Easy Pasta Sauce. It’s so easy to make homemade tomato sauce, you’ll (probably) never buy the stuff in the jar again. Great with pasta, grilled sausages, polenta, and more.
I’m Italian-American. So I don’t even have to tell you that I grew up in a house where tomato sauce was regularly made from scratch. But I’ll tell you anyway: At home, I never ate store-bought sauce during my childhood. Ever.
During those Ragu commercials, where they declared “It’s in there!”, my mom would scoff as if she’d been personally offended by the commercial.
Her sauce was amazing. It cooked for hours and, let me tell you, was the best sauce most folks had ever tried. (Unless they too were Italian-American, then their mother’s or grandmother’s or father’s sauce was the best sauce they’d ever tried.)
The recipe I’m sharing today is not my mother’s sauce.
This tomato sauce cooks in less than an hour but, let me tell you, it’s good.
How good is it?
Glad you asked! It’s so good that my mom likes it.
If you’re in the habit of buying expensive sauce from a jar, this recipe might just help you break that spendy habit.
All you need is a few ingredients and a bit of time.
Crushed Tomatoes
This recipe uses crushed tomatoes. This is key for this sauce. Diced tomatoes work but the consistency of the sauce won’t be the same. Crushed tomatoes tend to vary in thickness from brand to brand and sometimes from season to season. Start the sauce by adding 1/4 cup of water. If your sauce seems thick, add a little more water.
Cook’s Tip: The sauce thickens as it cooks. When you start the sauce, you want it thinner than you want the finished sauce.
Onions and Garlic
Onions and garlic bring a lot of flavor to the sauce. Use one medium onion and three to five cloves of garlic. Yes. You read that right. Three to five cloves. Why the range? If the cloves are small, use more.
This makes a somewhat chunky pasta sauce. The consistency comes mainly from the diced onions. I roughly chop them. If you want a silky smooth sauce, you’ve got three options:
- Dice the onions very finely.
- Dice the onions in a food processor until they’re almost a paste.
- Puree the sauce after it’s finished cooking.
Butter
I don’t know when I started adding a pat of butter to my sauce but I did and, woah, it makes a difference. A mere pat of butter adds a roundness to the sauce that you’ll love.
Dried Basil
I know. I know. All the cool culinary snobs say that dried herbs don’t add any flavor. Do you know what I say? ‘Eff em. Seriously. Buy a good dried basil and you’ll be fine. Is dried the same as fresh? Nope! But it will add flavor.
An easy way to know if the dried basil you’re using is good is to smell it. Even without rubbing it between your fingers, you should be able to detect a summery-basil smell. If you can’t smell anything, it’s probably time to buy a new jar.
Cook Time
This sauce only requires 10 minutes of simmering. Seriously. For a deeper flavor, cook it longer, up to one hour. The longer you cook the sauce, the thicker it gets. Be sure to stir it occasionally and add additional water as needed.
Salt, Pepper, and Other Good Flavors
Think of these ingredients as a starting point. Sometimes you might want to add a pinch more salt or a sprinkle of additional red pepper flakes. Other times, you might want to stir in some additional herbs, like oregano, or add freshly grated parmesan at the end of cooking. You can do that with this sauce. It’s yours. Have fun with it!
Can I use this sauce for pizza?
Sure! I prefer a thick sauce for pizza; so I’d suggest you cook it until thick before using it on pizza.
How do I freeze tomato sauce?
Allow the sauce to cool completely. Place into a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Heat thoroughly before serving. Adjust consistency as needed.
Can I use fresh tomatoes?
I wouldn’t. Fresh tomatoes are amazing. But this recipe was developed for canned tomatoes.
Can I can this sauce?
Nope! It’s not an approved recipe for canning.
Can I omit the sugar?
Absolutely! The 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar enhances the natural sweetness of the tomatoes and, believe it or not, does make a difference. If you want to leave it out, go ahead.
Easy Pasta Sauce
Easy Pasta Sauce. Cooks in 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 3-5 cloves garlic minced or put through a garlic press
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- pinch red pepper flakes about 1/4 teaspoon
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 pat butter, about 2 teaspoons
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
-
Heat the olive oil over high heat until it shimmers. Saute the onions, stirring frequently, until they soften and shine, about three minutes. The onions should sizzle and hiss as they cook. Add the garlic. Stir to combine. This prevents the garlic from burning. Cook an additional two minutes. Add the basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and sugar. Stir to combine. Add the butter. Stir, cook for about a minute.
-
Add 1/2 can of the crushed tomatoes. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any stuck on bits. Reduce heat to low. Add remaining tomatoes. Stir in 1/4 cup water. If the sauce seems too thick, add additional water.
-
Allow sauce to simmer for 10 minutes to up to one hour. If simmering for a longer, stir the sauce occasionally and add additional water as needed to keep the sauce at the correct consistency.
Deijha says
This was amazing! I use this with an 18 oz jar tomatoes instead of a 28, and it’s DELICIOUS. So far, I put it in my lasagna, which was amazing, added about a teaspoon of oregano and used it for some flatbread pizza. Yummy. I don’t think I will ever buy pasta sauce 😂. Thank you so much for sharing!
Helen Mayne says
Love it love it love it! Thank you
Sandra says
I was so surprised how gorgeous this sauce turned out with such simple ingredients and such little effort, 🥰
Giuseppe Savarino says
Wow this is amazing can’t wait to get home and start cooking ..simply amazing ciao
Cindy says
I add 1 tsp dried oregano and some beef broth.
Love this recipe.
LoweElizabeth says
So yummy! Highly recommend this recipe!
Frances says
Delicious! I didn’t have a 28oz can of crushed tomatoes so I combined a 15oz can of petite diced tomatoes and one 15oz can of purée through my Ninja on crush. Came out great!
Elizabeth says
Perfect swap!
Molly McIntyre says
We’ve been making pasta with jarred sauce for years and this is so much more satisfying, cheaper, and not that much more work. Thank you!
Shelley Haefner says
I panicked when i was making spaghetti and meatballs because i had NO sauce but i did have all the ingredients for this and it came out amazing!! NO need for store bought ever! Thanks so much!
Fran Bailey says
I’ve made my own sauce for over 50 years and have never made a quick sauce. I made this thinking “quick” and how bad can it be!
I puréed 28 oz can of San Marizano (sp) and added some cooked Italian sausage. My family raved!!! It was excellent!
ByTheBookCook & TheAsteriodArtist & TheGoodBakesBaker says
Wow-this is DELICIOUS!! I really didn’t do much with the cooking info to be honest-but the ingredients are on POINT! I didn’t have onions so I recommend grated and cooked to dry carrots and onion seasoning. Also a bit of red pepper spices it up!
ByTheBookCook & TheAsteriodArtist & TheGoodBakesBaker says
Wow-this is DELICIOUS!! We really didn’t do much with the cooking info to be honest-but the ingredients are on POINT! We didn’t have onions so we recommend grated and cooked to dry carrots and onion seasoning. Also a bit of red pepper spices it up! We know this has been posted by us previously-we just used i instead of we-and forgot to rate!
ByTheBookCook & TheAsteriodArtist & TheGoodBakesBaker says
Wow-this is AMAZING!!! We really didn’t do much with the cooking info to be honest-but the ingredients are on POINT! We didn’t have onions so we recommend grated and cooked to dry carrots and onion seasoning. Also a bit of red pepper spices it up! We know this has been posted by us previously-we just used i instead of we-and forgot to rate!
Georgie says
Loved this recipe! Super simple and fast. My boyfriend doesn’t really like chunks of tomato so we tossed it in the food processor and it’s a GREAT smooth sauce!
Kathleen Blann (Garbini) says
Thankyou so much.. I’m Third Generation Italiano
Kathleen Blann Garbini says
Thankyou.. Gracia from a 3d Generation 🇮🇹Italian ..!!
Michael Gershon says
Great recipe! I go NUTS with garlic, add a Tsp. of Tomato Paste and 1/2 Tbs. of Oregano. I season the onions while sautéing so I back out a bit of the salt to account. Even my wife, who hates everything, loves this sauce!
Elizabeth says
That’s awesome!
Nicolae says
Thank you so much for posting this. I’m teaching my girlfriend’s younger brother how to cook (long story) and this with some pasta is an easy recipe to teach him how to multitask with. I tend to add a bay leaf to the sauce when I add the basil and red pepper flakes, since I have difficulty eating super acidic foods, and it’s perfect.
Manasi says
Loved it. My in laws liked Pasta for the first time
Ronn says
It is a nice and detailed recipe.
I make it. It was amazing.
Thanks for this simple recipe.
Chris says
I will NEVER buy sauce again! I may try adding beef broth and/or oregano in the future, but the recipe is great as is. Fast, easy, and the family loves it.
Andy Lucas says
Seriously good sauce and very easy! I upped the salt and sugar slightly, just personal taste. Left the sauce in the fridge overnight and used the following day with just some spaghetti. The flavour was rich, deep and delicious. Thanks very much!
Jan says
This has been my new “go to” sauce for just about all things Italian! The only change I made was wine instead of water! Thank you so much for this!!
David says
“Pasta sauce recipe” Looks very good. I tried the recipe and really enjoyed it.
Nikki says
When would I add ground beef or sausage? I’m trying this today!!
Elizabeth says
Saute the onion and garlic as directed. Don’t add any of the other ingredients. Add the ground beef to the pan and cook until done. Then add the remaining ingredients. I hope this helps!
Nikki says
O M GEEZ!! Delicious 😋😋😋
Jen says
Made a double batch of this tonight with crushed tomatoes, San Marzano tomatoes, red wine and plenty of red pepper.
TJ says
I used to spend a lengthy time prepping pasta sauce, prior to discovering my son cannot eat garlic and onions with the exception of green onions and garlic oil. So I adapted this recipe so he can enjoy a tasty pasta sauce by using garlic oil and green onions and let me tell you, he loves it and so does the rest of our family. Thank you so much, your recipe is a dream come true and so easy to make!
fred buri says
THIS RECIPE TS GREAT ONLY THING I ADD SHRIMP AND PASTA
Sylvia says
This was a really delicious sauce! I used fresh tomatoes that I crushed. Everything else I followed the recipe. It turned out great! The red pepper flakes gave it a great flavor.
Dale says
I add fresh mushrooms
Kim says
So quick and easy to make, will never buy a store bought sauce again as this has so much flavour. Thank you for the recipe.
TerryF says
The BEST quick tomato pasta sauce ever! Thank you!
Laurie IVORY says
Did anyone add wine to the sauce – seems it might be an added treat.
Elizabeth says
I have! It adds a nice depth to the flavor.
Tiffany says
Do you cover the sauce while it simmers?
Elizabeth says
I don’t but you can!
Jan owen says
Love this recipe. It’s great for me because I’m gluten tolerant. Non of my family have noticed I don’t use a jar of pasta sauce anymore…
Sharon says
The instructions says: “Add 1/2 can of the crushed tomatoes.” I totally didn’t understand this – what do you do with the other half? I added it all to my recipe and it turned out ok – but still SMH on the 1/2 can.
Elizabeth says
The directions state: Add 1/2 can of the crushed tomatoes. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any stuck on bits. Reduce heat to low. Add remaining tomatoes. Stir in 1/4 cup water. If the sauce seems too thick, add additional water.
I’m sorry you found this confusing.
Jill says
Amazingly good. As good as ready made ones if not better. I did however made some substitutions as I didn’t have the required ingredients. Instead of canned crushed tomatoes, I used fresh tomatoes and a can of tomato puree. I also added 1 tbsp of Italian Spices. Then simmer for 30 minutes.
Jill says
I tried your recipe the second time. Again using fresh tomatoes (soaked in hot water for 20 mins, removed skin, and diced), a can of tomato puree and 1 tbsp of Italian Spices (as I don’t have dried basil). In this attempt, I put the sauce into a slow cooker after about 10 minutes of cooking in the pan. I wanted to develop the flavour but don’t have the time to watch over it. So I let it cook under low setting for 4 hours. This turned out equally delicious. Thanks Elizabeth.
Dani says
What type of onion did you use?
Elizabeth says
Yellow onion
N.Hall says
Excellent recipe! So easy and so delicious
Kate says
Thia recipe is so deliciousness. I put IT ON my homemade pizza (my own dough from scratch). Just putting this sauce, cheese, and ham then my older daughter commented that it is deliciously filled the missing ingredients. Meaning the sauce itself made the pizza so great taste!!! Love this sauce so much!!! Thank you for sharing. The best ever!!! 🙏✌️👏👏👏
Liz says
The best and easiest marinara sauce!!! It’s become a staple in our house. Absolutely delicious. That “little” pat of butter really adds depth to the sauce, too. Make this sauce, and you won’t regret it!
Angela M says
Excellent! I added some red wine while cooking (instead of water) and then added some pasta water at the end before adding the noods!!
New go-to sauce recipe!
AD says
Excellent recipe! I subbed with cayenne and some tbsps’ worth of fresh basil.
Pizza Guy says
WOW! great recipe! I tried this recipe on a pizza and fell in love with it.
Veronica Butera says
Question? Can I use chicken broth instead of water?
Elizabeth says
You sure can!