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.
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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.
Eric R says
Absolutely amazing! My roommate and I also just bought a 12 pack of lime LA Croix and we were wondering if we could use that instead of water to add some zest?
Amy says
Love this recipe! I split the canned tomatoes to 1 can (14.5-oz) crushed tomatoes and 1 can (14.5-oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes. I also added a small can of tomato paste and 1/3 cup water along with 1 tsp oregano. Then 1 package of cooked ground Turkey and it was delicious! Thank you for the inspiration!! 🫶🏼
Samantha Stultz says
I made this last night when I realized I didn’t have a jar of pasta sauce. It was fantastic – the whole family agreed we never return to store-bought jar pasta again. I had two lbs of ground beef. This amount covers one lb, so if you have more meat, double for each lb of beef.
Beth A. says
I decided to try this because I need to cut down on sodium and a can of crushed tomatoes has a lot less sodium than any jar of prepared pasta sauce that I could find. Now that I know how easy and delicious it is, I’ll save money (and sodium) from now on by doing it this way! Thanks for a super simple, but delicious recipe!
Elizabeth says
You’re welcome. I’m so glad you liked it!
Marie says
I LOVED THIS SAUCE!! Made it last week and added Italian sausage. Tonight i am making it again with meatballs!! So easy, so fast! love it, love it, love it!! Thank you!!
Brenda says
I made this because I had no sauce in the house. I was surprised, as it was possibly the best sauce I’ve ever had!! Honestly…so easy to make, and the flavor and consistency was absolutely amazing. I will never buy jarred sauce again, or go through the grouling task, as it is for me since I cannot stand for long periods of time due to back surgery, to make sauce from complete scratch again. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
scott turnbull says
Nice recipe… But to your point about less sodium. Both crushed and peeled tomatoes have the same amount of sodium120mg but peeled is for 1/2 cup vs 1/4 cup for crushed. Also, peeled tomatoes are better quality as they are a whole tomato. Crushed tomatoes are from a mix of assorted tomatoes some of which were beyond ripe.
Amber says
I think she meant less sodium than a jar of already prepared pasta sauce
Susan says
I was looking forward to trying some new pasta but was out of jar pasta sauce. Already hungry, I looked up easiest pasta sauce and found this. I was skeptical but very hungry. O.M.G! SO good!!! I don’t think I’ll ever buy jar pasta sauce again! Genius! Thank you!!
Tina says
Why does it call for I can 28 ozof tomatoes but you only add half of the can ? Am I missing something?
Maria Barnes says
Further down the recipe says add the rest of the tomatoes
CP says
It states to add half the can stir then add the last half.
Duncan Hope says
Used 12oz tomato paste and 16oz chicken stock, other wise followed the recipe except added half again sugar. Came out awesome with venison meatballs. I also simmered 10 minutes before adding cookrd meatballs and simmered for 30 minutes more.
Tina says
Sorry I misread😢
Ann Marie says
Very easy to make, I use a fresh chilli, tastes delicious.
Jon says
Dang I just made this and forgot i had calabrian chili peppers i couldve added.
Stefanie says
This was great! We improvised on the tomatoes— 1 can diced, 1 can Rotel. The added spice was yummy. (Unfortunately I scorched the garlic so that flavor overpowered the sauce 😕) Still better than a jar sauce! Will try again.
Paul m says
I use san marzano crushed tomatoes and prefer it to regular crushed tomatoes. However comes out great with any canned crushed tomatoes.
Eve says
Needed to use up some low-quality canned tomatoes and figured cooking them with lots of delicious stuff, like in this recipe, would do the trick. It turned out great! I did add more sugar to combat the bitterness of the cheap tomatoes, but in the end it was as good as restaurant sauce. I added browned and seasoned ground beef to the sauce to make a meat sauce. I’ll be making this again!
Elizabeth says
Hooray! Glad you like it!
Brendon Manno says
I have tried to use quick Tomato sauce is so many times I can’t count and they were all crap. I wanna thank you personally, this is The best sauce ever in a short amount of time period got on as truth it tasted better than some homemade sources that take hours on the stove top. Not kidding. Thank you so much looking forward to more recipes.
Shawna Manno says
Sorry that’s my son’s name somehow came up lol.Im shawna. Thanks again
Elizabeth says
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
S says
I made this and it’s delicious! I used mixed herbs as I didn’t have any basil but it tasted so good, couldn’t believe I made it!
Debbie says
Delicious sauce I added ground turkey to mine. My new go to recipe no more jar sauces for me. Even though I cried doing the onions,
Shawna Manno says
The trick so you don’t cry when you cut it A onion is not to cut the root off. Cut The Onion in halves at the root. Then dice it from there.It Works
Jane Fenton says
I added 1lb well cooked bacon and crumbled it up in the sauce. Delicious.
Tracey Dowe says
I have just made it. Didn’t have Basil, so used Italian mixed herbs. it tastes really nice.
Thank you.
Tracey
linda says
I had a box of crushed tomatoes I needed to make a decent sauce out of for our frozen
chicken cordon Bleu. This was excellent. I halved everything because my box was only 13.6 and it was just for two of us. Thank you for this so easy and yummy recipe.
Edna says
We love this sauce!! It’s so easy , quick & delicious. After a few times of making it, I’ve started to add something of my own to it, like Worcestershire sauce & a bay leaf. Sometimes I’ll add hot Italian sausage. It just works with everything!!
Thank you so much for sharing it.
Patti Burke says
Hello, is it possible to double this recipe to make twice as much
Elizabeth says
Yes! This recipe can easily be doubled.
Katie Leszczynski says
What amount of ingredients would I use for 40 people? I’m going to cook for the homeless and we’ll be feeding them dinner. I really wanted to make something vs buying store bought jars.
Can you help me with the math here?
Elizabeth says
Happy to help. How would you be using the sauce? Putting it over pasta?
Dai says
This was a quick and easy recipe and, most importantly, delicous. The only thing I didn’t add was the onions because my child is picky.
Anonymous says
Great
San says
This sauce was so easy to make and super yummy. I made this first so that it could keep simmering while I cooked the rest of the food (I’m a slow cooker!). Each time I tasted it was good and, as you said, the longer it cooked the better it got! Love this!
Kell says
Great basic recipe to which you can add more or less anything you want.
I added one grated carrot, one diced red pepper and a little spinach.
Also a dash of soy sauce, a dash of balsamic vinegar and plenty of freshly ground pepper.
Excellent
Kellen says
the recipe should be at the top of the page not the bottom. good sauce though
Elizabeth says
Glad you liked the sauce.
Dena says
Discovered when I was about to heat up some jarred sauce that I didn’t have any so I needed a very quick recipe. Very impressed how such a fast and easy sauce could taste so good!
Sharon Gostynski says
I made this tonight. My sil had made a batch of homemade pasta I found in the freezer along with some meatballs I made a while ago. I looked for a simple sauce recipe and found yours. I had some basil in a tube that I needed to use and two cans of crushed tomatoes. This was a hit. I adjusted a few things because of what we had or didn’t have but it was great. I think the butter was a key component. I will definitely use this as a base for sauce going forward.
Arlene Fleming says
This sauce is delicious, and so quick and easy to make. I am done spending money on store bought jar sauce that all tastes alike and is so acidic. I made this tonight with meatballs and everyone loved the flavor.
Thank you for sharing.
Filomena says
This is very similar to my sauce I make too and I’m Italian as well. I just want to ask what brand of crushed tomatoes do you use???
George Burke says
My family thinks I’m chef now! They love it!
Carrie Talley says
Such a great recipe! Easy to make and delicious. I added capers in mine.
Aidan says
This pasta was great it had tones of flavor and just overall really good
Stacey says
Love this sauce! So easy and delicious.
I’ve used it as sauce for pasta as well as sauce for cabbage rolls when I make them.
I’ve recently used crushed fire roasted tomatoes and it’s extra delicious. Thank you for this easy, yummy sauce.
Coco says
I love this simple, delicious, homemade sauce. I had a can of whole plum tomatoes, I crushed them in a bowl with my hand, and added all the juice (instead of water) to the pan and let it simmer down. Delicious! I sautéed eggplant cubes and added it to the sauce, served over capellini, fresh grated Parmesan too!
Giedrius says
Superb flavour and easy to make.
Thanks!
Gene says
Very pleased with this, the flavor and simplicity live up to the reviews and this is a keeper! I was tempted to substitute heavy cream for the water but stuck with the recipe as-is and no regrets. Has anyone ever made that substitution?
Damon says
I make a double batch. Pasta first night and then put 1/2 cup heavy cream in it for a really good tomato basil soup as leftovers.
Tom says
This sauce is great! Super flavorful and easy to make.
Angela Rhodes says
Saved my life I’d just dropped a jar of sauce and found your recipe straight away.I’m a true believer in things happening for a reason!!!will never buy a jar again so easy to make tastes delicious thankyou
Eli says
Pretty decent, quick recipe. I think simmering longer than 30 minutes brings it together though. After 10 minutes it still has a really “bright” flavor. This rounds out with more time on the heat.
Eva says
Delicious with eggplant parmigiana
Thank you blessing!
Cindy Lopez says
So my picky 5 and 4 yr old loved the sauce. I’m so glad I came across this recipe. Thank you!!
Elizabeth says
Yay! Glad they liked it!
Miranda says
I ran out of sauce so I made this one. It was amazing! I will never buy sauce again.
Katy says
I made this today for my family for lunch. I was delicious. My husband hates onions, so I put it through a food processor to blend them up after it had simmered for a few. It came out smooth and the only reason he knew onions were in it was because my daughter told him 😤
bill dennis says
I haven’t tried it yet but I have a problem; every tomato product has ‘acidity regulator’ ie citric acid and it plays hell with my wife’s digestion. Why can’t I use fresh tomatoes whizzed up in a blender?
Bill
Elizabeth says
You can use fresh tomatoes. After blending, you want to use about 3 1/2 cups of blended tomatoes. Enjoy!
Andrea says
Seriously delicious! Quick and easy to make! I didn’t find it necessary to add any water. Will definitely think twice before buying another pre-made jar of pasta sauce. This one is a keeper!
Courtney Decher says
I’ve made complicated, time-consuming sauce recipes before and was never very impressed. This one is SO EASY and DELICIOUS!! My whole family of picky eaters loved it. Will definitely be my staple from now on. I like that it’s simple too so you can adjust per recipe if wanting to differentiate. Thank you!!
Catherine Rolfson says
So delicious and easy to make. This recipe is a definite SAVE!
Michele K says
Easy and quick, loved it. I didn’t have crushed tomatoes so used 1- 141/2 oz can of petite diced tomatoes and 1- 141/2 oz can of tomato sauce (that is what I had on hand) with just the tiniest amount of water to rinse out cans to get all tomatoes out. No other water needed. I added more pasta type spices and erythritol/monk fruit instead of sugar. I added 3 bay leaves in while it simmered. Added my sautéed mushrooms and lean ground turkey, Yummy! Next time I want to try with the actual crushed tomatoes and put more spices and garlic in. Thanks for recipe. 🙂
Ann says
I loved this sauce and it’s super easy & convenient. I am supposed to limit sodium so I used “no salt added” crushed tomatoes and then was able to control how much salt I added. Super delicious!!! I liked the chunky with pasta, but I may go back in with a blender and purée it for pizza or to add to chili recipes. Thank you for this great recipe & sodium solution.
Emma Brooks says
Great recipe and much cheaper than canned sauce since I had 4 cans of diced tomatoes for 87 cents !!
Thanks so much for the recipe
Gina says
My family loves this pasta sauce. We follow the directions exactly, and it is super simple to make. Even my picky eaters prefer this to pasta sauce from a jar.
Peggy says
Loved it. Delicious. I was curious about the people who said they added. So I tried it both ways. And amazingly they were both delicious…Thank You for this Awesome Recipe.
Michael Nash says
This is a super easy yet extremely tasty recipe. Lots of flavor, excellent instructions & again, easy to follow! Well done!! I highly recommend this sauce!