This recipe for Homemade Tomato Sauce is a family classic that I’ve been preparing for over 20 years. Growing up, I remember my mother cooking tomato sauce almost every Sunday afternoon. The whole house would smell of sautéing onions and garlic.
Today, I make this sauce every few weeks. I find the entire process very comforting. The chopping, sautéing, stirring, simmering, tasting, etc. I’ve made a few slight adjustments since my mom first taught me how to make the sauce, but nothing drastic. Crushed tomatoes are slow-simmered with onions, garlic, oregano and basil. Flat leaf Italian parsley is stirred in at the last moment before plating.
The finished sauce is hearty, bold and oh, so satisfying. Continue reading for the recipe plus a video from my recently segment on San Diego Channel 6 – San Diego Living.
Yesterday, I prepared this sauce on San Diego Living with Kristen Mosteller. We then made some delicious Mini Cannelloni. I will be posting the recipe for Mini Cannelloni within the week! Enjoy:
Homemade Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Pinch of red pepper flake (or to taste)
- 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomato (preferably organic or San Marzano)
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste, preferably organic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
Cooked pasta, for serving
Grated Parmesan cheese, for topping
Instructions
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Warm olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once you see the oil shimmering, add the chopped onion and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add the minced garlic and pinch of red pepper flake then continue to sauté until onions are soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.
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Add crushed tomato, tomato paste, oregano, basil, sugar, a few pinches of kosher salt and several turns of freshly ground black pepper, stirring to combine. I also like to fill the empty can of tomato paste with water then add that to the sauce (6 oz.). Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to low then simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour (1.5 to 2 hours is best if you have the time).
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To finish the sauce, stir in a handful of chopped parsley. Season to taste with additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Serve this sauce with your favorite pasta. I like to add two or three sizable spoonfuls of sauce to freshly drained spaghetti, tossing to coat. This will ensure that the spaghetti absorbs the flavor of the sauce. Place a mound of spaghetti on a plate then top with extra sauce (I like it saucy :)), chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Ketchup, tomatoes, tomato sauce, never met a red sauce I didn’t like!
This looks delicious!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Averie! I’m a huge fan of tomatoes as well 🙂 Must be my Jersey Italian roots!
Ryan turek says
I love to cook
Brandon from The Yummy Bits says
My family used to buy tomato sauce in a jar… until we learned how easy and delicious it is to make your own! Thanks for sharing.
Brandon Matzek says
Yes! It’s very easy and freezes well. So you can make a big batch and enjoy for weeks (or months)! Thanks 🙂
Diane and Todd says
Brandon, the pot of sauce looks terrific. Ready to dive in- head first.
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Diane and Todd!
Tya @ Note Etc. says
ohh.. I bet that is delicious tomato sauce, i saw it lots of herbs and garlic which make it sounds perfect!
cheers
Sherry says
This recipe sounds so good.
Baker Street says
Thick, creamy and luscious. Everything you want a good tomato sauce to be.
Leigh Herr says
I’m making this for dinner tonight!
Norma says
I also think making your own is comforting. Congrats on the show appearance.
Erin says
I just discovered your site yesterday while looking for a tomato sauce. I made this recipe last night and, wow, it was delicious!
I’m so happy to have found this site; I’ll be trying some of your cocktails this weekend!
Brandon Matzek says
Excellent!! Glad you enjoyed. Welcome to the Kitchen Konfidence family 🙂
Mary Cavello says
I’m so disappointed you are using tomatoes from a can and canned tomato paste. When some one is searching for a home made tomato sauce, it should be made with real tomatoes and not junk in a can. Can you modify the recipe and give amounts for real tomatoes, which are healthy and tasty.
Brandon Matzek says
Hi Mary, not all canned tomatoes are junk (or unhealthy). You simply need to find a high quality product. Also, depending on the time of year, canned tomatos can be better than fresh (when tomatoes are not in season).
If you are looking to make this with fresh tomatoes, you’ll need to blanch and peel 4 pounds of ripe tomatoes (roma, plum, vine, beefsteak). Start by cutting a small, shallow X in the bottom of each tomato. Working in batches, drop tomatoes in boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Scoop out tomatoes and transfer to a large bowl filled with ice and water. Let the tomatoes cool for about 1 minute then transfer to a cutting board. Repeat with all tomatoes. This shocking process makes it easy to remove skins. Slip off all skins on the tomatoes and discard. Cut tomatoes in half (or quarters if they are large). Using your hands, remove seeds over a strainer set over a large bowl. You want to remove most seeds, but reserve the liquid that falls through the strainer. Once you are done removing seeds, add tomatoes to reserved liquids. Using your hands (or a masher), break tomatoes into smaller pieces. The tomatoes are now prepped for the sauce.
As you can see, this process is very involved, so I choose to use a high quality canned product to save myself a lot of work.
Enjoy! Either way, I hope you like the sauce 🙂
Anna Doran says
Great recipe. However I would just be cautious with the use of canned tomatoes in that they have been found to have high levels of potentially toxic chemicals, especially BPA, because the acidity of the tomatoes causes the chemicals to leach from the cans into the tomatoes.
Brandon Matzek says
Great point! Yes, be sure to get the tomatos that are BPA free.
TONY says
Tomatoes in a can are real tomatoes
TheRealist says
Boy if you don’t get the fu ck. The VAST majority of canned tomatos sh it on fresh tomatos.
They’re canned at the PEAK of their prime. Really, the only way to get good fresh tomatos is to grow your own or go to a specialized farmers market.
Having compared fresh tomatos to canned, fresh tomatos are horrible.
The man knows what he’s doing.
karuna dhabale says
good
Jene Knobloch says
I made this a few weeks ago and it was delicious! Now today I am making a huge batch and freezing it… so easy and so much better than the stuff from a jar!!
Brandon Matzek says
Excellent!! Glad you like the sauce. I’m going to tell my Mom :). It’ll make her day!
Lindsay says
Does the tomato paste make a difference flavor wise? Some people say tomato paste is overpowering in marinara sauce. I’m scared to use it.
Brandon Matzek says
Hi Lindsay, tomato paste adds a richness and depth of tomato flavor. I would definitely give it a try. Or do a taste test! Split this recipe into two pots and make one with tomato paste and one without, then see which one you like best. Enjoy!
Kate says
I am so excited to try this! I have never made tomato sauce homemade and I have been searching for one to try. I will be making it with fresh tomatoes because my garden is full of tomatoes, but when they are gone I will definitely be using canned. Thank you so much for sharing!
Brandon Matzek says
This is a good one. I hope it works out for you!
Amanda Z says
Are we related? Also an Italian-Eastern European from Jersey. My family makes sauce the exact same way, just minus the onions. This looks absolutely delicious. Next time I’m trying it with onions!
Brandon Matzek says
Haha nice!! Let me know if you like the onions. Thanks Amanda!
Lynn @ Oh-So Yummy says
i’ve always wondered what i should use for homemade sauce. your recipes are pretty good so this one is worth a shot!
Laura Young says
I made this sauce and my family loved it! My 11-year-old couldn’t get enough of it and she normally prefers her pasta without a tomato based sauce, and just butter and parmesan cheese. This is a definite winner in my house and I will be making it often. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Steve says
This is exactly how I make my homemade sauce, using 2 cans San Marzano (sp?) crushed tomatoes, and 1 can tomato paste, except I have only been using basil. I am going to add oregano to my next batch. I like the texture of this sauce, it is not watery and sits on the pasta very well, it is also very good over steamed zucchini cut into small long strips, as an alternative to pasta. This confirms I will continue to make my sauce this way. I could eat this several times per week. Love this tomato sauce. Thanks!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks for sharing Steve! I’m glad you always enjoy tomato sauce as much as I do. In the summer, I like to mix pappardelle with zucchini ribbons, then top with this sauce and plenty of Parm. So tasty!
plasterer bristol says
mm my favorite sauce to go with pasta this. Great recipe. Thanks simon.
Marj Sanderson says
I was attracted to one of your recipes due to the zoodles which I have recently gotten into making. Love them. But I signed up for your blog because your recipe for Sunday Gravy (Spaghetti sauce) is almost identical to mine which was handed down to me by my uncle Dom Simone. Love that sauce.
Brandon Matzek says
Hi Marj, thanks for sharing and I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes so far! Yes, this is still my favorite gravy 😉
Dame Good says
Googled homemade tomato sauce recipe and came across yours! It’s DELICIOUS! I used diced tomatoes rather than crushed as it’s all I had in the cupboard, but wow. I just followed you on Instagram and bookmarked your blog. Love everything about what I’ve seen since taking a look around. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Pam Avoledo says
Nothing beats homemade tomato sauce! Some people turn it into all-day process. However, I didn’t realize there was two hour version, either.
Brandon Matzek says
Agreed! It really only takes 30 minutes of simmering to marry flavors. After that, you’re just concentrating the flavors to taste. My mom always cooked her sauce for 1 to 1.5 hours, so that’s how I like it! I would cook the sauce longer if I put a tough cut of meat in it, and I would need to simmer until the meat is tender. Let me know how you like this version 🙂
sharon says
can i make this in a slow cooker? Thks.
Brandon Matzek says
Hi Sharon! I have never made this recipe in a slow cooker, but I’m sure you could give it a try. You would still need to start it on the stovetop through step 2, then you could transfer to a slow cooker and simmer on low for 6 to 8 hours.