This green tomato sauce is made with green, unripe tomatoes, not tomatillos. It’s a great recipe to use up all of the end-of-season tomatoes that haven’t ripened yet.

Jars of green tomatoes on white board. — Pomodori Verdi

If you have a garden, you’ll undoubtedly have loads of unripe tomatoes at the end of the season. It seems a shame to leave them lying on the ground when that first frost hits.

Canning pomodori verdi is a great way to extend the shelf life of your green tomatoes and create a flavorful pantry staple that you can use in many dishes.

Follow our simple and easy-to-follow recipe to enjoy the bright, tangy flavor of green tomatoes all year round.

The Italian word “pomodori verdi” literally translates as “green tomatoes”. So, technically, this is a sauce made with pomodori verdi. I’ve asked Italians, and they do not make this green tomato sauce. They use them fresh in salads and on antipasto.

Why Should you Make it?

Sustainability: Making sauce is a sustainable choice instead of discarding unripe tomatoes.
Great pantry item: You can always put together a quick dinner with sauce in your pantry. It makes a quick, delicious dinner. Just sauté some Italian sausage, cook your favorite pasta and toss it together with some pasta cooking water and parmesan cheese.
To save money: Having sauce in the pantry means you don’t have to buy sauce from the grocery store.
To control the ingredients: You can tailor the sauce to your family’s needs and likes.
It’s delicious: We love it served with Romanesco and chicken and tossed with pasta and parmesan cheese.

What you Need

Green, unripe tomatoes: Use up all of your end-of season-tomatoes.
Onion: Yellow or white onion or shallot.
Garlic: Fresh garlic is best, but you could substitute garlic powder if you don’t have fresh on hand.
Bay leaf
Salt: Kosher, Sea salt, or Canning salt.
Basil: Dried or fresh will both work.
Oregano: Fresh or dried will both work.
Parsley: Again, fresh or dried are both fine.
Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper is best.
Sugar: Add sugar to taste. Start with two tablespoons and add more if you’d like.
Lemon juice: Bottled lemon juice must be added to the jars or use citric acid to achieve the proper pH to can this sauce.

How to Make it

Green tomatoes cut to fit into juicer. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Cut tomatoes so that they fit in the juicer.

Whole tomatoes in a large pot with water. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

If you use frozen tomatoes or a food mill to remove the skins and seeds, soften the tomatoes in boiling water for about five minutes first.

Kitchenaid juicer station set up. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Set up your juicing station with a bowl to catch the juice. This is the setup for the Kitchenaid vegetable strainer/ juicer attachment.

Green tomato juice in a large bowl. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Juice the tomatoes. Run the skins and seeds through twice to extract as much juice as possible.

NOTE: Since these tomatoes are immature, their seeds are not fully developed. Therefore, you will not be able to remove them all.

Chopped onion in cast iron pan, softening. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Soften the onions in a bit of olive oil.

Garlic added. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Add garlic and soften for a couple of minutes.

Garlic, onion and spices added to tomato juice in large pot. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Add tomato juice, onion, garlic, and dried spices to a large stainless steel stockpot.

Simmer it down until it is about half the amount you started with.

If you want a smooth sauce, you can use an immersion blender or run it in batches in your blender. Be careful because the sauce is very hot and can burn you.

To can sauce

Prepare your canning pot, lids, and jars. Keep the jars in hot water until you are ready to fill them.

Sauce added to jar with the aid of a canning funnel. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Add lemon juice to a warm jar. Fill the jars with the aid of your canning funnel, leaving a ½-headspace.

Removing air bubbles with wooden chopstick. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Remove any bubbles with a bubble tool or plastic or wooden chopstick.

Wiping the jar rim. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Wipe the rim of the jar clean with a damp paper towel to remove any food particles. This will ensure proper sealing.

Jar lifter adding lid to jar. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Center lid on the jar. Screw on the band, fingertip tight.

NOTE: You can use your pressure canner or water bath canner. Read on to see how.

To pressure can

Be sure the rack is in the bottom of the canner. Add the jars to the canning pot. Secure lid. Turn the heat on high and vent the canner for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add the dial gauge or weighted gauge pressure regulator to the pot.

Let the canner reach the correct pressure for your altitude. The notes in the recipe card below provide the pressure required for your altitude.

When the gauge has come up to the desired pressure, start the timer.

Once time has elapsed, remove the canner from the burner. Allow pressure to release naturally.

Once all the pressure has been released, carefully open the lid and move it partially off the top of the canning pot. Let it rest like that for 5 minutes.

Then, remove the lid and allow the jars to rest another 5 to 10 minutes in the canning pot.

After resting, remove the hot jars to a kitchen towel placed on your counter and let them thoroughly cool for 12-24 hours, undisturbed.

Check the seals. Press down in the middle of the lid. If it flexes up or down, the jar is not sealed and should be refrigerated and used first.

Then, remove the bands. Gently pick the jar up by the lid to check the seal further. Again, if it is not sealed, use it first.

Label jars with contents and the date. Store in a cool, dark space.

To water bath can

Get the canner water hot. Wash the jars and lids. Add the clean jars to the canning pot to heat. Once the jars are filled, add them to the canning pot. Bring the water in the pot to a boil. Once the water is boiling, set the timer.

When the processing time is complete, remove the pot from the heat, carefully open the lid, and partially lift it off the top of the canning pot. Let it rest like that for 5 minutes.

Then, remove the lid and let the jars rest in the canning pot for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

After resting, remove the jars onto a kitchen towel placed on your counter and let them thoroughly cool for 12-24 hours, undisturbed. You may hear the lids pinging sometime in the next hour. This is music to a canner’s ears. It is due to the reaction of the lids being sealed to the jar.

Check the seals. Press down in the middle of the lid. If it flexes up or down, the jar is not sealed and should be refrigerated and used first.

Then, remove the bands. Gently pick up the jar by the lid to check the seal further. Again, if it is not sealed, use it first.

Label jars with contents and the date. Store in a cool, dark place for at least a year. Avoid areas with large temperature fluctuations.

Do not stack jars on top of each other. This can compromise the seals. If you run out of room on your shelf, use a sheet of cardboard or a thin piece of wood and place that on top of a row of jars. Then you can put jars on top of that. This will distribute the weight evenly.

Before using any canned goods, always inspect the packaging and the food itself. Make sure that it looks and smells as it should. If it doesn’t, it’s best to err on the side of caution and discard it.

Three jars of green tomato sauce on white board.

How to use green tomato sauce

As a pasta sauce: Brown Italian sausage or use cooked chicken. Heat the sauce in the same pan as you browned the sausage. Toss the green tomato sauce with al-dente cooked pasta and some of the pasta cooking water. Add a splash of heavy cream and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Garnish with some chopped fresh herbs like basil or parsley for extra flavor.
As a dip: Green tomato sauce is delicious for chips or crudites. Mix it with cream cheese or sour cream to make a creamy dip.
As a pizza sauce: Spread the green tomato sauce on your pizza crust and add your favorite toppings.
Marinade: Use the green tomato sauce as a marinade for chicken or fish. It will give the meat a fresh, tangy flavor.
As a soup base: Add the green tomato sauce to a pot with some broth or stock and other vegetables, like carrots and celery, to make a flavorful vegetable soup.

More Delicious Pantry Staples

Canning pomodori verdi sauce (green tomato sauce) is a great way to use unripe green tomatoes, preserve their flavor and nutrition, and create a delicious and versatile pantry staple for many dishes. Give it a try today, and let us know what you think.