Homemade Tomato Sauce
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Based on Marcella Hazan’s famous recipe, this simple and rich homemade tomato sauce is a summer essential.
I’ll confess: I have an entire shelf in my pantry devoted to my favorite jarred tomato sauce. It’s my go-to on those busy nights when I need to get dinner on the table fast. But when tomatoes are in season and I’ve got a little time to spare, nothing beats making tomato sauce from scratch. It’s so good, it always makes me wonder how I ever settle for that run-of-the-mill jarred stuff!
My go-to recipe is inspired by Marcella Hazan’s famously simple tomato butter sauce, although I’ve tweaked it over the years to make it my own. It’s such a rich and flavorful sauce, it doesn’t even need Parmesan cheese when tossed with pasta. If fresh tomatoes aren’t in season or you’re short on time, canned whole peeled tomatoes work beautifully (San Marzanos are the gold standard). Just steer clear of canned diced tomatoes—they are made with a chemical that keeps them from breaking down properly.
“I am first generation Italian. My mom was a fabulous cook…This was outstanding.”
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Tomato Sauce
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep the tomatoes. Begin by scoring the tomatoes with an X on one end. Don’t cut too deep; about ¼ inch is good. This helps the skins slip off easily once they’re blanched.
Step 2: Blanch the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in boiling water and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the skins start to peel back. Be careful not to cook too long, or the tomatoes will become soft and difficult to handle. The goal here isn’t to cook the tomatoes—it’s just to loosen the skins so they slip right off without taking too much flesh with them.
Step 3: Shock the tomatoes (ice bath). Plunge the tomatoes into an ice-cold water bath to stop the cooking process.
Step 4: Peel and chop the tomatoes. Transfer the tomatoes to a cutting board and peel the skins off. Then cut the tomatoes into ½-inch chunks.
Step 5: Everything goes into the pot. Place the chopped tomatoes, along with all of their seeds and juices, into a large Dutch oven or saucepan, along with the butter, olive oil, onions, garlic, salt and sugar.
Step 5: Simmer the sauce low and slow. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1½ to 2½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and is no longer watery.
Step 6: Finish the sauce. Remove the onion and discard it—it’s done its job. Use a wooden spoon or potato masher to break up any large chunks of tomato or garlic until the sauce is thick and slightly chunky. Just before serving, stir in the basil. The sauce will keep in the fridge for about 4 days, or you can freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Video Tutorial
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Homemade Tomato Sauce
Based on Marcella Hazan’s famous recipe, this simple and rich homemade tomato sauce is a summer essential.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds plum tomatoes (or two 28-ounce cans whole peeled plum tomatoes)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and cut in half
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- If using fresh tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Fill a large bowl halfway-full with ice cubes and cold water. Using a sharp knife, cut a ¼-inch deep X on one end of each tomato. Place the scored tomatoes into the boiling water and cook until you see the skin starting to wrinkle and split, 1 to 2 minutes (be careful not to cook too long, or the tomatoes will become soft and difficult to handle). Using a slotted spoon, lift the tomatoes out of the pot and plunge them into the ice-cold water bath. Let sit for a few minutes to cool, then transfer the tomatoes to a cutting board and, using your hands, peel off their skins.
- Cut the tomatoes into ½-inch chunks (discard the cores at this point) and transfer them, along with all of their juices, into a Dutch oven or saucepan.
- To the chopped tomatoes, add the butter, olive oil, onions, garlic, salt, and sugar. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1½ to 2½ hours, stirring occasionally and mashing the tomatoes, until the sauce is no longer watery. Remove and discard the onions. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, mash any large chunks of tomatoes and garlic to make a slightly chunky and thick sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Before serving, stir in the basil.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 256
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 503 mg
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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OMG I had tomatoes left from year end in my garden and I used this recipe – it was am🎶zing!!!!
Would canning in a hot water bath work?
Hi Corrine, I don’t recommend this recipe for canning – sorry!
Hey Jenn! Awesome recipe — would the process be the same using grape tomatoes? I’m wondering about the blanching process, and if it might be different.
Thanks a lot, looking forward to making this for family visiting from England!!
Hi Mikayla, How nice that you’ll have family visiting! I wouldn’t really recommend using grape tomatoes for this recipe. The flavor’s fine, but the skins don’t soften enough, and peeling that many would be pretty tedious. That said, if you’re up for blanching and peeling them, it will work—the sauce will just have a slightly lighter, sweeter flavor than with Romas or plum tomatoes.
This is *delicious*. The only thing I added to mine was a little anchovy paste. I will be making this forever! I was able to make several batches with the San Marzano tomatoes I grew this summer, and I have sauce put away in the freezer for the rest of the winter 😀
I did, however, run into a few issues: First, prep time: I’d allow for more like 30 minutes, especially if, like me, your homegrown tomatoes have some dirt to wash off of them.
Second, and more importantly – 1.5 to 2.5 hours is not going to be enough time to make a sauce rather than a juicy soup. It took about 4 hours to get close to sauce consistency, and it honestly could’ve benefitted from another hour but by then it was already 8 pm and we were hungry. Next time I will allow for 6 hours of cooking down to make sure there’s plenty of time. I may also leave some of the juice out of the sauce.
The extra cooking time is something to be prepared for, but don’t let it put you off – this sauce is worth it!
It smells good and tastes great, though it is the consistency of soup rather than sauce. I may have to add tomato paste to thicken it up.
Hi Kathy, just continue to simmer the sauce until it gets to your desired consistency.
Fabulous tomato sauce recipe!
Excellent recipe! Thank you Jenn
I’m at my summer place in WA state w/o my wife (in Yokohama) so I’m forced to cook for myself for awhile. So glad I found this recipe. My neighbor gave me 8 tomatoes last night so I picked this recipe. Who knew that butter and sugar went into pasta sauce? Not me. Although my bar is pretty low it was definitely the best tasting sauce ever for me. I did add a little umami (anchovies) but this recipe was a highlite for me. Thanks so much and arrigato!
Hi Jenn,
I’m pretty sure I can freeze this in Ball Jars? Right? My ideas is to use the smaller ones so I can only thaw what I need at one meal, depending on the number of family/friends at the table. Just wanting reassurance. 🙂 Thanks! Sabra
Sure!
This sauce is everything you want sauce to be. It’s now the second season making it with our fresh garden tomatoes. I doubled the recipe and it made exactly 12 cups of sauce. I would’ve quadrupled it had I had enough tomatoes! This year we used a blend of romas, beef steak and heirloom. Last year it was just beef steak and heirlooms.
Every time, I use the immersion blender as my last step to get a smooth and creamy texture. I have done both – take out the onions and use them for something else, and I’ve blended them in. I don’t notice a difference either way, so now I blend them in every time. It freezes flawlessly in case you’re curious and then we add the fresh basil when serving.
We do not adjust anything, it’s perfect every time. There are a few Italian restaurants that I’m always wondering how they get their tomato sauce so close to a vodka sauce, but it’s not, it’s this! Butter. It makes for the deepest most delicious creamy flavor. I cannot speak more highly of this. I hope you make it and enjoy it as much as our family now does!