Homemade Tomato Sauce

This Homemade Tomato Sauce is so rich and flavorful. Made with fresh tomatoes, caramelized onions, fragrant garlic, fresh basil, and red pepper flakes for a bit of a kick. It is an absolute summer staple!

Homemade Tomato Sauce

There is nothing more comforting than a good bowl of pasta with fresh homemade tomato sauce. Homemade tomato sauce is a summer staple. Tomatoes are in season and in abundance. This Homemade Tomato Sauce is so rich and flavorful. Made with fresh tomatoes, caramelized onions, fragrant garlic, fresh basil, and red pepper flakes for a bit of a kick. This sauce is so versatile as you can customize it to any flavor you would like. Use it in any of your favorite recipes.

Ingredients needed to make Homemade Tomato Sauce:

• Tomatoes– You can use any tomatoes for this sauce. Roma tomatoes are great since they are meaty and have little seeds. However, I also like using heirloom tomatoes when making this sauce in the summer. They are in abundance during this time of year.
• Aromatics– Yellow onion and garlic.
• Spices and Herbs– Pink sea salt, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, fresh basil.
• Olive Oil– For cooking.

Equipment needed to make Homemade Tomato Sauce:

• Large Pot– For boiling tomatoes in and then to make the sauce in it too.
• Large Mixing Bowls– One or two. You will need a large mixing bowl for the iced water. Then to crush the tomatoes in.
• Tongs– To remove the tomatoes from the pot after boiling.
• Blender– A regular blender or immersion blender if you have one.

How to make Homemade Tomato Sauce:

• Step 1– Fill up a large pot with water and place on stovetop. Turn heat to high and bring water to a boil. Generously salt water and give it a stir to mix it in. 
• Step 2– As water comes to a a boil, take a small knife and gently make an x on the bottom of each tomato. Just enough to cut through the skin. This will make it easier to peel the tomatoes after. Once water is boiling and you have stir salt in, add your tomatoes. Boil tomatoes for a few minutes until they start blistering. 

• Step 3– While tomatoes are boiling, fill a large mixing bowl with some ice. Then fill it up with water. Turn heat off and start removing tomatoes from the boiling water transferring them into the iced water. Leave tomatoes in the ice bath for a few couple of minutes so they can cool-down. Discard boiling water from pot and dry it. Place pot back on stovetop. 

• Step 4– Using your hands, start removing the skin from each tomato. Transfer each peeled tomato to another large mixing bowl. Once all tomatoes have been peels, use your hands to squeeze tomatoes crushing them. Set crushed tomatoes aside. 

• Step 5– Thinly dice onion, mince garlic, and thinly slice basil. Add oil to pot and bring to a heat on medium-high. Toss in diced onion and sauté for 1-2 minutes until it starts to translucent. Toss in garlic and continue to sauté for another minute. 

• Step 6– As onion and garlic are sautéing, sprinkle in salt, oregano and crushed red peppers. Stir to combine spices with aromatics. Add in crushed tomatoes and once again stir to combine making sure all ingredients are mixed together. 
• Step 7– Bring tomatoes to a light simmer. Once they start simmering, reduce heat to low. Cover your pot and allow tomatoes to simmer for at least 30 minutes. 

• Step 8– Once tomatoes have been simmering for a while, it’s time to blend them. If you have an immersion blender, blend the tomatoes until smooth in the same pot. If you don’t have one, transfer the tomatoes to a regular blender. Blend until sauce reaches a smooth consistency, then transfer back to the pot. 
• Step 9– Continue to simmer sauce for another 10 minutes of so. As sauce is continuing to simmer, stir in your basil. 

• Step 10– Serve sauce immediately over some pasta or in any way you are using your sauce. If you are storing your sauce or freezing for later, allow sauce to completely cool-off. Transfer to mason jars and tightly seal the lid. Keep your homemade tomato sauce refrigerated for up to 7-10 days or frozen up to 4-6 months.

Tips and Substitutions:

1. Make a small x on the skin of each tomato– Make a small cut on the bottom of each tomato that looks like an x. Just enough to cut through the skin. This will make it easier to peel the skin off after the tomatoes are boiled.
2. Add boiled tomatoes to an ice bath– This will immediately stop the cooking process of the tomatoes preventing them from becoming too mushy. You want your tomatoes to boil enough to blister. However, you don’t want them overcooking as this will make them harder to peel. It will also end up in a thinner more watery sauce.
3. If you don’t have an immersion blender– transfer sauce to a regular blender. Blend until smooth and transfer back to sauce pan.
4. Use any kind of tomatoes– Roma tomatoes are great since they are meaty and have little seeds. However, I also like using heirloom tomatoes when making this sauce in the summer. They are in abundance during this time of year.
5. No need to add sugar to your sauce– Simmering the tomatoes for an extended time helps bring out their natural sweetness. This will balance out their acidity without having to add any sugar to your sauce.
6. Blend your sauce until desire consistency is reached– I like a smooth sauce so I blend it until it is pretty smooth. If you like a chunkier sauce, blend it for less time or don’t blend at all.

Variations:

1. Make it spicier– Add more red pepper flakes to add more of a heat.
2. Roast your garlic– Roast your garlic then add to the sauce for a roasted garlic flavor.
3. Use other aromatics– Add other aromatics/veggies for more flavors. Mushrooms, red bell peppers, rosemary, thyme, etc. are all great to elevate the flavor of your tomato sauce.
4. Make thicker– To make a ticker sauce add some tomato paste.
5. Add some red wine– This really elevates the overall flavor of the sauce.
6. Add some parmesan cheese– For a cheesy flavor.

What to serve Homemade Tomato Sauce with:

This Homemade Tomato Sauce is so flavorful and perfect to serve over some pasta. Use it in an any recipe that calls for tomato sauce. I like using this Homemade Tomato Sauce with these other recipes:

• Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce
• Kale Chicken Meatballs
• Baked Turkey Meatballs
• Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs (Gluten-Free)
• Spaghetti Squash Noodles
• Baked Vegetarian Meatballs

Homemade Tomato Sauce FAQ’s:

What are the best tomatoes for homemade tomato sauce?

You can technically use any kind of tomatoes to make homemade tomato sauce. However, Roma tomatoes and well as San Marzano are said to be the best for making sauce. They have little to no seeds. San Marzano tomatoes are great to make sauce because they tend to be sweeter and less acidic than Roma.

What is the secret to good tomato sauce?

It is said that the secret to a good tomato sauce is to crush your tomatoes by hand. Adding some fats such as butter or olive oil offers rich flavor and a creamy texture. Simmering the tomatoes for a long time creates a rich caramelization elevating the flavors of the sauce. Adding aromatics such onions, garlic, basil, oregano, etc. will enhance the flavors of the sauce as well.

Do you need to peel tomatoes for sauce?

Yes. It is better to peel tomatoes when making homemade tomato sauce. Tomato skins tend to be tough and hard to chew. Removing them will give the sauce a smooth texture. The skin can also give the sauce a bitter taste.

What is basic tomato sauce made of?

The basic ingredients for making a homemade tomato sauce are tomatoes, aromatics such as garlic and onions, spices and herbs such as basil and oregano, and fats such as butter to olive oil.

How do you make tomato sauce thicker?

You can make your homemade tomato sauce thicker by adding tomato paste or grated parmesan cheese.

What is the difference between marinara sauce and tomato sauce?

When it comes to the difference between marinara sauce and tomato sauce is pretty simple. The best way see the difference is by looking at tomato sauce as the mother sauce. Tomato sauce is when the tomatoes are cooked down and reduced into a sauce. Minimal aromatics and spices are added to it. Then blended into a smooth texture. Where as marinara is more of an extension of a tomato sauce. More ingredients are added to it and left in chunks. Therefore making marinara a chunkier sauce.

How to store Homemade Tomato Sauce:

The best type of container for storing your homemade tomato sauce is a mason jar. They have tight lids which will preserve the freshness of the sauce for days. Use a wide mouth mason jar as it is easier to pour the sauce in. Keep your homemade tomato sauce refrigerated for up to 7-10 days.

Freezing and Thawing-Out:

Once it has completely cooled-off, pour your homemade tomato sauce into a wide mouth mason jar. Make sure you only fill it up to the freezer line. This is a line most mason jars tend to have on the side which indicates up to where they should be filled. This is because liquids expand in the freezer as they freeze. So you need to leave enough space in the jar to give the sauce enough room to expand. Keep your sauce frozen for up to 4-6 months.

Thaw-out by placing your sauce in the fridge overnight. You can also run your mason jar under cold water until the sauce has thawed-out. Use as needed and reheat on stovetop if you need to.

Did you like this Homemade Tomato Sauce recipe? You may also like these other condiments recipes:

• Veggie Loaded Homemade Tomato Sauce
• Classic Homemade Pesto
• Homemade Gluten-Free Gravy
• Easy Homemade Chimichurri Sauce
• Homemade Cranberry Sauce

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Homemade Tomato Sauce

This Homemade Tomato Sauce is so rich and flavorful. Made with fresh tomatoes, caramelized onions, fragrant garlic, fresh basil, and red pepper flakes for a bit of a kick. It is an absolute summer staple!

Course Condiments

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Homemade Tomato Sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 16 servings

Calories 38 kcal

Author Angelica Arias

Ingredients

• 5-6 lbs tomatoes
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 whole garlic bulb
• 2 tsp pink sea salt
• 2 tsp crushed red peppers
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Fill up a large pot with water and place on stovetop. Turn heat to high and bring water to a boil. Generously salt water and give it a stir to mix it in.

2. As water comes to a a boil, take a small knife and gently make an x on the bottom of each tomato. Just enough to cut through the skin. This will make it easier to peel the tomatoes after. Once water is boiling and you have stir salt in, add your tomatoes. Boil tomatoes for a few minutes until they start blistering.

3. While tomatoes are boiling, fill a large mixing bowl with some ice. Then fill it up with water. Turn heat off and start removing tomatoes from the boiling water transferring them into the iced water. Leave tomatoes in the ice bath for a few couple of minutes so they can cool-down. Discard boiling water from pot and dry it. Place pot back on stovetop.

4. Using your hands, start removing the skin from each tomato. Transfer each peeled tomato to another large mixing bowl. Once all tomatoes have been peels, use your hands to squeeze tomatoes crushing them. Set crushed tomatoes aside.

5. Thinly dice onion, mince garlic, and thinly slice basil. Add oil to pot and bring to a heat on medium-high. Toss in diced onion and sauté for 1-2 minutes until it starts to translucent. Toss in garlic and continue to sauté for another minute.

6. As onion and garlic are sautéing, sprinkle in salt, oregano and crushed red peppers. Stir to combine spices with aromatics. Add in crushed tomatoes and once again stir to combine making sure all ingredients are mixed together.

7. Bring tomatoes to a light simmer. Once they start simmering, reduce heat to low. Cover your pot and allow tomatoes to simmer for at least 30 minutes.

8. Once tomatoes have been simmering for a while, it's time to blend them. If you have an immersion blender, blend the tomatoes until smooth in the same pot. If you don't have one, transfer the tomatoes to a regular blender. Blend until sauce reaches a smooth consistency, then transfer back to the pot.

9. Continue to simmer sauce for another 10 minutes of so. As sauce is continuing to simmer, stir in your basil.

10. Serve sauce immediately over some pasta or in any way you are using your sauce. If you are storing your sauce or freezing for later, allow sauce to completely cool-off. Transfer to mason jars and tightly seal the lid. Keep your homemade tomato sauce refrigerated for up to 7-10 days or frozen up to 4-6 months.

Recipe Notes

Tips and Substitutions:

1. 1. Make a small x on the skin of each tomato– Make a small cut on the bottom of each tomato that looks like an x. Just enough to cut through the skin. This will make it easier to peel the skin off after the tomatoes are boiled.
   2. Add boiled tomatoes to an ice bath– This will immediately stop the cooking process of the tomatoes preventing them from becoming too mushy. You want your tomatoes to boil enough to blister. However, you don’t want them overcooking as this will make them harder to peel. It will also end up in a thinner more watery sauce.
   3. If you don’t have an immersion blender– transfer sauce to a regular blender. Blend until smooth and transfer back to sauce pan.
   4. Use any kind of tomatoes– Roma tomatoes are great since they are meaty and have little seeds. However, I also like using heirloom tomatoes when making this sauce in the summer. They are in abundance during this time of year.
   5. No need to add sugar to your sauce– Simmering the tomatoes for an extended time helps bring out their natural sweetness. This will balance out their acidity without having to add any sugar to your sauce.
   6. Blend your sauce until desire consistency is reached– I like a smooth sauce so I blend it until it is pretty smooth. If you like a chunkier sauce, blend it for less time or don’t blend at all.

Nutrition Facts

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Amount per Serving

Calories

38

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

1

g

2

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.2

g

1

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

0.2

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Sodium

 

302

mg

13

%

Potassium

 

357

mg

10

%

Carbohydrates

 

7

g

2

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

4

g

4

%

Protein

 

1

g

2

%

Vitamin A

 

1280

IU

26

%

Vitamin C

 

20

mg

24

%

Calcium

 

23

mg

2

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.

**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used. 

**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.