Every kitchen needs a recipe for an easy basic tomato sauce!
This recipe is fresh, tangy, and has so many uses! One can of whole tomatoes, some onion, garlic, herbs, seasonings and it’s ready in no time! This is the perfect addition to all of your tomato-based recipes needing tomato sauce.
Why This Quick Tomato Sauce is a Favorite
A basic tomato sauce is so quick and easy to make at home with just a little simmering
This all-purpose sauce is so versatile! It can be the base for an Italian-style pasta sauce by adding extra basil, added to sloppy joe sauce, and even the base for a quick tomato soup simply by adding milk or cream!
This sauce freezes well so double or triple the batch!
Ingredients & Variations
TOMATOES A can of whole tomatoes, an onion, and some herbs and spices make this sauce fragrant and flavorful!
No canned tomatoes? No problem! Substitute a can of diced or crushed tomatoes (this will change the consistency somewhat).
The acidity of tomatoes can vary based on brand. If your tomato sauce is acidic, add 1/2 teasoon of sugar or 1/4 cup grated carrots
HERBS Switch up the flavors by adding other seasonings like ground oregano, a sprig of rosemary, or a bay leaf.
How to Make Tomato Sauce
This flavorful sauce will be ready in 1, 2, 3!
- Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until both are fragrant.
- Mash the tomatoes with your hands or a potato masher and add to the skillet along with the juices and add the basil.
- Simmer everything together for 20 minutes on medium heat. Blend to desired consistency.
Smooth or Chunky
This sauce has both flavor and substance. Take the time to let the sauce simmer so the ingredients blend.
Once simmered, blend with a hand blender. You can leave this sauce a bit chunky or blend until completely smooth if you prefer.
How to Thicken Tomato Sauce
Just like a chili recipe, the best way to thicken tomato sauce is to allow it to simmer. To thicken, be sure to keep the lid off as it simmers so the liquid can evaporate (I place a splatter screen on top to catch any mess). Not only does it thicken but simmering also makes the sauce more flavorful!
Short on time? In a pinch you can thicken tomato sauce with a slurry by whisking a tablespoon of corn starch into 2 tablespoons of cold water (or tomato juice). Slowly pour into the simmering sauce until you reach desired thickness.
How Do I Freeze Tomato Sauce?
Homemade tomato sauce maintains its flavor in the freezer for up to three months. Be sure it is cool enough to freeze and simply ladle it into zippered quart or gallon-sized bags. Don’t forget to write the date on the outside of the bag!
Easy Pasta Sauces
- Homemade Pasta Sauce – made from scratch
- Easy Meat Sauce – 30-minute cook time
- Homemade Bolognese Sauce – great on any type of pasta
- Homemade Spaghetti Sauce – comfort food
- Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce – deliciously easy
Did you make this Basic Tomato Sauce? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Basic Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 28 ounces canned whole tomatoes with juices, 1 can
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine olive oil and onion over medium heat. Cook until onions start to soften. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Gently mash the tomatoes with your hands and add to the pan with juices. Stir in basil.
- Simmer 20 minutes adding water if needed to reach desired consistency. Optional: Once thickened, use a hand blender to blend the sauce to desired consistency.
- Stir in parsley. Taste sauce and season with add salt & pepper.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Pasta, Sauce
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
The sauce was very good. Easy to make & ingredients would be in anyone’s pantry.
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it.
This makes an excellent pizza sauce as well. One tip if you find it too acidic… instead of adding sugar, we all have more than enough of that in our diets, just add a pinch of baking soda to your sauce. You will see it begin to fizz as soon as it goes in and that should reduce the acidity of your sauce without adding any extra sugar.
Thanks for the tip!
I rarely cook, and started a recipe when I realized I had no tomato sauce. This recipe is very simple. (Who knew you could make your own tomatoes sauce from canned tomatoes?) The sauce is lovely; it is certainly much better than canned sauce.
So glad you loved it Lee!
would this be the same as a marinara sauce?
They’re a little bit different as I use this in recipes while I use marinara as a pasta sauce itself. Marinara a touch sweeter with a bit more flavor. You can find my favorite marinara sauce here.
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This was exactly the recipe we needed tonight! Our taco meat recipe calls for tomato sauce, but we were out, until I made this! Thank you so much- so easy, so quick, so simple and delicious.
Great recipe! I substituted fresh tomatoes instead of canned. And for a little sweetness, I added peeled grape tomatoes into the sauce instead of any sugar. It cooked down wonderfully, and It’s delicious!
Great tip on the grape tomatoes, thanks for sharing.