looking at the label, though, I realized that it’s not that different from Rotel, which meant it was an option to use the same tested water bath canning recipe I adapted for that to put up a few jars myself to use in my favorite stew (most canned stewed tomato recipes are for pressure canning, so I needed a tested water-bath recipe as a base).

I did add a little sugar, since that is the regular flavor profile, but cut the total sugar for a 1/2-cup serving in half without losing what makes stewed tomatoes different from plain diced.

And I think they turned out pretty great! I get that stewed tomato flavor in my stew and the satisfaction of knowing it’s a fresh, lower sugar product.

Recipe origin and safety notes

Similar to my copycat Rotel recipe, this water-bath canning method for stewed tomatoes is based off the Minnesota Method for Canning Tomatoes. The mixture is a university tested recipe using tomatoes, peppers, celery and onions in amounts that are safe to water bath can with the addition of citric acid (or lemon juice).

For a product similar to the stewed tomatoes we’re used to from the store, I looked at a number of different brands ingredients. All listed tomatoes, tomato juice, sugar and salt as the first four ingredients with vegetables, citric acid, calcium chloride, and “spice” or “natural flavor” as less than 2%.

Are you as surprised as I was to learn that more sugar AND salt were used in stewed tomatoes than the vegetables?

Let’s fix that, shall we? For our recipe we’re using fresh tomatoes and their natural juice (we can’t add tomato juice to this recipe, as it would change the thickness of the tested recipe), and MORE vegetables than sugar. I did use less vegetables than the Minnesota recipe, since stewed tomatoes have less. This doesn’t affect the safety since we’re using the same amount of acidic tomatoes and just less of the low-acid fresh vegetables. And because the canned tomatoes use citric acid, that’s what I specify in the recipe even though in the Minnesota recipe you could use either lemon juice or citric acid (so you can, of course, use bottled lemon juice if you want, it just won’t be like store bought).

Let’s talk about the sugar. I’ve always known canned stewed tomatoes were sweeter than diced tomatoes, but I guess I never thought about how much. As the third ingredient on the nutrition label, that makes the total sugar 6 grams with added sugar about 3 grams per 1/2 cup. This recipe is 3 grams total, which includes the natural sugars found in tomatoes.

How to make water bath canned stewed tomatoes

tomato mixture after cooking 10 minutes. — Prep and cook the tomato-vegetable mixture

adding citric acid to jar — Add citric acid to each jar before tomato mixture.

wiping jar rim for tomatoes — Fill jars with 1/2-inch headspace, wipe rims, and attach lids.

boiling jars in canner — Bring to a boil and process for 40 minutes at a soft boil.

Ways to use stewed tomatoes

The Best Sausage and Lentil Stew Recipe (obviously)
15-Minute Tomato White Bean Soup (use instead of diced tomatoes for a different flavor)
One Pot Italian Pasta with Sausage & Spinach (again instead of the diced tomatoes)
For a quick tomato sauce: in a skillet mash with a fork with olive oil, fresh minced garlic, and oregano over medium heat until warm. Toss with pasta.
Add a can to your next batch of chili.

Let me know if you make this and how you like to use stewed tomatoes!

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stewed tomatoes recipe in canning jar from above

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Safe Stewed Tomatoes Recipe for Water Bath Canning

An easy stewed tomatoes recipe that combines fresh tomatoes, peppers, celery, and onion in a safe water bath canning recipe to preserve your summer harvest.

Prep Time1

Cook Time1

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Yield: – 6 PINTS

Author: Jami Boys

Equipment

10-12 quart stock pot
water bath canner
5-6 pint jars and lids

Click for Cook Mode

Ingredients

12 cups tomatoes, peeled and quartered (about 10-12 pounds)
1/2 cup diced sweet peppers, any color
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon pure sea salt or canning salt
1 tablespoon sugar or to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper (optional as the added as the "spice")
citric acid (1/4 teaspoon for EACH jar)

Variation: Italian Stewed Tomatoes

1 teaspoon EACH dried oregano and basil or to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or to taste

Instructions

Safety Note: Do not increase the amount of peppers, onions, and celery. Do not use tomatoes that are overripe, decayed, or harvested from frost-killed vines.

Prepare and measure tomatoes: Wash, core, and blanch the tomatoes in the large stockpot, removing them to a large bowl in batches. When done blanching, drain the stockpot, then and peel and quarter the blanched tomatoes, measuring them in a large glass measuring cup as you go and adding them to the stockpot. Here's how I easily peel tomatoes.
Prepare and measure vegetables: Wash all vegetables, trimming and peeling as needed. Dice each into a half-cup measuring cup and add to the stockpot.
Cook: Stir the salt, sugar, and black pepper (if using) into the vegetable mixture and bring to a low boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Water Bath Canning

While tomato mixture is simmering, prepare canner, jars and lids (see note for a tutorial for water-bath canning).
Once the mixture is ready, add 1/4 teaspoon citric acid to a clean, hot, pint canning jar (one at a time). Ladle the tomato mixture into the jar, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove bubbles with a chopstick or spatula, wipe rim, and attach lid. Place jar in raised canner rack (over medium-high heat) and repeat with remaining jars, being sure to add the 1/4 teaspoon citric acid to each jar.
When all the jars are on the canner rack, lower the rack, cover the canner and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, set a timer to process 40 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a soft boil. When the timer goes off, remove the lid, turn off the heat and allow jars to sit in canner 5 minutes.
Remove jars from canner to a towel-lined counter and let cool 12 to 24 hours. Remove rings for storage and check lids to be sure they’ve sealed (gently pull up with your fingers). Refrigerate any that didn’t seal. Store home canned jars in a cool, dark place for up to 18 months.

To Freeze Stewed Tomatoes

After cooking 10 minutes, remove the mixture from the heat and let cool a bit before transferring to freezer safe glass containers (if using plastic, cool completely before transferring).
Label and date containers and freeze for up to a year.
Note: If freezing you can leave out the citric acid and be safe, but since it is an ingredient in the commercial product, it may affect the flavor.

Notes

Click here for a tutorial on water-bath canning.

High Altitude Adjustment: If processing at an altitude of higher than 1000 feet above sea level you’ll need to adjust the processing time according to this chart.