I sent my best friend a pic of my chili today which included a jar of my homemade tomato paste. Her immediate question was why had I not yet put that instructional on my blog.

As I’m clearly obligated to do.

Her wish is...almost...my command.

In the "good ole days" before I was a single mom working full-time and going to school...I would have just taken the time to make y'all a batch complete with step-by-step pictures.

But you're not getting that from me.

I will tell you that you won't regret making your own homemade tomato paste. It's easy, it tastes amazing, and is full of so much more flavor and health than the store-bought version. (That last part is totally scientific. I know because I made it up. But it sounds like it would be true.)

I mean just LOOK at the color in that sauce!

You can really see the color here after it's opened.

Tomato Paste topping Vegan Sweet Potato Chili

And no...making it isn't extremely difficult and doesn't even require canning. You can keep the final product in the fridge or freezer should you so desire.

Over on The Kitchn, Marisa McClellan does an excellent job of doing MY old job. She'll tell you how to make and preserve Tomato Paste and even has excellent links through her post on how to make and preserve other homemade tomato products including Tomato Sauce.

This blog is an excellent resource for those looking to cook from scratch and preserve foods!