A DIY recipe for thick, smooth tomato paste made from scratch! Preserve fresh garden tomatoes or use canned tomatoes to make this basic pantry essential. Homemade tomato paste keeps perfectly for up to a month in the fridge and even longer in the freezer.

By Karen Tedesco of Familystyle Food

Rich and tasty, the best tomato paste is a must-have pantry staple,

it enriches soups, amplifies flavor in pasta sauces and so much more! Learn how to make it at home with this easy recipe.

Put the tomatoes in a large pot, such as a Dutch oven or soup pot.

Simmer the tomatoes slowly on the stovetop for about 1 hour, until they fall apart and most of the liquid is reduced.

Push the tomato pulp through a food mill or a sieve or mesh stainer to remove the seeds and skins.

Discard the seeds and peels, or add to your compost.

You should have a little more than 1 cup of strained tomato puree.

Spread the puree on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a little space around the edges.

Bake for 30 minutes at 275 degrees.

The puree should appear dry on the edges, with cracks in the surface.

Scrape the paste off the parchment and transfer to a clean glass jar.

The paste keeps up to a month refrigerated and 3 months in the freezer.

Tomato paste amps up the flavor of any tomato sauce, everything thing from homemade pizza sauce

Pizzeria-Style Pizza Sauce

spicy arrabbiata sauce

to classic Italian meat sauce.

Add a spoonful to your favorite meatloaf recipe.

Thicken super-savory 15-Minute Puttanesca pasta sauce.

Create a simple, complex tasting sauce in dishes like braised Chicken and Red Wine Vinegar

and simple baked chicken thighs with shallots and Dijon.