An easy Italian tomato sauce made from scratch with just 5 ingredients in only 10 minutes! This tomato sauce is perfect for pasta, pizza or simply for dunking some char-grilled ciabatta into. It's SO rich in flavour it'll be your new go-to tomato sauce.
I am seriously in love with this Italian tomato sauce. It's packed with so much flavour that I literally eat it by the spoonful and if there's a loaf of ciabatta bread near by....it'll be gone in 5 minutes flat.
It's made with simple, everyday ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen and can be used for so many dishes! All you need is some spaghetti to toss with it and dinner in done or spread it on a pizza base to create a Pizza Marinara (no mozzarella necessary) ughh heaven.
Tips For Making Italian Tomato Sauce
I say this ALL the time but it's so true, you NEED to buy the best quality ingredients for this to work. There are two ingredients in particular that would ruin this tomato sauce if they were low quality (don't say I didn't warn ya).
- Tomatoes - You can't make the best Italian tomato sauce with rubbish tomatoes, right? I use crushed canned tomatoes for this quick 10 minute recipe and the only tomatoes I recommend that are easy to find almost anywhere are Cirio. I used their crushed canned tomatoes and all you need is ONE can.
- Why? - Not only are Cirio canned tomatoes great quality but the cans aren't full of water like many cheap cans...that just ain't gonna add flavour to your sauce at all! And have you ever tasted that metallic, tinny taste with canned tomatoes..yuck! You don't get that with Cirio tomatoes so they are so worth the extra pennies.
- Balsamic Vinegar - I add the tiniest splash of high quality balsamic and it totally transforms this sauce. Real balsamic vinegar is so sweet and delicious you could eat it by the spoon. It should come in a small bottle (the size of a perfume bottle) and be slightly thick. It should say "Aceto Balsamico di Modena" on the bottle so you know it's the real stuff. A little goes a long way and it's so worth the investment...I couldn't live without it if I'm honest.
How To Make Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce - Step By Step
A around 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a medium sized saucepan, once it starts to sizzle add chopped garlic and dried oregano. Fry for 30 seconds then add 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and freshly chopped parsley and basil (photos 1-3).
Fry the herbs and garlic for another 30 seconds (this helps release all the delicious flavours from the herbs) then add a can of chopped tomatoes with ½ teaspoon sugar and a pinch of salt. Add 2 tablespoon of water to the empty tomato can, swirl to get as much leftover tomato as possible and add that to the sauce (photos 4 & 5).
Stir everything together, after 1 minute use a potato masher to crush the tomatoes and break them down as much as possible (it will still be a rustic style sauce and not completely smooth) then simmer for 7-8 minutes stirring occasionally, turn off the heat and check for seasoning (photo 6).
Extra Tips
- If making this sauce for pasta reserve a little pasta cooking water and add a splash of two to the sauce just before you add the pasta. This helps emulsify the sauce and adds a ton of extra flavour.
- When you've finished cooking the sauce check for seasoning and if it need more salt add some a little at a time. Remember you can always add salt but can't take it out.
- Use this as a base for many tomato based sauces, you could add different herbs and spices such as fennel seeds, pepperoncino (chilli flakes), fresh chilly and rosemary.
More Authentic Italian Recipes You Might Like;
- Anchovy pizza with caper (Pizza Napoli)
- Pasta with puttanesca sauce
- Classic caprese salad
- Spinach and ricotta cannelloni
- Classic beef lasagne
If you’ve tried this Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 14 oz (400g) chopped/crushed canned tomatoes (I used Cirio for best results)
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 small handful fresh Parsley chopped
- 1 small handful fresh basil chopped
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon high quality balsamic vinegar (optional)
- salt
Instructions
- A around 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a medium sized saucepan, once it starts to sizzle add chopped garlic and dried oregano. Fry for 30 seconds then add 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and freshly chopped parsley and basil.
- Fry the herbs and garlic for another 30 seconds (this helps release all the delicious flavours from the herbs) then add a can of chopped tomatoes and add a pinch of salt.
- Add 2 tablespoon of water to the empty tomato can, swirl to get as much leftover tomato as possible and add that to the sauce.
- Stir everything together, after 1 minute use a potato masher to crush the tomatoes and break them down as much as possible (it will still be a rustic style sauce and not completely smooth)
- Simmer for 7-8 minutes stirring occasionally, turn off the heat and check for seasoning.
Notes
- *Makes enough to serve 4 with pasta (with an added splash of pasta water) or as a base for two large pizzas (serves 4-6).
- Tomatoes - You can't make the best Italian tomato sauce with rubbish tomatoes, right? I use crushed canned tomatoes for this quick 10 minute recipe and the only tomatoes I recommend that are easy to find almost anywhere are Cirio. I used their crushed canned tomatoes and all you need is ONE can.
- Why? - Not only are Cirio canned tomatoes great quality but the cans aren't full of water like many cheap cans...that just ain't gonna add flavour to your sauce at all! And have you ever tasted that metallic, tinny taste with canned tomatoes..yuck! You don't get that with Cirio tomatoes so they are so worth the extra pennies.
- Balsamic Vinegar - I add the tiniest splash of high quality balsamic and it totally transforms this sauce. Real balsamic vinegar is so sweet and delicious you could eat it by the spoon. It should come in a small bottle (the size of a perfume bottle) and be slightly thick. It should say "Aceto Balsamico di Modena" on the bottle so you know it's the real stuff. A little goes a long way and it's so worth the investment...I couldn't live without it if I'm honest.
-
Extra Tips
- If making this sauce for pasta reserve a little pasta cooking water and add a splash of two to the sauce just before you add the pasta. This helps emulsify the sauce and adds a ton of extra flavour.
- When you've finished cooking the sauce check for seasoning and if it need more salt add some a little at a time. Remember you can always add salt but can't take it out.
- Use this as a base for many tomato based sauces, you could add different herbs and spices such as fennel seeds, pepperoncino (chili flakes), fresh chilly and rosemary.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use this brand for the best results and flavour
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Dahlian
I didn't like the ad for one make of tomatoes so will look elsewhere
Emily
Sorry if it sounded like an ad, it's not I just want people to buy good quality and taste the difference. Mutti and Cirio are the two brands I use and love.
Lexy
Could i bulk cook this and freeze?
Emily
Yes, no problem!
Julie
I loved the idea of the balsamic vinegar; even though mine wasnt the highest of quality it still tasted amazing. I adapted the recipie slightly by adding half an onion and it was sooo good. Thank you!!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Sounds delicious, so happy you enjoyed it!
Lloyd
Just made this this evening.
I changed nothing about the recipe other than I didn't have fresh parsley, so had to use dried. By far this is the best I've ever had.
The simplicity of it makes you think it's going to lack flavour.....
Wrong!! it was simply delicious, and will be my go to from now on.
Thanks so much.
Linda
Caio. I found your website today for the first time and am excited beyond words. I've been looking for years for a lasagna recipe using homemade pasta from scratch that are not cooked slightly before adding to the dish. I can hardly wait to try your recipe.
Was also looking at your Italian sauce recipe. I don't have the Cirio tomatoes where I live so clicked on the link and see they are currently unavailable. Do you have any further information about when they might be available? I'm also wondering if you have any other brands you would recommend for your recipes. Sure would appreciate any feedback you can give me. Thank you so much for your time.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Linda, I'm so happy you found us! So canned tomatoes are so tricky to find right now especially online. Although I've not tried them myself I know many people that love the Cento brand. If you can't find those because of the current circumstances then just get what you can. If the brand you have aren't particularly great and are very acidic then stew the tomatoes down for longer so it's really concentrated and emulsify the sauce with pasta water or regular water if not making pasta. All tomatoes will eventually lose their acidity if cooked down long enough. 1-2 tsp of sugar will also help balance things out. Really hope you enjoy our lasagna recipe! One tip, if you make pasta from scratch you probably won't need the whole batch you can wrap leftover pasta dough in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for 4-5 days (it will probably darken but don't worry). Use it to make tagliatelle or rough cut shapes to put in soups or pasta sauces. Hope you enjoy and don't hesitate to contact me with any other questions! Emily
Ayanna
That was absolutely delicious! First time trying a tomato sauce from scratch 🙂 I threw in a stock cube for a little more flavour and thickness.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Ayanna, so happy you enjoyed the recipe it's so worth making your own from scratch!
Linda
Hi Emily: Forgive me for the second post. Last time I looked it wasn’t there so I assumed I didn’t click the Post It button. Please disregard.
So happy to hear that Cento is an acceptable brand because that is availalble in local store. Whew. Very glad to have the info you provided about cooking out the acidity. Thank you, I didn’t know that. And not to worry about not using all of the pasta in the lasagna recipe, I promise it will disappear as if by magic.
I sincerely appreciate your quick and very informative response. I looked at every recipe you have on your site and want to cook 90% of them. I think the first one will be the Tuscan soup with the flatbread recipes. Thank you again.
Inside the rustic kitchen
No problem at all, hope you enjoy it and happy cooking!
Cynthia
I just made a batch to use as pizza sauce for dinner and I am fairly certain that my local pizza place uses a recipe very similar to this, which has me beyond excited to try it tonight! Thank you x1000!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Cynthia, so happy you love the recipe hope you had great pizzas!
Tara @ Unsophisticook
This is just the way I love my tomato sauce -- thick and chunky!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Me too and it's so easy to thin down with pasta water so you've got the best of both worlds!
Caroline
I love all the tips, this looks like one truly delicious sauce!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks so much Caroline!
Janet
I had Meatballs in tomato sauce at a hotel in Sorrento and the sauce was the best tomato sauce I have ever tasted I have been looking for the recipe ever since and I’m hoping this might be very similar I am definitely going to make this sauce
Kristine
Well doesn't this look incredible?! Gorgeous photos too! Pinning this to make!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks so much Kristine, hope you enjoy!
Mich
Hello, I made tomato sauce with your recipe and it tastes amazing! However, I did end up with a watery pizza, and I think the water might come from the sauce. Do you have any advice on this?
Emily
Hi Mich, hmm, it shouldn't be watery, did you use fresh mozzarella? That can cause excess moisture to pool on top of the pizza.
Traci
I absolutely love to make tomato sauce from scratch. I love that touch of balsamic vinegar you used...I'll have to give that a try! Just pinned...thanks for the recipe 🙂
Inside the rustic kitchen
It's the best, oh you should definitely try it it makes such a difference! Thanks so much Traci!
Molly
This recipe is making me so hungry. Thanks for posting.
Inside the rustic kitchen
No problem, thanks Molly!