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    Home » In the kitchen » Homemade Bottled Spaghetti

    Homemade Bottled Spaghetti

    Published: Feb 23, 2019 · Modified: Jun 10, 2021 by Laura · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    4 jars of homemade bottled spaghetti on a grey background

    If you love canned spaghetti, you need to know how to make it at home. Here is our family recipe, with step by step photos and instructions!

    4 jars of homemade bottled spaghetti on a grey background

    Up until a few years ago, I had NO idea you could make your own bottled spaghetti. We were at Josh's parents house for breakfast and Carol bought a jug of spaghetti to the table. It looked like bought spaghetti but it certainly didn't taste like it - it was SO much better!

    The following year I helped Carol make it and since then we have become obsessed with this homemade spaghetti - Sadie too! And because you guys are loving all the preserving recipes I've been sharing, I knew I had to write this one up too.

    Before we get started:

    We use the overflow method to bottle this spaghetti. If you follow me on Instagram you'll know I've been talking a lot lately about why I am moving away from this method of preserving. The more I read into it, the more I think that using tested recipes and proper methods of heat processing jars of food is the way to go, purely from a food safety point of view.

    That being said, my Granny and Mum have both bottled fruit using this method forever with no problems, and I have too. The only reason I'm moving away is because I love trying new things and the science behind how preserving is done using a water bath method makes a lot of sense to me. If you are interested in learning more, I can highly recommend the Blue Book Guide To Preserving (affiliate link) for lots of really useful information.

    Anyway, the point is - we use the overflow method for this spaghetti. As with anything, if a jar doesn't seal you can't store it at room temperature. It must be refrigerated and eaten immediately or frozen. If you open a jar and it looks, smells or tastes a bit weird, get rid of it. If you are not comfortable with using this method we did try the water bath method with a few jars which I will explain below, so feel free to try that way.

    So let's get into how we make spaghetti!

    Click here to pin this to your preserving recipes board on Pinterest to save it for later.

    You need:

    • Jars with sealable lids (we use 500ml Agee Jars)
    • Tomatoes, onions, sugar, plain salt and dry spaghetti
    • A few basic kitchen things such as chopping board, food processor, knife, a large pot, ladle, a wide mouth jar funnel is helpful and a couple of tea towels.

    Step 1: Sterilise your jars and wash lids/seals

    I find the easiest way to sterilise your jars or bottles is to run them through the dishwasher on the hottest wash (ours is called hygiene but it may be called sterilise on your machine) This washes and sterilises them and as long as you keep the door shut until you are ready for the jars, it will keep them warm too! If you don't have a dishwasher, wash them thoroughly in hot soapy water and place them in the oven at 150°C for at least 15 minutes or until you need them.

    Tip: Always prepare more jars than you think you will need. It is easier to put them back in the cupboard than to try to wash and sterilise one or two extras.

    Wash the lids and seals in warm soapy water. We usually place the seals in a bowl and cover them with boiling water until we are ready to use them.

    Step 2: Wash and prepare the tomatoes

    Firstly, you need to wash the tomatoes. We put the tomatoes in the clean sink, fill it with water and give them a quick wipe down. This is also a good chance to inspect the tomatoes for any blemishes that need to be cut out.

    Sink full of tomatoes ready to be washed
    Chopping board with tomatoes cut in quarters

    After washing them, chop them into a halves or quarters and place them in a food processor. Blitz them until they are sauce like and pour into a large (the biggest one you have!) stockpot on the stove. While you are blitzing the tomatoes, add the onions to the mix too and blitz them up as well.

    Food processor with chopped tomatoes and onions

    Once all the tomatoes and onions are in the pot, bring it to the boil. This can take a while so we usually have the heat turned on as we are adding tomatoes. This speeds up the process slightly. Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, cook for 15 minutes.

    Chooped tomatoes and onions in a large stockpot on the stove

    Step 3: Cook the spaghetti

    While the tomatoes are cooking, cook one packet of dry spaghetti. Bring a pot of water to the boil (don't add any salt) and cook the spaghetti for 10 minutes.

    Spaghetti being cooked on the stove

    Step 4: Mix it all together

    Once the tomatoes and spaghetti are both cooked, drain the spaghetti and add it to the tomato and onion mixture along with the salt and sugar. Mix it together and bring it back to the boil. Once it is boiling, cook for a further 30 minutes. At this stage, you will need to babysit the spaghetti. It can catch on the bottom of the pan pretty easily, so it's worth taking the time to stir it constantly. Once it has finished cooking, take the pot off the heat as you put it into jars.

    Spaghetti being added to tomato and onion mixture
    Bottled spaghetti in sauce in a large pot on the stove

    Step 5: Put it into jars

    This is where it gets messy! Pouring spaghetti into jars is never going to be the cleanest job but if you have a plastic jug, a ladle and a wide mouth funnel it can be a little easier!

    Remember that the jars need to be hot when adding the hot spaghetti, so we like to work 2 at a time, pulling them out of the oven or dishwasher and adding the spaghetti.

    Fill a plastic jug with some of the spaghetti mixture. Use the ladle to pour the spaghetti into jars (using the funnel to guide it if you have one). You want to fill them until the spaghetti is as close to the top as you can get it, without it spilling over the rim of the jar. Run a clean butter knife around the inside of the jar to remove any air bubbles.

    2 jars of spaghetti with seals in background and more jars

    Using a clean damp cloth, wipe around the rim of the jar to remove any juice or seeds and if needed, top up the jar with a splash of boiling water to get the liquid right to the top.

    Carefully place a seal on the jar and screw the ring/lid on tightly. Place the jar to the side and move on to the next one. You're done!

    How to do this using the water bath method:

    If you are more comfortable using the water bath method to process the jars, here is how we did it. Please note, this is not a tested recipe as we are apparently the only people on the internet who make bottled spaghetti!

    Fill your biggest stock pot with enough water to submerge the jars and cover them with at least 3cm of water and bring it to the boil. You will need to place a clean tea towel or wire rack on the bottom so that the jars are not in direct contact with the pot.

    Before filling the jars we added ¼ teaspoon of citric acid to the jar. This is what I do when bottling diced tomatoes and according to the Blue Book Guide To Preserving (affiliate link) that I have just purchased, that it what you should do when bottling any kind of tomatoes as it raises the pH level of the tomatoes to bring them into the high acid food zone that makes them safe for storing on the shelf. I realise that following this logic is contradictory to how we bottle them, but as I am learning about the water bath method and safe preserving, this is how I will be starting to do things.

    Continue to fill the jars with spaghetti, however you will want to leave a gap at the top of about 1.2cm. Run a clean knife around the inside of the jar to remove any air bubbles. Then place the seal and the lid on.

    Place the jars into the boiling water (a set of jar tongs is a super useful tool here) and once all jars are in the pot, bring it back to the boil and process the jars for 35 minutes. Once that time is up, turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water for a further 5 minutes before removing them from the water.

    Step 6: Checking the seals

    Once the jars have been processed, leave them sitting on the bench overnight. In the morning, check the seals. Remove the rings from the jars and if they have sealed, the seal will be concave and you won't be able to prise it off using your finger. If the jar has sealed, give the jar a clean with a damp cloth and store in a cool dark place. Properly sealed jars will keep for at least a year.

    If the jars haven't sealed they cannot be stored at room temperature but they are still safe to eat. Just place the jar in the fridge and eat within a week. Alternatively, you could transfer the contents of the jar to a freezer proof container and store it in there.

    Now you can enjoy homemade spaghetti that is so much tastier than the bought stuff! If there is anything I haven't covered in this post, feel free to comment below and I will do my best to help.

    Line up of filled and sealed jars of homemade spaghetti

    Other preserving recipes you might like:

    • How to preserve plums and other stonefruit (oven method)
    • How to bottle feijoas (overflow method)
    • Homemade Bottled Gherkins (Dill Pickles) (overflow method)
    • How to freeze green beans
    • How to bottle beetroot (overflow method)

    Made this recipe? Tag me on Instagram @thekiwicountrygirl and hashtag it #thekiwicountrygirl.

    4 jars of homemade bottled spaghetti on a grey background

    Homemade Bottled Spaghetti

    If you love canned spaghetti, you need to know how to make it at home. Here is our family recipe, with step by step photos and instructions!
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 45 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Servings: 12 500ml jars
    Author: Laura

    Ingredients

    • 5.5 kg tomatoes
    • 3 onions
    • 500 grams dry spaghetti
    • 2 Tablespoons plain salt (not iodised)
    • 2 Tablespoons sugar

    Instructions

    Step 1: Sterilise your jars and wash lids/seals

    • 2 hours before you need the jars, run them through the dishwasher on the hottest wash (ours is called hygiene but it may be called sterilise on your machine) Keep the door shut until you are ready for the jars as it will keep them warm until you are ready to use them. If you don’t have a dishwasher, wash the jars thoroughly in hot soapy water and place them in the oven at 150°C for at least 15 minutes or until you need them.
      Wash the lids and seals in warm soapy water. We usually place the seals in a bowl and cover them with boiling water until we are ready to use them.

    Step 2: Wash and prepare the tomatoes and onions

    • Put the tomatoes in the clean sink, fill it with water and give them a quick wipe down. Inspect the tomatoes for any blemishes that need to be cut out.
      After washing them, chop them into a halves or quarters and place them in a food processor. Blitz them until they are sauce like and pour into a large (the biggest one you have!) stockpot on the stove. While you are blitzing the tomatoes, add the onions to the mix too and blitz them up as well.
      Once all the tomatoes and onions are in the pot, bring it to the boil. This can take a while so we usually have the heat turned on as we are adding tomatoes. This speeds up the process slightly. Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, cook for 15 minutes.

    Step 3: Cook the spaghetti

    • Bring a pot of water to the boil (don’t add any salt) and cook the spaghetti for 10 minutes. Drain when cooked.

    Step 4: Mix it all together

    • Add the drained spaghetti to the tomato and onion mixture along with the salt and sugar. Mix it together and bring it back to the boil. Once it is boiling, cook for a further 30 minutes. At this stage, you will need to babysit the spaghetti. It can catch on the bottom of the pan pretty easily, so it’s worth taking the time to stir it constantly. Once it has finished cooking, take the pot off the heat while you are filling the jars.

    Step 5: Put it into jars (the overflow method)

    • Remember that the jars need to be hot when adding the hot spaghetti, so we like to work 2 at a time, pulling them out of the oven or dishwasher and adding the spaghetti.
      Fill a plastic jug with some of the spaghetti mixture. Use the ladle to pour the spaghetti into jars (using the funnel to guide it if you have one). You want to fill them until the spaghetti is as close to the top as you can get it, without it spilling over the rim of the jar. Run a clean butter knife around the inside of the jar to remove any air bubbles.
      Using a clean damp cloth, wipe around the rim of the jar to remove any juice or seeds and if needed, top up the jar with a splash of boiling water to get the liquid right to the top.
      Carefully place a seal on the jar and screw the ring/lid on tightly. Place the jar to the side and move on to the next one. You’re done!

    Step 5: Put it into jars (the water bath method)

    • Fill your biggest stock pot with enough water to submerge the jars and cover them with at least 3cm of water and bring it to the boil. You will need to place a clean tea towel or wire rack on the bottom so that the jars are not in direct contact with the pot.
      Before filling the jars add ¼ teaspoon of citric acid to the jar. 
      Continue to fill the jars with spaghetti, leaving a 1.2cm a gap at the top. Run a clean knife around the inside of the jar to remove any air bubbles. Place the seal on the jar and screw on the lid/band until just tight.
      Place the jars into the boiling water (a set of jar tongs is a super useful tool here) and once all jars are in the pot, bring it back to the boil and process the jars for 35 minutes. Once that time is up, turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water for a further 5 minutes before removing them from the water.

    Step 6: Checking the seals

    • Once the jars have been processed, leave them sitting on the bench overnight. In the morning, check the seals. Remove the rings from the jars and if they have sealed, the seal will be concave and you won’t be able to prise it off using your finger. If the jar has sealed, give the jar a clean with a damp cloth and store in a cool dark place. Properly sealed jars will keep for at least a year.
      If the jars haven’t sealed they cannot be stored at room temperature but they are still safe to eat. Just place the jar in the fridge and eat within a week. Alternatively, you could transfer the contents of the jar to a freezer proof container and store it in there.
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Tag @thekiwicountrygirl or tag #thekiwicountrygirl!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lee Blanchard says

      December 10, 2022 at 5:27 am

      If the spaghetti is already cooked does it still have to process for 35 minutes? That seems awfully long.

      Reply
      • Laura says

        December 11, 2022 at 6:47 pm

        Hi Lee, yes, the processing time is not to cook the spaghetti, it is to ensure that the heat penetrates right through the contents of the jar and as spaghetti is very thick, it does need this long time.

        Reply
    2. Ruby says

      May 19, 2022 at 2:43 am

      Hello. Growing up, my mom had canned spaghetti which I never liked but I really want to make some of my own, especially in jars. Have you ever tried your recipe using a few spices, i.e., Italian seasoning, garlic, etc.? Thank you and your MIL for sharing this cool way to store homemade spaghetti.

      Reply
      • Laura says

        June 14, 2022 at 10:48 am

        Hi Ruby, no I haven't but you could definitely add dried herbs and spices!

        Reply
    3. Cherie says

      March 12, 2022 at 7:59 pm

      Hi Laura

      Is it possible to cook this and freeze in jars as opposed to preserving? Thanks

      Reply
      • Laura says

        June 14, 2022 at 11:16 am

        Hi, yes you can - I have frozen jars that haven't sealed before, however the pasta will be quite soft once defrosted so I don't love the end product quite so much!

        Reply
    4. Pam Davies says

      October 02, 2021 at 2:36 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you I had lots of fun making this and it tastes great. I halved the recipe just to try it as its not tomato season yet and they and not all that cheap can't wait till summer when we have home grown or they are really cheap at the green grocer.

      Reply
    5. Steph says

      July 02, 2021 at 12:02 am

      Hi, just wondering if this will work with gluten free or rice spaghetti? My daughter absolutely loves canned spaghetti, but has started developing an allergic reaction to wheat. She’s also allergic to dairy & soy, so it’s much healthier for her if I can make it myself to avoid cross contamination.

      Reply
      • Laura says

        August 01, 2021 at 7:41 pm

        Hi Steph - I have never tried this but I can't see any reason that it wouldn't work! I would love to hear how it goes if you try it! Laura

        Reply
        • Graeme Barnett says

          April 16, 2022 at 11:29 am

          Hi Laura. I just saw your post. I am gluten free and recently used g.f. noodles and it was fine.
          Good luck
          Graeme

      • Julie says

        March 03, 2022 at 11:54 am

        Yes it WORKS!!
        I made up a batch of the sauce and separated it into 1/2 normal spaghetti for the kids and half GF for me. I bottled it into smaller jars so it was individual serves 🙂

        Reply
    6. Jessica says

      June 22, 2021 at 2:41 pm

      Hello. I make my own noodles. Will that effect anything? Also, if I wanted to pressure cook and can this do you think 10 psi for 10 minutes would be good? Thank you.

      Reply
      • Laura says

        January 04, 2022 at 2:38 pm

        Hi Jessica, sorry I won't be much help here. I don't know how it would work with homemade noodles (worth trying though!) and I've never used a pressure canner so I'm not sure how that would work either!

        Reply
    7. Helen Potter says

      March 14, 2021 at 10:42 am

      My mum used to make this and I've grown extra tomatoes this year so I can too! I'm wanting to halve the recipe so I'm guessing I just halve everything including the salt and sugar?

      Reply
      • Laura says

        March 27, 2021 at 1:45 pm

        Yes exactly!!

        Reply
    8. Brenda says

      February 01, 2021 at 9:37 pm

      I'm wondering what is the purpose of cooking the cooked sauce and cooked spaghetti for an additional 20 mins, once they have been combined.

      Reply
      • Laura says

        March 08, 2021 at 2:55 pm

        Hi Brenda, great question - I actually don't know! I'm guessing it's to make sure everything stays really hot throughout before bottling. I'll ask my MIL, it is her MIL's recipe so she may be able to shed some light! Laura

        Reply
    9. Angie says

      January 15, 2021 at 2:32 pm

      I've been trying to find a simple recipe for homemade baked beans, but I think I can tweak this to work. Thank you. We're trying to reduce the amount of 'single-use' waste we create. It's easy to make jams and preserve fruit but trying to find recipes for savoury items has been a bit trickier.

      Reply
      • Laura says

        March 08, 2021 at 2:51 pm

        Hi Angie, I bet baked beans with this would be delicious! I agree, it's harder to find savoury preserving recipes and often, they are more practical! I am slowly adding my favourites, so keep watching!

        Reply
        • Lauren Ratubalavu says

          February 04, 2022 at 11:06 am

          Hi- I was wondering if you knew how to alter the recipe to use canned tomatoes?
          Thanks

        • Laura says

          June 14, 2022 at 12:10 pm

          Hi Lauren, no I am not sure sorry, we have only ever done it with fresh tomatoes! I would test it out on a small scale using a can and see how you like it!

    10. Leeanne Meyer says

      May 27, 2020 at 10:34 pm

      5 stars
      I have just spent the evening following your receipe for spaghetti. I am so pleased with it, I will never buy another can, I am currently having on toast for dinner

      Reply
      • Laura says

        June 06, 2020 at 9:18 am

        Yummy!! I'm so happy you love it!

        Reply
        • Laura A says

          January 11, 2021 at 4:01 pm

          Fantastic recipe! Love the taste of it!

          Got to the end though and realised I forgot to run the butter knife round each jar. Is that going to affect my batch at all?

        • Laura says

          March 08, 2021 at 2:49 pm

          Hi Laura - it will be fine as long as the jars have sealed! Laura

    11. Emma says

      February 25, 2019 at 10:23 am

      Ohhh I need to grow more tomatoes next year so I can try this out. Looks delicious thanks

      Reply
      • Laura says

        February 25, 2019 at 12:38 pm

        Yes definitely do! Although we actually bought the tomatoes we needed for this - we double the recipe so needed too many at once!

        Reply
    12. Kirsty McMillan says

      February 24, 2019 at 7:12 pm

      How awesome! I remember having home made spaghetti as a kid! Brings back cool memories.

      Reply
      • Laura says

        February 25, 2019 at 12:37 pm

        I never had it as a kid, but I'll always make it now. So yummy!

        Reply
        • Sherwynne says

          August 29, 2020 at 10:18 pm

          5 stars
          OMG 😮!!! I just made this!!! Awesome. I had to use tinned tomatoes as I can’t get fresh. I changed the recipe for 4 serves. 4 tins of chopped tomatoes, I drained 2 but next time I might leave the liquid in all. Soooo good!!! No jars, so into the freezer it will go!

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    I live on a farm in rural New Zealand with my husband Josh, our kids Sadie, Macey & Finlay and our black lab Sage. We're all about simple & delicious, family friendly recipes that are made from scratch as well as tasty treats! Read More…

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