This recipe for super simple tomato sauce is the quickest and easiest tomato sauce you can make! This family favorite is a weeknight staple and relies on velvety pureed tomatoes and a little garlic to bring loads of flavor to spaghetti night.
Simple Tomato Sauce Recipe
This is my family's favorite tomato sauce and it comes together in minutes - thankfully, because this is about the amount of time I have to make dinner on a weeknight. I use pure tomato puree or strained tomatoes, a couple of cloves of garlic, a pinch each of sugar and salt, and a bit of dried oregano or basil (with more added to the adult portions since my kids don't always love it). The recipe may look basic but the taste is anything but. Use this simple tomato sauce on everything from pasta to pizza to using it as a dipping sauce.
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Homemade Tomato Sauce Highlights
Choose pure tomatoes for this recipe so that their taste comes through, then you can adjust the herbs as you like to suit your family's taste. I like to add a tiny bit of sugar to offset the acidity of the tomatoes, honey also works well. If you have fresh herbs you can swap them in for the dried, although there's something comforting about the familiar flavor of basil and oregano that I might not want to mess with. Here's why you'll love this super simple tomato sauce recipe:
- Quick & easy - I don't know about you, but weeknights, especially during soccer or drama season are such a rush. I try to meal plan but if it's an especially busy night or I know we'll be home later I fall back on pasta (invariably spaghetti) and tomato sauce. This recipe comes together in minutes, making it my go-to choice for when I'm pressed for time.
- Simple fresh flavors - I love using tomato puree rather than diced or crushed tomatoes in my tomato sauce. For one, it's packed with intense tomato flavor that brightens up the finished sauce. For another, it makes a beautifully smooth sauce that adheres well to whatever pasta I drape it on. Plus, there's not too much garlic, making it palatable to the younger members of my household.
- Pantry ingredients - Keep a bottle or two of tomato puree in the pantry so you can throw this sauce together whenever. The rest of the ingredients are also shelf-stable except for the garlic which, shhhh, you can substitute with garlic powder in a pinch.
Ingredients Needed
Here's a quick look at what you'll need to make super simple tomato sauce. The full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the printable recipe card lower down.
- Olive oil - I use extra virgin olive oil in all of my cooking recipes, but really, you could use whatever you have on hand. Vegetable oil or butter would work too - you just need enough to cook the garlic for a bit.
- Garlic - I can get away with about 2 cloves of garlic in my tomato sauce - any more and my kids protest. BUT if you are able to, I recommend adding as much garlic as you can/like.
- Tomato puree - My favorite type of pureed tomatoes is Bionature organic strained tomatoes. My local grocery store also has Italian pureed tomatoes, and I'll switch in those depending on what's on sale. But you can use your preferred type of pureed or strained tomatoes.
- Salt - A little sea salt to taste balances the sauce.
- Sugar - A small amount of sugar offsets the acidity of the tomatoes. Honey is also nice.
- Dried herbs - Add as much or as little as you like of dried oregano, basil, or Italian seasoning. Swap fresh herbs if you prefer.
What Kind of Tomatoes Should I Use?
As noted, I prefer to make sauce with pureed tomatoes. I love a smooth sauce without any chunky tomato bits, so I'll always choose a jar of pureed tomatoes over canned tomatoes. For my recipe, you'll want a jar of pureed tomatoes that has just tomatoes on the ingredients list, maybe tomatoes and salt. Don't choose a jar of pureed tomatoes that contains herbs or other seasonings - then it's not really pureed tomatoes! It's tomato sauce.
How to Make Simple Tomato Sauce
Here's a look at the easiest-ever method for making simple tomato sauce:
- Sautee the garlic: In a medium or large pot, warm the olive oil and cook the garlic for about 2 minutes.
- Add puree and season: Stir in the tomato puree, salt, and sugar, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, season with herbs, and serve with your favorite pasta.
Recipe Tips
A few easy tips will help you make this simple tomato sauce recipe perfectly (hint: you can also apply these ideas to your favorite tomato sauce recipe):
- Add more garlic - Yep, I advise doing this if you don't have any garlic-averse diners in the house. I love adding a lot of garlic to sauces and stews because it infuses them with so much extra flavor.
- Don't skip the sugar - I know it may sound funny to add in sugar to tomato sauce. But hear me out - if the puree is at all bitter, the sweetness will balance it. A pinch of sugar will also accentuate the natural sweetness of the tomatoes. I also love a little honey instead of sugar, for a more mellow, natural sweetness.
- Add a bay leaf - Here in Northern California, I'm lucky enough to have access to bay leaves on the regular. I'll often pop one into a pot of sauce or soup for a pop of earthy flavor. It's so good! Just remember to remove the leaf before serving the sauce.
- Choose good-quality tomato puree - I love Bionature because it's an organic brand, plus it tastes really good. I also like that it comes in glass bottles so there's no potential of weird aftertaste from a tin can. You can use whatever type of tomato puree you like, but that is my choice!
Serving Suggestions
Obviously my first serving suggestion is to pair this simple tomato sauce with your favorite gluten free pasta. I recommend any Jovial brand pasta, especially the spaghetti shape because it seriously tastes just like regular pasta! Or try:
- With pasta - Add this tomato sauce to all sorts of pasta shapes, and serve it with plenty of Parmesan cheese on the side plus a big salad. Or, tuck it into this gluten free pasta bake for extra flavor.
- As a dipping sauce - Dip in slices of your favorite gluten free bread or breadsticks!
- On pizza - Try this sauce on a pizza with roasted vegetables (note: not gluten free) or a gluten free vegetable pizza with a polenta crust!
- Make it into soup - This sauce can easily be transformed into a creamy tomato soup! Make the tomato sauce as written, then add about ½-1 cup of whole milk or cream. You may need more or less depending on how creamy you like it. Stir in the milk and voila! Cream of tomato soup.
Proper Storage
This is such a quick recipe I tend to make it the night I plan to serve it, though you can also make it ahead and freeze it for another time. Here's how to store tomato sauce:
- Fridge - Cool the sauce then transfer it to an airtight container - I love to use a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid - and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - Place the cooled sauce in a freezer-safe, sealable bag and store it in the fridge for up to 3 months. Thaw the sauce in the fridge before reheating it.
- To Reheat - Warm the sauce in a pot over medium-low heat until hot. Or, place it in a microwave-safe bowl, cover it (important!), and heat in 1-minute increments in the microwave until hot.
More Dinner Recipes
Super Simple Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced or minced
- 1 28-ounce jar tomato puree, I like Bionature organic strained tomatoes
- Salt to taste
- Pinch sugar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano or basil, optional
Instructions
- In a medium or large pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the garlic for about 2 minutes until it softens.
- Add the tomato puree, salt, and sugar. Bring the sauce to a low boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened. Season with oregano or basil if you wish, taste for salt, and add a pinch of pepper.
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