The cicadas are singing, the nights and mornings are getting cooler and the feeling of fall is almost upon us. If you've been around here for long, you know that fall is my absolute favorite season! With the end of summer approaching, I know it’s time to start digging out my go-to tomato recipes. Every year we say we’re going to plant less, but we don’t. We enjoy gardening and canning for our family. Having an abundance of tomatoes is a blessing.
But I get it, there are times when you feel like you have tomatoes coming out of your ears. What do I do with all the extra? We will talk about that! For now, let’s get to the recipes! These are all great recipes to use a lot of tomatoes up at once.
Annie’s Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients:
20 medium tomatoes
¼ C Sugar
1 pouch Mrs. Wages pasta sauce mix
**Make the pasta sauce according to the directions on the Mrs. Wages pouch. This pasta sauce can be used right away or canned/frozen for future use.
2lbs ground beef browned
2 quarts of the canned pasta sauce
½ onion diced
2-3 Medium tomatoes diced
1-2 small cans of tomato paste (depends on the desired thickness)
3-4 basil leaves chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Brown ground beef with the diced onion. Slowly add in the pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and chopped basil. Simmer and cook for as long as possible. It will taste good right away, but it will taste awesome if you let it cook for a few hours! Enjoy!
Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Ingredients:
30 tomatoes
3 large onions
3 green peppers
5 cloves of fresh garlic (chopped)
6 jalapenos
2-12oz cans tomato paste
1 ½ C vinegar
3 Tbls tabasco
⅓ C salt
¼ C lemon juice
6 tsp cilantro
2 cans black beans,
4 ears or 1 bag (frozen) corn
Oregano and black pepper to taste
Instructions:
Chop the tomatoes, onions and peppers. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. This will make quite a bit! You can freeze this salsa or can it. But our favorite is right out of the bowl fresh!
Louisiana Caviar
Ingredients:
3 tomatoes chopped
3 avocados chopped
3-4 green onions chopped
One bunch cilantro chopped
6 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (wear gloves!)
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cans black-eyed peas (drained and rinse)
1 bottle Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
Instructions
Chop all the veggies. Mix in the Italian dressing. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Clean the Garden Tomato Juice
This happens every season. I get tired of dealing with all the extra produce because we can’t possibly eat all of it. We love to share with our neighbors and family and friends. However, if there’s still an abundance, I go out and pick many of the garden items to make a delicious juice. Tomato juice is an excellent base for chili, hotdishes, soups and more. I love having it on hand and we use it for a lot of different things.
Ingredients:
Tomatoes of all variety
Bell peppers
Onions
Salt and pepper
¼ C sugar
Instructions:
Wash and quarter tomatoes, onions and peppers. Add a bit of water to cover the bottom of the kettle to make sure it doesn’t burn. Cook over medium heat until soft. Carefully pour into colander. I have an old-fashioned colander to press my juice. Some people use a Vitamix or tomato juicer, but I enjoy the old-fashioned way. Once I get all the veggies cooked and pressed into juice, I add in the sugar and salt and pepper. Let the juice cook for at least 2 hours to enhance the flavors. I cook mine down all day. You can make as much juice as you want to. It’s not really an exact science, but I use more tomatoes than any other vegetable for the juice. Can in a 45-minute hot water bath.
Annie’s Chili
Ingredients:
2 quarts ‘Clean the Garden Tomato Juice’ (see recipe above)
2 lbs. ground beef
1 clove garlic
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 Tbsp chili powder
3 Tbls dried onion flakes
1 can dark kidney beans
1 can light kidney beans
1 small can green chilies
2 Tbls chopped jalapenos
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Brown the ground beef. Drain. Pour all the ingredients into a slow cooker. Cook on low in a slow cooker for 8-10 hours. Serve with saltines, cheese and sour cream. Enjoy! There’s nothing like homemade chili with real tomato juice!
Now, go light your pumpkin spice candle and get cooking! Haha!
Until next time,
–The Wing Lady