Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/09/2026
Processing details
Altitude adjustment: Dial gauge: 11 psi at 0–2,000 ft; 12 psi at 2,001–4,000 ft; 13 psi at 4,001–6,000 ft; 14 psi at 6,001–8,000 ft. Weighted gauge: 10 psi at 0–1,000 ft; 15 psi above 1,000 ft.
Source & provenance
Safety summary
Use a source-listed ground meat and keep every tested proportion. Do not water-bath can, thicken, or add extra meat or vegetables. Optional mushrooms may be omitted.
Processing details
- Method
- Pressure
- Pack style
- Hot
- Jar sizes
- Pint or Quart Jars
- Headspace
- 1 inch
- Processing time
- Pints: 60 min; Quarts: 70 min
Tested source
Safety status: Tested authoritative recipe. This recipe follows the National Center for Home Food Preservation source. Follow its quantities and complete process exactly.
Canning timeline
- Prepare jars, canner, and ingredients.
- Brown the source-listed ground meat, prepare and measure the tested vegetables, cook to the specified consistency, fill hot jars, and pressure can.
- Fill pints or quarts, leaving 1 inch headspace.
- Pints: 60 minutes; quarts: 70 minutes. Dial gauge: 11/12/13/14 psi at 0–2,000/2,001–4,000/4,001–6,000/6,001–8,000 ft. Weighted gauge: 10 psi at 0–1,000 ft; 15 psi above 1,000 ft.
- Cool jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check seals.
Equipment
Pressure canner, skillet, heavy stockpot, food mill or sieve, jar lifter, and pint or quart jars.
Visual method guide
- Prepare: Use sound produce and exact measured ingredients.
- Pack: Hot pack; remove trapped air and maintain 1 inch headspace.
- Process: Pressure canning only; use the schedule for your altitude and canner type.
- Cool: Leave jars upright and undisturbed before checking seals.
Safety essentials
Tested NCHFP pressure-canning recipe. Retain the tested meat and vegetable proportions and do not use a boiling-water process.
About this recipe
Spaghetti Sauce with Meat is a tested NCHFP home-canning recipe using hot pack and pressure canning only.
Before you begin
- Method
- Pressure canning only
- Pack
- Hot pack
- Jar size
- Pints or quarts
- Headspace
- 1 inch
Read the linked authoritative source completely before processing.
Altitude and processing schedule
Pints: 60 minutes; quarts: 70 minutes. Dial gauge: 11/12/13/14 psi at 0–2,000/2,001–4,000/4,001–6,000/6,001–8,000 ft. Weighted gauge: 10 psi at 0–1,000 ft; 15 psi above 1,000 ft.
Spaghetti Sauce with Meat — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 30 lb Tomatoes
- 2 1/2 lb Ground meat beef, sausage, venison, or turkey
- 5 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 cup Onions chopped
- 1 cup Celery or green pepper chopped
- 1 lb Fresh mushrooms sliced; optional
- 4 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Oregano
- 4 tbsp Parsley minced
- 2 tsp Black pepper
- 1/4 cup Brown sugar
Equipment
- 1 Pressure canner Dial- or weighted-gauge pressure canner appropriate for altitude.
- 5–9 Pint or quart canning jars Yield about 9 pints or equivalent permitted quart capacity.
- 5–9 Two-piece canning lids Use new flat lids and prepare according to manufacturer directions.
- 1 Food mill or sieve For removing tomato skins and seeds.
Directions
- Wash tomatoes. Dip in boiling water 30–60 seconds or until skins split; dip in cold water, slip off skins, remove cores, and quarter.
- Boil tomatoes uncovered 20 minutes, then press through a food mill or sieve.
- Brown the ground meat. Add garlic, onion, celery or green pepper, and optional mushrooms; cook until vegetables are tender.
- Combine meat and vegetables with tomato pulp. Add salt, oregano, parsley, black pepper, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered until thick enough for serving and reduced nearly by half, stirring frequently.
- Fill hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace.
- Pressure can pints 60 minutes or quarts 70 minutes. Dial gauge: 11/12/13/14 psi at 0–2,000/2,001–4,000/4,001–6,000/6,001–8,000 ft. Weighted gauge: 10 psi at 0–1,000 ft and 15 psi above 1,000 ft.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
Discuss this recipe with the canning community. Community comments do not replace the tested source or safety classification shown on this page.
Join the discussion
Please log in or create a free account to discuss this recipe. You will return here afterward.
Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Heat thoroughly and serve over pasta, polenta, or baked vegetables.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the ingredients or process?
Only make changes expressly permitted by the authoritative source. Use a source-listed ground meat and keep every tested proportion. Do not water-bath can, thicken, or add extra meat or vegetables. Optional mushrooms may be omitted.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly, or reprocess within 24 hours using a new lid and the complete tested process if the source and current food-safety guidance permit.
How this recipe compares
The meat version requires 60 or 70 minutes of pressure processing, substantially longer than the tested meatless sauce.
Troubleshooting
If pressure falls below the required level, return the canner to pressure and restart the complete processing time.
Discard any jar that is leaking, bulging, spurting, moldy, or otherwise shows signs of spoilage. Never taste food to determine safety.
Source & provenance
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Spaghetti Sauce with Meat. Adapted from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, revised 2015.
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Summer, Fall
Months: July, August, September, October
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
40–80 lb of Tomatoes per person per year
The source-cited calculator below can convert your pantry goal into row foot estimates where compatible yield data exists.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.