Quick Homemade Tomato Sauce
Published: April 6, 2022 | Updated: February 4, 2024.
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This Quick Homemade Tomato Sauce is made with canned tomatoes, onion, garlic and lots of fresh basil. It’s fresh, so flavourful and comes together in 30 minutes!
Quick homemade tomato sauce made with lots of oregano for pizzas!
This is a modified version of a tomato sauce recipe I first published two years ago. Always striving to keep my recipes as simple and authentic as possible, it’s made with minimal ingredients and calls for fresh basil (or parsley) with the option to add oregano if it will be used predominantly for pizzas.
We love this sauce for homemade pizza, quick spaghetti nights, baked pastas or as a base for hearty ragus. I’ve also included a note below on how to use this recipe to make a quick, creamy vodka sauce.
Homemade tomato sauce is much simpler to prepare than you might think, contains no added sugar and tastes so much better than even its best store-bought counterparts. I always make a double batch and freeze half to have ready for a quick pizza or pasta night!
Made with just a handful of pantry ingredients, this is my simple take on a classic and I hope you’ll love it, too!
If you like this recipe, try these:
Quick Homemade Tomato Sauce
Makes about 3½ cups; prep time 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 4 roasted cloves garlic, mashed)
Optional for pizza: 1 teaspoon ground oregano
Kosher or fine sea salt
A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup red wine
1 800 ml (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
½ cup (about 10 grams) fresh basil or parsley, packed
Instructions:
Heat oil in a deep sauce pan or Dutch oven on medium heat.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook onion with a pinch of sea salt for 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano (if using) and chili flakes and continue to cook for 1 minute just until the garlic starts to sizzle.
Turn heat to low, stir in red wine and let simmer for 2-3 minutes. Turn heat back up to medium and add tomatoes. Set timer for 15 minutes and, once the sauce starts to bubble, return heat to medium-low and let simmer until reduced.
Remove from heat and season with more salt to taste (I like to add about ¼ teaspoon at this point).
Next, remove from heat, add basil leaves and purée until smooth (either a food processor, high-speed blender or immersion blender will work). Serve immediately or let cool completely before transferring to storage container(s).
Notes:
Make ahead: Sauce can be made a day ahead to reduce prep time. Once fully cooked, allow sauce to cool completely then transfer to an airtight container or mason jar and keep in the refrigerator overnight.
Wine: While entirely optional, both red and white wine work well in this recipe. Red wine makes for a richer, more robust sauce, while white wine creates lovely, fruity undertones. The wine is added early on to allow the alcohol to evaporate and the flavours to meld.
To make a vodka variation: Use vodka in place of the red or white wine and purée with ½ cup cream at the end for a deliciously creamy vodka sauce.
Storage: Sauce can be stored in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months. If cooking from frozen, allow to thaw completely then reheat adding a small amount of vegetable broth or water to thin as desired.
