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.
I stopped relying on mass produced stuff almost a decade ago once I discovered how easy it is to make my own!
For a spaghetti meat sauce, try my Spaghetti Bolognese.
It’s finally summertime and all types of fresh produce abound! It’s true that tomatoes are not ripe yet for saucing but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared!!
Besides this recipe uses good quality canned tomatoes for us city folks, who don’t have access to homegrown tomatoes. Let’s talk about spaghetti sauce. I can’t believe it took me so long to share this recipe. I guess I always felt like it was so basic that it didn’t deserve space on my blog. How wrong I was!!
What made me realise this recipe is needed is visiting family in Canada this past February and seeing jars upon jars of store bought spaghetti sauce in their pantry. It used to be me.
Before we moved to the UK 8 years ago it would have never occurred to me to make my own spaghetti sauce because every time I tried it ended up tasting like straight up canned tomatoes. Harsh and acidic.
So what changed? Me! And tomatoes. Let me back track. My real revelation of how easy Italian cooking was came after our first visit to Italy about 9 years ago.
We were fortunate enough not only to see the country and eat deliciously authentic Italian food in restaurants but also witness it being made in Italian homes by home cooks.
My first experience of watching an Italian friend make a regular spaghetti sauce blew me away. Easier than easy! She barely used any ingredients. I tried to recreate it immediately upon our return home to Canada, which only left me disappointed, so I turned back to spaghetti sauce from supermarkets.
I didn’t try making my own spaghetti sauce again until a year later when we permanently moved our life to London. At that point we were visiting Italy regularly due to work and I became determined to crack that simple yet elusive spaghetti sauce recipe.
But as soon as I tried it again, it was immediate success! I couldn’t believe it as I didn’t do anything differently.
The secret to the best tasting spaghetti sauce
Do you know what was different though? Tomatoes!!! Once we moved to the UK I started buying tomatoes that were available in my local supermarket and thanks to the EU trade agreement they happened to be grown under the hot Italian sun.
They were fully ripe and bursting with flavour, that all went into my sauce and made it off the scale delicious!
So what is the moral of this story? Move to Europe? Sure if that is what you want but you might not need to uproot your family to get the best tasting spaghetti sauce.
Just don’t buy the cheapest canned tomatoes as I did! 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.
This spaghetti sauce I am sharing today is basic. Nothing fancy about. It only has 6 ingredients. It’s sweet and fragrant with NO SUGAR added. Look at the nutritional label on your canned spaghetti sauce!
I guarantee it will have sugar in it as they don’t use quality tomatoes they have to add sweetness to their sauces somehow. They simply add sugar.
I don’t want added sugar in my spaghetti sauce. I want it to come naturally from sun-ripened tomatoes!
I really hope you give my simple spaghetti recipe a try and when you do SHARE your photos with me on Instagram! Just tag @vikalinka and I will see them!
For meaty spaghetti sauce check out my Slow Cooker Beef Bolognese Sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup/ 25g chopped basil leaves fresh
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3X14oz/400g canned tomatoes good quality
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Process 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 boil 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.
Vicki says
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.
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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.
Hannah says
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.
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
Yay, I am so happy to hear that, Hannah!! It’s always such a huge bonus when the little ones approve, isn’t it?!!
Sarah Barnard says
This is by far the best spaghetti tomato sauce ever! Fresh basil is absolutely key! Thanks Julia for sharing this awesomeness with the world.
vikalinka says
I am so happy you love it, Sarah!! Thank you for your comment! 🙂
Tony Sandrin says
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.
vikalinka says
I don’t mind sharing it with you, Tony!
Martha warner says
Could you can this sauce?
vikalinka says
I haven’t tried but I can’t see why not, Martha.
Leslie says
Not sure it has the right ph the can and not spoil
Tammy Van Den Brink says
How would you do this differently if using fresh tomatoes? Which kind of tomato’s and how would you process them?
vikalinka says
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.
Gina Vance says
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.
vikalinka says
I adore heirloom tomatoes, Gina. I know exactly the kind you are describing. So delicious. I can’t wait for the summer!
Chandan says
Thanks so much for sharing such simple recipes. Nothing to beat your own homemade sauce.
Gemma says
Great recipe! How long will it keep in the refrigerator for? Thank you
vikalinka says
The spaghetti sauce stays fresh in a fridge for 5-7 days, Jemma. You can also freeze it up to 2 months.
Amy McCord says
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!
vikalinka says
I love the roasted tomato touch you add to this sauce, Amy! 🙂
Corina says
Very, very delicious! Thank you! Also used the canned tomatoes from Mutti, good quality also!
vikalinka says
Oh thank you for sharing, Corina. I am going to try Mutti!
Sarah says
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.
vikalinka says
Fantastic news, Sarah! I am so happy to hear it.
Tammy says
I recommend Muir Glen Organic tomatoes
in the states. Very high quality and available amost everywhere. I can’t wait to try this sauce.
vikalinka says
Thank you for the recommendation, Tammy!
Christina Smith says
I love in the US. What tomatoes should I buy to make the sauce? Leslie, what kind did you use? Thank you.
vikalinka says
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
Leslie Little says
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!
Leslie Little says
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!
Leslie Little says
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!
vikalinka says
So happy to hear it, Leslie! Yes, quality ingredients are so important here since there is no where to hide! 🙂