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    Home » Main Dishes

    Easy Pasta Sauce Recipe

    February 19, 2019 By Elizabeth 322 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    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.

    Pot of Cooked Easy Pasta Sauce

    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.

    Pot of Cooked Easy Pasta Sauce

    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!

    Pot of Cooked Easy Pasta Sauce

    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.

    Pot of Cooked Easy Pasta Sauce
    4.94 from 192 votes
    Print

    Easy Pasta Sauce

    Easy Pasta Sauce. Cooks in 10 minutes. 

    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Total Time 20 minutes
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 144 kcal

    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

    1. 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.

    2. 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.
    3. 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.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nancy E Troeger says

      January 02, 2022 at 1:48 pm

      5 stars
      Fast and delicious. Thank you!

      Reply
    2. Tallulah Stewart says

      January 15, 2022 at 10:51 pm

      5 stars
      I forgot to put the water in but it’s still super good

      Reply
    3. Janeel Shulmister says

      January 30, 2022 at 7:37 pm

      5 stars
      OMG I made this tonight!

      My husband took one bite and declared “This is the only way I want spaghetti from now on. No more store bought sauce!”

      It was so simple to make and so delicious. Thank you so much for sharing!!!!

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        February 01, 2022 at 9:39 am

        Ah! This made my day! Glad you liked it!

        Reply
    4. Marti Fernandez says

      February 07, 2022 at 9:28 am

      5 stars
      This sauce is amazing! I actually added about ¼ C butter and just a bit of oregano. This will be my new “go to” for sauce, it just absolutely perfect

      Reply
      • mark m says

        February 28, 2022 at 8:44 pm

        great sauce but I added 1\4 cup of white wine instead of water turned out great.

        Reply
    5. Lavina Jones says

      February 11, 2022 at 1:28 pm

      5 stars
      This is yummy 🤤, my pasta sauce is usually quite bland and I think the butter is a great addition. My kids have told me to save this recipe and not revert back to my old ones 🤣

      Reply
      • Sylvia says

        March 08, 2022 at 6:48 pm

        4 stars
        This was an amazing recipe!!! Easy to make!!!

        Reply
    6. preshy says

      February 13, 2022 at 12:16 pm

      5 stars
      Very helpful , my pasta sauce and my pasta turned out very delicioso
      Gracias amigas

      Reply
    7. Renee says

      February 28, 2022 at 6:35 pm

      5 stars
      I never imagined such an easy sauce would be so tasty. A+++++++++ 👍

      Reply
    8. Kini says

      March 02, 2022 at 12:30 am

      5 stars
      Awesome recipe! I made it for my family and they loved it!

      Reply
    9. Terre B says

      March 14, 2022 at 6:07 pm

      5 stars
      Love love love this sauce, I made it a couple weeks ago and couldn’t believe how easy It is and cheaper than using name brand sauces to feed my family the leftovers work great for stuffed shells and lasagna…thank you so much

      Reply
    10. Terre B says

      March 14, 2022 at 6:11 pm

      Forgot to add… I am making another big batch tonight for dinner to prep for meals this week 👍🏽

      Reply
    11. Bernie Heenan says

      March 15, 2022 at 11:34 am

      How long can you leave in fridge without freezing

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        March 22, 2022 at 12:41 pm

        About four days.

        Reply
    12. Fran says

      March 20, 2022 at 3:36 pm

      5 stars
      I love the versatility of this recipe. I’ve made it many times, sometimes just as is (it’s delicious… trust me) and other times, I add some oregano or Italian seasoning. Sometimes I add a little extra garlic or throw in a few veggies and some plant based crumbles! The possibilities are endless, but it’s because the sauce is so delightful just as it is!

      Reply
    13. David Cameron says

      March 21, 2022 at 1:05 pm

      5 stars
      A teaspoon of dried instead of basil. Thank me later.

      Reply
    14. amy says

      March 21, 2022 at 3:23 pm

      my sauce is looking more orange then red like your pictures. any idea why?

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        March 22, 2022 at 12:40 pm

        The color of canned tomatoes varies a lot by band. My guess is that it’s the type of tomatoes they use and how it’s processed.

        Reply
    15. Terry C. says

      March 22, 2022 at 10:58 pm

      5 stars
      This is so fast and easy and so good! I made the sauce according to directions then added browned ground Turkey sautéed with additional onion, salt and pepper, a glug of red wine and about 1/3 cup of finely grated Parmesan. Simmered low for about 45 minutes. My husband loved it! ❤️

      Reply
    16. JBfromGA says

      March 23, 2022 at 11:44 pm

      5 stars
      Easy to make, tastes great. Good with spaghetti or Italian Sausage

      Reply
    17. Mark J Mc Donnell says

      April 18, 2022 at 4:26 pm

      5 stars
      this is the and easy to make. I use white wine instead of water and also 1/4 tsp of oregano. but the key is the tomatoes I use delallo san marzano or tuttorosso hand crushed tomatoes makes all the difference

      Reply
    18. Jerry says

      April 23, 2022 at 3:05 pm

      5 stars
      Would not have believed a really good sauce could be made without simmering for hours.
      Turned out great. However, I cheated a bit and added a little red wine and a few fennel
      seeds to the pot.
      Also, I think 10 minutes prep time is too short.
      With choping dicing, getting ingredients lined up I would say 20-3 minutes.
      Anyway, it’s a great sauce
      Thanks

      Reply
    19. Anna Philbert says

      April 29, 2022 at 6:21 pm

      5 stars
      I made this for dinner today. It was fast, easy and very delicious! I loved it and will add it to the regular rotation!

      Reply
    20. Bobbi Shingleton says

      May 06, 2022 at 1:15 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve made this several times. It never disappoints! Best sauce ever.!

      Reply
    21. Tom says

      May 12, 2022 at 11:56 pm

      5 stars
      Awesome sauce! I added a half TSP of fennel seeds & a lot more chili flakes (we like it spicy) but this was so flavorful & easy to make. I need to work on dicing my onions more finely though haha

      Reply
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    Elizabeth Barbone

    Hi, I'm Elizabeth. Welcome to Cook Fast, Eat Well--- Two years ago my mom gave me an electric pressure cooker. The first time I used it, I pressed the start key and ran out of the room!

    Not anymore!!!

    More about me →

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