Once you make this homemade pasta sauce, you’ll never want to go back to jar sauce. I like the fact that this pasta sauce recipe uses whole canned tomatoes, since fresh tomatoes in the winter can be short on flavor. For maximum flavor, don’t overcook the sauce. I love to use this sauce for pasta dishes, pizza and calzones. I have another recipe I will post later that uses fresh tomatoes, when they are in season.
Homemade Pasta Sauce
A versatile tomato sauce that goes with all kinds of Italian dishes.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup onion diced
- 2 Tbsp garlic minced
- 56 oz. (2 cans) whole plum tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp dried basil leaves
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add onions and saute until translucent.
- Add garlic and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in tomatoes (with juice) and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Using a potato masher, crush the tomatoes until broken up into smaller pieces.
- Simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Add sugar, basil, crushed red pepper, black pepper and salt.
- Simmer for 15 minutes.
- If desired, cool sauce and blend lightly to make the sauce a smooth consistency.
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Claudia Cann
Yum, going to give this a try real soon!
Brice Abell
Great!!! Another foody coming up to the plate!
I make one very similar to this one. You can compare at http://www.babell2.org/Cooking/Recipies/Classic%20American-style%20tomato%20Sauce.htm
Enjoy
Neena
Thanks for sharing. Does look similar! I also make another version where I roast tomatoes in the oven – but you’ve gotta have fresh tomatoes!
Paffi S. Flood
Yum. Can’t wait to give this a try!
Neena
Please do, and let me know how it turns out!
Roxann Ortmann
I do a lot of canning and made my own pasta sauce a few years ago. Will be making some this year when the tomatoes get ripe and will share the recipe with you.
Neena
Thanks Roxann! Would love to hear about your canning adventures this summer.
Lindsay
Fabulous sauce recipe. Thank you for making it big on flavor and small on time prep. Does it freeze well?
Neena
Thanks for your comment! Yes, it does freeze well. If I’m making a dish like lasagna, I use up most of it, but if I’m using it over spaghetti, I freeze the leftover sauce in ziploc bags and thaw in the fridge or on the counter. Hope you get a chance to try it out!