Authentic Italian food is a big tradition in our family. Over the years, I’ve made many healthy modifications to our favorite Italian dishes that fit our lifestyles. One of the most delicious recipes is this homemade pasta sauce that’s perfect with rice noodles, zucchini noodles, and of course, homemade meatballs.
Why Make Your Own Pasta Sauce?
A few years ago, I started learning about my Nona’s best pasta sauce recipe, which uses pre-canned tomato sauce and diced tomatoes (she probably cans her own). One year I tried to emulate this recipe with fresh tomatoes, since they were plentiful in our garden, and came up with my own pasta sauce recipe. It’s perfect with homemade “spaghetti” and meatballs, especially with a bit of Parmesan cheese.
I’m sharing variations of both today:
How to Make Pasta Sauce with Fresh or Canned Tomatoes
If you are using fresh tomatoes, use the first recipe. If you are using canned tomatoes, use a second one. I cooked this on the stove, but you can also simmer them in a slow cooker or slow cooker if you prefer.
While “Nonna’s Recipe” remains the gold standard for pasta sauce in our family, I’m not sure I can share this secret recipe. Instead, I’m sharing my own variation. I knew I could share part of her secret, which is tossing a piece of carrot into the sauce while it’s cooking. This absorbs the acidity of the tomatoes and creates a sweeter sauce. It also doesn’t require sweeteners to reduce acidity.
This pasta sauce is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner, especially if you can make it later. Plus, we think it tastes much better than canned sauce from the store.
Homemade Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce
Authentic tomato sauce made with fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic.
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Grate half the carrot.
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Pour the olive oil into a large stockpot or Dutch oven and place over medium heat.
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When hot, add the diced onion to the olive oil and sauté for 5 minutes.
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Add the chopped garlic and grated carrots and sauté for another 2-3 minutes or until the onions are translucent and soft.
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Add tomatoes, chopped basil leaves, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, parsley and sea salt.
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Simmer for 2-3 hours or until cooked through and starting to blacken.
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Add the carrot slices during the last 30 minutes to absorb the acidity while the sauce thickens.
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Remove fresh herb sprigs, bay leaves and carrot slices.
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Optional: Use an immersion blender to puree sauce until smooth (skip this step for thicker sauces).
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Use fresh or store in refrigerator for up to 1 week, or follow canner’s instructions for tomato products.
nutrient content
Homemade Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce
Serving size (0.5 cup)
Calories 144
Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
fat 7 grams11%
Saturated fat 1g6%
Polyunsaturated fat 1g
Monounsaturated fat 5g
sodium 313 mg14%
Potassium 778 mgtwenty two%
carbohydrate 19 grams6%
fiber optic 5gtwenty one%
12 grams of sugar13%
protein 3 grams6%
Vitamin A 3722IU74%
Vitamin C 44 mg53%
calcium 53 mg5%
iron 1 mg6%
*Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
To peel a fresh tomato (or peach), cut a small “X” in the top and cook in boiling water for 10 seconds, then place in an ice bath. The skin peels off easily.
30-Minute Homemade Pasta Sauce with Canned Tomatoes
If you don’t like cooking for two hours, this recipe tastes almost as good and takes much less time to cook. This is my go-to on busy nights when I have 30 minutes to turn a pound of ground beef into dinner.
- 2 medium onion (Chopped)
- 8 clove fresh garlic (minced)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 56 ounce crushed tomatoes (or whole or stewed tomatoes)
- 6 ounce ketchup
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 TBSP dried basil leaves or 1/4 cup fresh, chopped
- 2 bay leaf Elective
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme Elective
- Salt (Go and try it)
- Black pepper (Go and try it)
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Heat olive oil in a medium or large pot over medium heat.Add onions and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes
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Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute.
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Then add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper.
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Once boiling, immediately reduce heat to a simmer.
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Cook for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. (Cook longer if desired thicker sauce and deeper flavor).
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Serve with spaghetti or pasta of your choice.
nutrient content
30-Minute Homemade Pasta Sauce with Canned Tomatoes
Serving size (0.5 cup)
Calories 158
Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
fat 7 grams11%
Saturated fat 1g6%
Polyunsaturated fat 1g
Monounsaturated fat 5g
sodium 577 mg25%
Potassium 865 mg25%
carbohydrate 22 grams7%
fiber optic 5gtwenty one%
13 grams of sugar14%
protein 5 grams10%
Vitamin A 761IU15%
Vitamin C 26 mg32%
calcium 102 mg10%
iron 4 mgtwenty two%
*Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
- For thinner sauces better suited for pizza, chicken parmesan, and more, use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.
- This recipe makes about 4 cups of sauce.
How to Use Homemade Pasta Sauce
You probably already have a recipe in mind since you read this post, but this has endless uses and greatness in many recipes. The fresh tomato recipe variations are perfect for tomato season and I can often use any extras in the winter.
It’s perfect with Italian sausage, beef, or even ground turkey. I often serve it with zucchini noodles and chopped green peppers as extra veggies.
I use this sauce:
How to Make Your Own Pasta Sauce
You can easily make a large batch of any of these sauces and can them for future use. I often do this when we have a lot of tomatoes in the garden. There’s really no reason to use a recipe made with canned tomatoes since it’s quick to make and requires no extra steps.
Canning Homemade Tomato Sauce Instructions
I follow these instructions for canning my homemade tomato sauce. There is some debate about whether tomato products can be canned in a water bath. The general consensus seems to be that tomatoes are not suitable for water bath canning because the pH is sometimes not acidic enough. One solution is to add 1 teaspoon lemon juice per pint for canning or check the pH to make sure it is 4.4 or below.
I prefer to pressure canner by following my pressure canning instructions. The pressure is enough to kill any botulinum spores and is considered safe for tomatoes.
How to Freeze Homemade Tomato Sauce
If you don’t like canning, you can also freeze this homemade sauce. I like to freeze in quart-sized glass jars ( here’s how ) or metal containers to avoid the plastic in the freezer bags. Once cooled, you can also freeze this sauce in any airtight container.
What’s your favorite way to use pasta sauce? Leave a comment and let me know!
