Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce – Quick, Easy & Delicious
Jul 20, 2018, Updated Jul 04, 2022
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An easy Italian tomato sauce made from scratch with just 4 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 and couldn’t be easier!
There are endless recipes for Italian tomato sauce. Some are made with fresh tomatoes and simmered for hours, some add chilli peppers to make a firey arrabbiata or pancetta for richness.
This recipe is very quick and easy, made with very few ingredients but trust me when I say it’s INCREDIBLY delicious! The flavour comes from a quick simmer which caramelises the sugars in the tomatoes giving the sauce the most delicious flavour in a short amount of time.
High-quality tomatoes are a MUST for this and are the only way to achieve a delicious tasting sauce. The short cooking time also only works for a small amount of sauce (serves 4 for pasta). The more tomato you add the more cooking time they’ll need.
What tomatoes to use?
I say this ALL the time but it’s so true, you NEED to buy the best quality ingredients for this to work.
You can’t make the best Italian tomato sauce with low-quality tomatoes. I use chopped canned tomatoes (polpa) for this quick 10-minute recipe. There are two brands of tomatoes that I use and love; Cirio and Mutti which are always canned in a thick tomato juice not water. Both are high quality and reasonably priced.
How To Make Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce – Step By Step
Saute garlic – never add garlic to an already hot pan or it’ll burn almost instantly. Add the oil and chopped or crushed garlic at the same time then warm it up gently to saute for 50-60 seconds (photo 1).
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItAdd the tomatoes – when you add the tomatoes rinse out the can with 1-2 tablespoons of water so you get as much of the tomato as possible, add salt and simmer it on medium heat for 8-10 minutes. If the tomatoes are chunky I like to crush them with a potato masher for a smoother consistency (photos 2-4).
Finishing the sauce – Once the sauce has reduced slightly add a handful of fresh basil or parsley depending on what you’re serving it with. If you want to add dried oregano add that at the same time as the garlic (photo 5).
Tips for making this Italian Tomato Sauce
- 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 (photo 6).
- Check for seasoning – when you’ve finished cooking the sauce check for seasoning and if it needs more salt add some a little at a time. Remember you can always add salt but can’t take it out.
- Add herbs and spices – 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 chilli and rosemary.
Instead of chopped tomatoes you can use peeled plum tomatoes or passata (tomato puree) again, you must use a high quality brand such as Mutti or Cirio.
Yes, once cool you can freeze the sauce in a suitable container or freezer bag.
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.
Step By Step Photos Above
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Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic
- 15 oz good quality canned chopped tomatoes, (400g)
- 1 handful fresh basil, optional
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt
Instructions
- Finely chop or crush the garlic and add it to a skillet or frying pan with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the garlic for 1 minute or until fragrant (don’t let it brown).
- Add the tomatoes then rinse out the can with 1-2 tablespoons of water and add that to the sauce. If your tomatoes are quite chunky or you prefer a smoother consistency you can use a potato masher to crush them at this point (optional).
- Add a pinch of salt and simmer on a medium heat for 8-10 minutes until reduced slightly. Turn off the heat and add a handful of freshly chopped basil (optional).
- If serving with pasta, use a small amount of pasta water to emulsify the sauce, add the pasta and toss until thoroughly coated (sauce makes enough for 400g or 14oz of pasta to serve 4).
Video
Notes
- Buying tomatoes – the quality of the tomatoes is the most important part of this recipe. The two brands I trust and use often are Cirio and Mutti. I have heard good things about Cento tomatoes in the US but have never used them myself. Don’t use tomatoes that are canned in water.
- Storage – The sauce can be frozen in a suitable container or freezer bag.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- 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 Cirio or Mutti brands 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could i bulk cook this and freeze?
Yes, no problem!
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!!
Sounds delicious, so happy you enjoyed it!
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.
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.
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
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.
Hi Ayanna, so happy you enjoyed the recipe it’s so worth making your own from scratch!
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.
No problem at all, hope you enjoy it and happy cooking!
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!
Hi Cynthia, so happy you love the recipe hope you had great pizzas!
This is just the way I love my tomato sauce — thick and chunky!
Me too and it’s so easy to thin down with pasta water so you’ve got the best of both worlds!
This recipe is making me so hungry. Thanks for posting.
No problem, thanks Molly!
I love all the tips, this looks like one truly delicious sauce!
Thanks so much Caroline!
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
Well doesn’t this look incredible?! Gorgeous photos too! Pinning this to make!
Thanks so much Kristine, hope you enjoy!
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?
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.
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 🙂
It’s the best, oh you should definitely try it it makes such a difference! Thanks so much Traci!
where does it say to use balsamic vinegar?
Hi Joe, the recipe has been revised so there’s no longer any balsamic in it. If you’d like to try it, you can add a small amount (1 tsp or so) of good quality balsamic. The vinegar should be sweet, slightly sticky and concentrated in flavour and not thin and watery.