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Do you make your own spaghetti sauce or do you buy it? This simple tomato-based sauce flavoured with only garlic, fresh basil and a touch of oregano is as simple as it is delicious. If you can make a sauce this good in just 20 minutes, why would you ever buy spaghetti sauce again?
Looking for a bit more protein in your sauce? For a spaghetti meat sauce, try my Spaghetti Bolognese.
I stopped relying on mass produced spaghetti sauce almost a decade ago. All it took was discovering how easy it is to make my own!
I’ve had this recipe for a long time but didn’t think to share it. I guess I always felt like it was so basic that it didn’t deserve space on my blog. How wrong I was!!
I realised that this recipe should be added to this site after seeing how many jars of store-bought sauce are in the average pantry. It used to be me.
Before spending time in Italy, it would have never occurred to me to make my own spaghetti sauce. Every time I tried it ended up tasting like straight up canned tomatoes, harsh and acidic.
This changed after watching an Italian friend make regular spaghetti sauce. It blew me away because she made fresh tasting and flavourful tomato sauce while barely using any ingredients.
I’ve learned to love Italian cooking in part because they make the most incredible food with a small number of basic ingredients. I’ve featured many of these recipes in my Italian Recipe Collection.
This recipe is a classic example. It is so good because it is true to the Italian cooking rule that the best food comes from the best ingredients!
If you are in North America, you make know this as marinara sauce, although that one is often made with added onion. I don’t think it’s necessary so left it out, and I’m sure you won’t miss it either!
Secret to the best tasting sauce
Simple recipes like this make it so important to start with quality ingredients. If the canned tomatoes are not ripe or lacking flavour, the sauce will not be impressive.
The secret to good sauce, then, is the best quality This is an affiliate link.canned tomatoes like the ones that come from Italy, where they use ripe and fresh tomatoes.
Tomatoes from the best quality cans are fully ripe and bursting with flavour, which will all go into your sauce and make it off the scale delicious!
If you can afford it, don’t buy the cheapest canned tomatoes! Be a bit more picky when it comes to your food, go for quality, not quantity and you will discover how much easier cooking is!
Truth is quality ingredients do all the cooking for you for you! It’s truly magical.
Homemade spaghetti sauce
The sauce I am sharing today is basic, with only 6 ingredients. It’s sweet and fragrant with NO SUGAR added, which makes it so much better than most canned sauces!
So many store-bought causes have added sugar as they don’t use quality tomatoes and have to add sweetness to their sauces somehow. Added sugar is used to compensate, but it’s not a great approach.
The last thing I want to do is to add sugar to my homemade spaghetti sauce recipe. I want it to come naturally from sun-ripened tomatoes!
The key is, as already mentioned, is to use good quality canned/crushed tomatoes (unless using fresh, of course!). They need to be ripe when canned so they have plenty of natural sweetness. I find this most consistently in This is an affiliate link.Italian canned tomatoes, which is what I always recommend!
If you start with good quality ingredients, you’ll be shocked by how much flavour this simple sauce can carry. No need for a long list of spices or other ingredients!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- If you start with canned chopped (diced) tomatoes, just blitz them in a This is an affiliate link.food processor. In my opinion this gives the sauce the perfect consistency. Skip this step if using canned crushed tomatoes or tomato passata.
- For fresh tomatoes. You can use any kind of fresh tomatoes as long as they are ripe. Under-ripe tomatoes won’t have the sweetness we are after. Core the tomatoes and score the skins at both ends in a criss-cross fashion with a sharp knife, then put them in boiling water for 3 minutes to blanch, then plunge in ice water. When they are cool enough to handle, peel the skins. Then process tomatoes in a blender or food processor until smooth. Proceed with the recipe as written.
- The garlic adds important flavour to the sauce, but be careful not to burn it. Add it to the This is an affiliate link.extra virgin olive oil over low heat along with the fresh basil. Use a wooden spoon or spatula and a close eye to keep it from burning. Burnt garlic is awful and bitter!
- I used a large cast iron This is an affiliate link.dutch oven to prepare the sauce. They have great heat distribution and can be used for the whole recipe, so are a fantastic choice for a job like this one.
- Always taste the sauce after it is done simmering to make sure it is salty enough. Add a bit more if it seems lacking.
Serving suggestions
Once you have a sauce like this in your cupboard, there are an infinite number of uses for it. It will stand on its own when coating any pasta, especially when topped with parmesan cheese and – if it’s your idea of fun – red pepper flakes.
Or use it with meatballs, ground beef, Italian sausage, chicken, or anything you want! It can also act as a pizza sauce, perfect as the base for a lovely pizza margarita. Just add cheese and basil!
Storage and leftovers
A pasta sauce like this one is perfect for batch cooking, both because it stores well and can be used in so many ways. This recipe will make enough for 4 regular sized meals!
Use an This is an affiliate link.airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
If you do freeze the sauce, it’s ideal to use small containers so you can remove just enough for one meal at a time. The ones made by This is an affiliate link.Souper Cubes are ideal! Take it out of the freezer a day early so the sauce can thaw in the fridge.
More pasta sauce recipes
We have lots more fantastic pasta recipes, plus sauces including:
- Slow Cooker Beef Bolognese Sauce
- Alfredo Sauce
- Pasta Cream Sauce
- Easy Carbonara Sauce
- 5-Minute Ravioli Sauce
Homemade Tomato and Basil Spaghetti Sauce
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Cuisinart food processor
- This is an affiliate link.Le Creuset dutch oven
- This is an affiliate link.Souper Cubes freezer molds
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil , extra virgin
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup / 25g chopped basil leaves, fresh
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 x 14oz/400g cans chopped tomatoes, good quality
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Process canned chopped tomatoes in a food processor for a smoother texture or use crushed tomatoes or passata. (Alternatively you can skip this step for a chunky spaghetti sauce.)
- In a large pot heat the olive oil over low heat, add minced garlic and chopped basil and stir for no longer than 10-20 seconds. Do not let them burn or they will turn bitter.
- Add tomatoes, dried oregano and salt, bring to a simmer and let it simmer over very low heat for 7-10 minutes.
- Cool and store in a clean jar or divide and freeze for a later use.
Notes
- Core the tomatoes and score the skins at both ends in a criss-cross fashion with a sharp knife, then put them in boiling water for 3 minutes to blanch, then plunge in ice water.
- When they are cool enough to handle, peel the skins.
- Then process tomatoes in a blender or food processor until smooth. Proceed with the recipe as written.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Measurements on the tomatoes are confusing to me. Did you mean three 14.5 oz cans of tomatoes? The grams shown, 400, equal 1.69 cups. Am I just being obtuse? Thank you.
14 oz is equivalent of 397g. Canned tomatoes come in 400g cans in the UK where I live. So you will need either 42 oz or 1200g of canned tomatoes depending on what you use for measurements.
I can’t believe how much of a difference good quality tomatoes made. I’d given up making my own sauce as it always just tasted of blitzed up tinned tomatoes, but this was absolutely delicious! It was also a big hit with the little ones which was a bonus! Will be looking here for more yummy recipes for the family.
Yay, I am so happy to hear that, Hannah!! It’s always such a huge bonus when the little ones approve, isn’t it?!!
This is by far the best spaghetti tomato sauce ever! Fresh basil is absolutely key! Thanks Julia for sharing this awesomeness with the world.
I am so happy you love it, Sarah!! Thank you for your comment! 🙂
Finally,a tomato sauce I can call my own. It’s simply delicious and the fresh Parmesan simply enhances the flavor. Dont want to take your thunder away but it’s mine now . Thanks for sharing.
I don’t mind sharing it with you, Tony!
Could you can this sauce?
I haven’t tried but I can’t see why not, Martha.
Not sure it has the right ph the can and not spoil
How would you do this differently if using fresh tomatoes? Which kind of tomato’s and how would you process them?
Great question, Tammy. Here is what you need to do to make this tomato spaghetti sauce if using fresh tomatoes. You can use any kind of fresh tomatoes as long as they are ripe. Under ripe tomatoes won’t have the sweetness we are after.
Core the tomatoes and score the skins at other end in a criss-cross fashion with a sharp knife, then put them in boiling water for 3 minutes to blanch, then plunge in ice water. When they are cool enough to handle, peel the skins. Then process tomatoes in a blender or food processor until smooth. Proceed with the recipe as written.
My favorite fresh tomatoes to use for this is purple calabash and brandywine tomatoes. Both are American heirlooms. The purple calabash has a delightful wine-y flavor, and the brandywines are a delicious firm and tart tomato.
I adore heirloom tomatoes, Gina. I know exactly the kind you are describing. So delicious. I can’t wait for the summer!
Thanks so much for sharing such simple recipes. Nothing to beat your own homemade sauce.
Great recipe! How long will it keep in the refrigerator for? Thank you
The spaghetti sauce stays fresh in a fridge for 5-7 days, Jemma. You can also freeze it up to 2 months.
Just returned from a trip to Rome/Florence, Italy. I was so inspired by their Pomodoro sauces that I just had to rethink the “marinara” sauce I used to make. Your recipe is exactly what I was looking for. The only thing I do differently is I strain the tomatoes, reserving the juice. I cut them in half and gently squeeze to remove any excess seeds. I place them cut side up on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle w/EVOO and sprinkle with a little crushed red pepper flake. Bake @300 degrees for 1 hour. Let them cool and then proceed with the recipe. I just love the extra punch of flavor roasting gives the tomatoes. Thanks for a simple and straight-forward recipe!
I love the roasted tomato touch you add to this sauce, Amy! 🙂
Very, very delicious! Thank you! Also used the canned tomatoes from Mutti, good quality also!
Oh thank you for sharing, Corina. I am going to try Mutti!
Just made this tonight and my husband said it was the best spaghetti sauce I have made! That says a lot coming from him. I will be making more and freezing it. A new staple in our house! Love it.
Fantastic news, Sarah! I am so happy to hear it.
I recommend Muir Glen Organic tomatoes
in the states. Very high quality and available amost everywhere. I can’t wait to try this sauce.
Thank you for the recommendation, Tammy!
I love in the US. What tomatoes should I buy to make the sauce? Leslie, what kind did you use? Thank you.
Hi Christina, this is such a difficult question for me as I don’t shop in the US. Here is an article that compares many brands and rates them. Sadly, the prices are quite high for good quality tomatoes. It is not the case in the UK. We can buy a 14oz can of decent Italian grown tomatoes for 50 pence.https://www.thekitchn.com/the-best-brand-of-whole-canned-tomatoes-you-can-buy-252450
Hi Christina,
I think the tomatoes were called Mutti. They were an Italian brand, already crushed. Hope you can find them! This sauce was so delicious!
Hi Christina,
I replied to your question once but it doesn’t seem to be here so I am trying again! I think the canned tomatoes I used were called Mutti. They were already crushed. I live in Canada so I hope you can find them wherever you are. Enjoy the sauce!
Absolutely fantastic!!! This will be my new go-to for a meatless pasta sauce, especially in the summer when I can use up some of that basil in the garden! You are right; buying the best canned tomatoes makes all the difference. Awesome!
So happy to hear it, Leslie! Yes, quality ingredients are so important here since there is no where to hide! 🙂