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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Can I use this recipe to make chili?
Hi Lila, I wouldn’t recommend it — sorry!
Delicious 5 star recipe. One to keep in the rotation!
Made it with home grown tomatoes. Loved it and made it two more times next week.
Simple and very tasty. Added mushroom and peppers to one batch. That turned out good too
Stupid question – if i’m forced to use the canned tomatoes, do I leave them whole when adding to the pot with the rest of the ingredients? Or do I cut them into half-inch pieces like you instruct for the fresh ones?
Hi Helen, You do need to chop them. I would use kitchen shears to chop them directly in the can or dump the entire contents of the can into a resealable freezer bag, seal the bag, and crush with your hands. Hope that helps!
Copy that! Thanks a bunch, Jenn! 🙂
I made this tomato sauce last night with the glut of tomatoes from my greenhouse. I cheated. I blitzed the tomatoes in the food processor first rather than remove the skins.
Anyway, I used it tonight on a homemade spinach & ricotta cannelloni. It was absolutely delicious!
Thank you Jenn 😊
Hi! Can’t wait to try this with my farmers market tomato purchase! Family does not like garlic, any replacement suggestion or should I just delete? Thanks!
Hi Dawn, Totally fine to just omit the garlic. Hope your family enjoys!
Hi – I’m excited to try this! Can I make this with cherry tomatoes, and perhaps strain to remove the skins after? (I have a bounty of cherry tomatoes from our garden this year and would love to use them for this!)
Hi Nadine, I haven’t made this with cherry tomatoes but I think it should work. Please LMK how it turns out!
If you slice your cherry tomatoes in half and then place them in a deep glass dish with some olive oil and roast at around 350 until you see the tomatoes break down or the edges start to color, you can simply use an immersion blender to remove the need to try and strain/deseed them. I generally add a chopped onion, chopped garlic, and a chopped red bell pepper to the glass dish when I use cherry tomatoes in a sauce recipe. Cooked in this way, the tomatoes get sweeter and there is no issue with the seeds/peels. You can even throw some spices in the dish so they cook up together or wait and season as Jenn describes. Roasting tomatoes in the off season may also help to give the tomatoes a deeper taste, although I haven’t tried it with the tomatoes from the grocery store. I used to give my cherry tomatoes away because I could only make so much salsa with them. I don’t do that anymore since finding out a superb way of using them in a sauce with very little work!!
Can you water bath this recipe for canning on shelf??
Tracy W
Hi, I didn’t develop this recipe for canning so I can’t say for sure that it would be safe. Sorry!
Came here for the same question! If you’d tried it, please let me know how it turned out! Thanks!
Recipes for canning safely have very specific requirements. This recipe has dairy, which is not considered safe for home canning. You’d be better off canning your tomatoes, then using them to complete the recipe.
I made this sauce yesterday from my vine ripened tomatoes from my garden. It was delicious! I left the onions and garlic in the sauce and puréed it with my immersion blender. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes😊
Can you can this sauce in a Ball jar?
Hi Keith, This recipe wasn’t designed for canning, so I’m not sure it’s safe — I’m sorry!
I freeze mine!
Hi Jenn,
Made this before and loved the taste! I am now wondering if I can double this recipe. Found a deal on fresh tomatoes that I couldn’t resist. 🙂
Yes, you can definitely double it (and glad you like it)!