Extension > Food > Food Safety > Preserving and preparing > Canning > Minnesota method for canning tomatoes
Minnesota method for canning tomatoes
Home canners frequently request recipes for canned mixtures of tomatoes, celery, peppers and onions. University of Minnesota Extension developed the following recipe for a tomato mixture and was reviewed by the National Center for Home Food Preservation. The recipe is great for stews, soups, and Minnesota “hotdishes”. If the ingredient proportions of the following recipe are followed very carefully, the tomato mixture may be safely canned using the following recommended boiling water bath process method.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT INCREASE the amount of pepper, onion or celery from what is stated in the recipe. DO NOT USE tomatoes that are soft, overripe, decayed, or tomatoes harvested from dead or frost-killed vines.
Minnesota tomato mixture (6-7 pints)
- 12 cups tomatoes, peeled and quartered
- ½ cup chopped pepper
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 3 teaspoons salt
- ½ cup chopped onion
- Bottled lemon juice or citric acid
- Wash tomatoes, remove stems and cores. Peel and quarter tomatoes.
- Wash peppers, celery and onions. Chop.
- Combine tomatoes and vegetables together and simmer for 10 minutes.
- To clean, hot canning jars, add ¼ teaspoon citric acid or 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice to each pint jar; add ½ teaspoon citric acid or 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice to each quart jar.
- Add tomato mixture to the jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove excess air from the jar by running a spatula or bubble-freer between the mixture and the side of the jar.
- Wipe jar rims, and cap with properly pretreated two-piece canning lids and process (see below). For 6-7 quarts, double the recipe and process.
Recommended process:
- Boiling water bath
- Pints = 40 minutes
- Quarts = 50 minutes
Recipes using home-canned Minnesota tomato mixture
Tomato hotdish recipe with Minnesota tomato mixture
- 1 pound hamburger
- 2 cups cooked macaroni
- 1 pint Minnesota tomato mixture
- 1/2 cup cheese
Brown hamburger, add Minnesota Tomato Mixture and boil for 10 minutes. Add macaroni, mix and place into casserole dish with cheese and cover.
Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove cover and bake 5 minutes more minutes to brown cheese.
Chili bean soup recipe with Minnesota tomato mixture
- 1/2 pound hamburger
- 2 cloves garlic with toothpick in for easy removal
- 1 pint Minnesota tomato mixture plus 1/2 cup water or tomato juice
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (to taste)
- 1 can kidney or chili beans
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
Brown hamburger. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 15 minutes. Remove garlic. Serves four.
Spaghetti recipe with Minnesota tomato mixture
- 1/2 pound hamburger
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 pint Minnesota mixture
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 12-ounce package spaghetti, cooked
- 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
Brown hamburger. Add Minnesota mixture, juice, herbs and salt. Simmer covered 15 minutes. Place hot, drained spaghetti on serving dish. Pour sauce over spaghetti. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or other hard cheese. Serve with hard roll or garlic toast and green salad. Makes 4 servings.
The original publication was developed by Isabel D. Wolf and Edmund A. Zottola, reviewed by William Schafer, Extension food technologist, University of Minnesota.
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