Even if you can buy the tomato sauce almost on every corner, I still prefer to make it from scratch for my family. You can have your own tomato sauce in just one hour or so. The best part is that you’ll know what ingredients were used, and you can adjust it to your family’s taste, and needs.
If you’re usually buying the tomato sauce from a jar, this recipe might help you to save some money and to create your own delicious tomato sauce.
All you will need are just a few simple ingredients and a bit of your time.
It’s not a secret that it depends a lot on what foundation sauce you are using for your dishes like pizza, lasagna, meat, pasta, or fish. Sure, you can use the sauces that you can buy from the supermarkets, but if you want to be sure of the sauce content, I highly encourage you to make the classic tomato sauce that you can use in the future in a lot of your dishes. It is super easy to make.
Quick note: If you plan to make a larger amount of sauce for preservation and to keep it for a few months, boil the sauce for a longer period of time. For about 2-3 hours.
Today, I will go with the basic recipe because I want to make it neutral so I can use it in a lot of dishes.
This sauce can be an ideal base for various pasta dishes. By adding some basic ingredients, such as anchovies, capers, chili pepper, olives, and parsley, you will obtain the famous Italian dish “spaghetti alla puttanesca”.
If you add a little dried oregano to it, you will get a perfect base for pizza.
And of course, do not forget that this sauce is the basis for bolognese sauce. If it is interesting to you, let us know in the comments and I will publish how I make the Bolognese pasta.
Making your own tomato sauce isn’t hard at all, but it will take you a little bit of time, so, I recommend preparing this sauce in bigger batches and to freeze it or even better preserving it in jars for longer.
Also, this sauce is a perfect way to preserve tomatoes when they are in season.
Here is everything you need to know about how to make easy and delicious basic tomato sauce. So, let’s get started!
What Ingredients do you need for the Basic Tomato Sauce?
- 5 Pounds (2.25KG) of Fresh Tomatoes.
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- Fresh Basil to taste
- 1 Bay leaf
- Black Peppercorns to taste
- Salt
- Sugar (Optionally)
How to make the basic tomato sauce?
0. Wash well all the tomatoes and remove the tail from them.
1. Blend all of our ingredients: All the tomatoes, fresh basil, and garlic cloves.
2. After this, pour all the contents into a pan, add the salt, black pepper, and bay leaf. If the tomatoes aren’t sweet enough, add a tablespoon of sugar. Mix well all the ingredients and leave them on low heat for about an hour or until you will obtain the desired consistency.
This is how my sauce looked after one hour.
Did I mention that it is very easy to make? We are done. This was all that we needed to do.
What Tomatoes to Choose for the Basic Tomato Sauce?
Pick tomatoes that have a rich taste. I used medium to small tomatoes because that is what I received from my mother from her garden. If you’re planning to buy the tomatoes, go with the larger ones because you will have less up-front prep work.
Also, don’t go with expensive tomatoes because this sauce will cost you a lot. Pick something simple, and tasty. You may consider to buy the tomatoes in bulk and to save on that.
How to Thicken Tomato Sauce?
The best and the easiest way to thick the sauce is to let it simmer for some time longer. It’s important to keep the lid off as when it will simmer, the liquid can evaporate.
How to add extra flavor to the basic fresh tomato sauce?
Think about salt, pepper as a starting point. Sometimes you may want to add red pepper flakes. Other times you may want to add oregano or garlic. You’re the boss of your kitchen. You can create this sauce as you wish. You can go the extra mile and make the fresh tomato sauce more flavorful. The easiest part is to use onions/ garlic or some aromatic herbs like ground oregano, rosemary, dried basil, and bay leaves.
How to store and how to serve the Basic Fresh Tomato Sauce?
If you want to keep the sauce for a while, pour the sauce into sterilized jars and keep them in a dray and cooler place.
Recipe Card:
How to Make Basic Tomato Sauce from Fresh Tomatoes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 Minutes
- Total Time: 60 Minutes
Ingredients
- 5 lbs (2.25 kg) of Fresh Tomatoes.
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- Fresh Basil to taste
- 1 Bay leaf
- Black Peppercorns to taste
- Salt
- Sugar (Optionally)
Instructions
- Wash well all the tomatoes and remove the tail from them.
- Blend all the ingredients: Tomatoes, fresh basil, and garlic cloves.
- Pour all the contents into a pan, add the salt, black pepper, and bay leaf.
- Mix well all the ingredients and leave them on low heat for about an hour or until you will obtain the desired consistency.
- We are done.
- Category: Sauces
Woww! Looks so yummy & delicious! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Can’t wait to try it 🙂
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I love pasta and its best paired with homemade tomato sauce! Thanks for this easy way of making my own sauce that I can stack.
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I didn’t know that boiling the sauce for 2-3 hours would help preserve it. There’s always something to learn!
I have always bought sauce from a jar so I will need to try this!! Thanks for the step by step directions!
I always make my own tomato sauce because it tastes so much better! I love how simple your recipe is and the addition of fresh garlic.
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Thanks for sharing this – love the fresh taste of a homemade sauce, and it’s perfect for us with allergies!
So delicious and easy! Thank you for sharing 🙂
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I printed the recipe and hope to try it. I’ve never made my own sauce before!
Yummy! I LOVE homemade pasta sauce – its a game changer. Great recipe & I love your photos!!!!
Finally someone who actually makes tomato sauce from scratch instead of grabbing canned tomatoes!!!
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I do not normally comment on recipes. But I have to tell you this is the best damn tomato sauce I’ve ever made and eaten.
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