An authentic and delicious Italian Tomato Sauce that has been passed down through generations.
This recipe for Italian Tomato Sauce is a recipe that my husband Jack spent years perfecting. For Jack, knowing how to make a great Italian Tomato Sauce is a very personal thing – and it brings back fond memories of his childhood.
To this day, Jack clearly remembers the amazing smells coming from a pot of tomato sauce that was always simmering away on the stove anytime he visited his Italian grandparents. He worked hard to recreate that wonderful recipe in our own kitchen – and this is it!
In fact, ever since posting this Italian Tomato Sauce recipe here on A Family Feast back in 2013, we’ve had so many readers write to us to tell us how much they love this sauce. And, many of our readers have told us that they now consider this their ‘go-to’ Italian tomato sauce recipe. (Note: We haven’t made any changes to the recipe over the years, we just included some updated photos today!)
There are so many different ways to make an Italian Tomato Sauce and depending on whom you ask – and where their family originally came from – you will find many different family recipes. Some use different types of tomatoes, some with or without meat, some cooked for a long time giving the sauce a deep, rich taste and others cooked for just a short time for a light fresh taste. Some families even refer to their Italian tomato sauce as Sunday Gravy or Marinara. (Click on those links – we have our own version of those recipes too!)
What’s the difference between Italian Tomato Sauce vs. Sunday Gravy vs. Marinara Sauce?
- For Jack, an Italian Tomato Sauce is a tomato-based sauce that simmers for a long time on the stove so that the flavors really deepen and develop. (This recipe is a delicious example!)
- A Sunday Gravy recipe is a tomato sauce cooked along with a variety of meats including meatballs, spare ribs, sausage, and pork chops, so the sauce picks up additional flavor from the meat.
- Finally, Marinara is also a tomato-based sauce, but it’s a quickly-cooked sauce, yielding a bright, fresh tomato flavor.
- And – since we’re talking about all types of tomato sauces – we also have a Roasted Tomato Pizza Sauce recipe AND an Easy No-Cook Pizza Sauce recipe you might be interested in checking out too. Pizza sauces typically have a bold flavor that is meant to both complement and shine through the flavors of the dough, cheese and toppings on a pizza.
Today’s recipe is originally inspired by a version of Italian Tomato Sauce that Jack grew up with, and he credits his Aunt Mary for this recipe, plus some additional influences from the sauce that Jack’s father (aka Grampa) used to make. If you happen to be growing San Marzano Pomodoro tomatoes in your garden – definitely use those! However, if fresh tomatoes aren’t available, we think some of the best San Marzano Pomodoro canned tomatoes are made by Cento and Pastene – and both brands are readily available at most local grocery stores.
Mangia!
P.S. We freeze our Italian Tomato Sauce in gallon zipper seal bags for long-term storage, laying the bags flat after filling and squeezing out any excess air. Freeze the bags flat on a sheet pan, then once frozen you can fit them more easily in your freezer. For information on how to can a high-acid food like tomato sauce, we suggest that you visit the Ball Canning website here. Here is another interesting link about canning tomato sauce which suggests that the pressure method should be used to ensure safe canning of any homemade tomato sauce.
You may also like these other Italian family classics:
- Marinara Sauce
- Nanny’s Italian Stuffed Peppers
- Classic Lasagna
- Sunday Gravy
- Grandma Gennaco’s Beef Braciole
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Italian Tomato Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/2 quarts
- Category: how-to
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
An important first step to note when making this sauce is to bring the olive oil up to temperature very slowly with the garlic, herbs, and spices, and cook for about five minutes to brown the garlic. This is a step that Jack has seen referenced in a number of great Italian cookbooks and although not clearly stated why, we believe this slow heat-up process allows the oil to be infused with the seasonings providing a really delicious base to your sauce.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 4 crushed garlic cloves
- ¾ cup chopped onion (optional)
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano, divided, or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, divided, or ½ tablespoon dried
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped mint, divided
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 28-ounce cans of whole tomatoes or two quarts of freshly canned garden tomatoes
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesano Reggiano cheese
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Before you begin, pour your two cans of tomatoes into a bowl and crush with your hand. Don’t break them up too small, you want large chunks.
- In a large heavy bottomed pot with a lid, on a burner with no flame, pour in olive oil and add red pepper flakes, garlic, onion, most of the oregano, basil and mint (save a little bit of each for the end), sugar salt and pepper. Turn on the burner and slowly bring up to hot. When the onions and garlic start to cook, stir and heat for five minutes.
- Remove the pot from the burner and place a heat diffuser over the burner. Place the pot over the heat diffuser and add the tomatoes. Turn burner to medium high and stir until they start to boil. Then reduce to simmer, partially cover and simmer 90 minutes.
- After 90 minutes, remove from heat and add the reserved herbs and Parmesan cheese. Add the butter to round out the flavors. Stir again and serve.
Notes
The old saying about the sauce tasting better the next day reheated is true. It gives the flavors a chance to blend and mellow out.
Keywords: Italian Tomato Sauce
I will try to make tomato sauce. I need to know how many jug? And how long keep ?
Thanks janet
Hi Janet – I’m not sure I understand your question “how many jug?” If you mean how much does it make – as stated at the top of the recipe card: 1 1/2 quarts. The sauce will keep refrigerated for a few days, but as noted in the post, we freeze our sauce for longer storage.
I have not made this recipe yet but Iam planning on making! But would like to know if he has a real italian spaghetti sauce recipe that will taste great with added ground round in it? I guess what would be considered as Sunday gravy?
Hi Janice – We do have a Sunday Gravy recipe – here it is…https://www.afamilyfeast.com/sunday-gravy/
agree. the more I make it the better it gets! A family favorite.
★★★★★
Thanks so much Susan!
Wow!
I’m quite the pasta fan but I’ve never been able to replicate the tomato sauce I’ve had in pasta joints in Italy. Something was always off… until this recipe and a couple cans of San Marzano. Topped with some basil and a few pieces Buffalo mozz and I’ve got one of the best pomodoro fusillis I’ve tasted. Thank you and warm regards from Korea 🙂
★★★★★
You’re very welcome Dan – so glad you enjoyed the sauce as much as we do!
I’m going to make this on Saturday to serve on Sunday. I googled the heat defuser and ordered one for my gas stove, 8$. They also have them for electric burners as well.
Amazon, delivered the same day I ordered it. Can’t wait to try this sauce, it looks delish!
★★★★★
Hope you love the sauce Joanne!
My grandmother passed away a month ago and my family has been feeling very down in the dumps lately so I’ve decided to host a dinner where I’m planning on serving all Italian dishes since my grandma was born in Italy. I’m grateful for your tips on how to differentiate the different kinds of sauces since they all appear the same to me. It was especially helpful how you mentioned that the sauce can be stored for longer periods of time in the freezer by putting them in Ziploc packages. I’ll try to sample as much Italian food as I can before I actually start cooking to make sure that I develop a taste for the authentic kind first.
Hope you enjoy the sauce Angela and we’re glad you found the information helpful.
This looks so good. I’ve never made my own tomato sauce, but now I have to give it a try. Is a heat diffuser necessary?
Hi Susan – The diffuser prevents the sauce from scorching in the pot. If you avoid too high of a heat as it simmers and you stir the sauce frequently, you should be OK.
This looks so good, I am trying this recipe for the Sunday dinner. Hope it turns out as good as it looks.
We hope you enjoy the sauce Barbara!
Can this be made with crushed tomatoes instead? If so, are there any changes to the recipe?
Sure Lori – you could use crushed tomatoes. No major changes to the recipe – the texture will just be a little smoother with already-crushed tomatoes.
Can this be done with fresh tomatoes? I have a lot of tomatoes from a friend’s garden and they need to be used Pronto.
Yes – You might need to simmer the sauce longer to reduce the flavors/liquids and perhaps even add a bit of tomato paste too. (It really depends on the type of tomato you are using.
Hi! I have my own pasta sauce recipe that I created for my husband because he hated the store brands. But I love trying new recipes and this one sounds really great! My question is: I don’t have a gas range, only electric, and I don’t have (or know what it is!) a heat diffuser. What alternatives, if any, are there for an electric stove? Btw, I’m making this as I type 🙂
Hi Lesley – The diffuser just prevents the sauce from burning on the bottom of the pan. I think they do have some diffusers that are safe for electric stoves. But if you don’t have one (or don’t want to buy one) just be sure to stir the sauce frequently and be careful not to cook over too high of a heat.
Can I not use mint in the recipe?
You can leave it out if you’d like Shikha.
Cooked it at the firehall for the fellas and added some red chiles for a little more spice. Stretched the sauce a but with some starchy pasta water. Was fantastic, even without the extra heat.
★★★★★
So glad the recipe was a hit Brent!
My husband adores this sauce. He now calls it his favorite sauce over our favorite family owned Italian restaurant!
★★★★★
Thank you so much!
Thank you for the time and effort that went into this recipe. It was well worth it. It smelled like an Italian restaurant in our house for the whole day and my son said it’s the best sauce I’ve ever made! I’m so glad I found your site. Will be trying more soon.
★★★★★
We’re so glad you found us too Carolyn – glad the sauce was a hit!
We love this sauce. Is this recipe able to be doubled?
Sure Chris!
I absolutely love this sauce recipe! I use it all the time and mix up the herbs depending which flavours I fancy that day. I personally prefer more fresh herbs in my version and i skip the parmesan as I am vegan. It’s fab!
★★★★★
Thanks Jess!
I first made this last year in September but this year even in October we have these great tomatoes that are called ‘ Cœur de Bœuf’ in French.
Loosely translated that means ‘Beef heart’. These tomatoes from Provence are huge, very tasty and are usually served in salads, but I love them in sauces too.
Your recipe is fantastic to use up the tomatoes and a wonderful reminder of summer. We love it 😘😊
★★★★★
So glad you enjoy the sauce Kavita!
Can you can this?
Hi Claudia – We freeze it because we don’t know, by adding cheese and butter, if the acidity of the sauce is high enough to make it safe to can.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Is parmesan cheese added even if you want to freeze most of the sauce for use another day? Or is parmesan added only for the portion to be used immediately and later when you take the frozen bags out for use?
Regards
Hi Krishnakumar – You can add the Parmesan all at once, even if you plan to freeze some of the sauce.
Was looking for a quick & easy sauce recipe for all my extra tomato’s that grew in my garden this year. Tried other recipes in the past and this is the quickest & tastiest. Thank you Jack & to your wife for posting this. ❤️
★★★★★
You’re very welcome Annie! We’re glad you enjoyed the sauce as much as we do!
I will never buy pasta sauce again. I am not a fan of red sauces-until now. This is delicious. I used 2 cans tomato sauce and tomatos from our garden. Amazing flavor!
★★★★★
Wow Mary – We’re flattered that this recipe changed your mind! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the sauce!
I am making this recipe now & am wondering at what part can I add meatballs to simmer. I usually simmer them for hours for added flavor but wasn’t sure with the cheese when to add them.
Hi Sharon, this is Jack. If it were me, I would put them in right after adding the tomatoes and let them simmer in the sauce for the entire cooking time. My assumption is that you are browning them first before adding.
Good luck!
Should i blend this with a hand blender? Chunks are still very prevalent. Thanks
Hi Nate – You can certainly use an immersion blender to make this into a smoother sauce if you’d like.
Love this recipe!!!!! We made a double batch today and froze it. Do u have a recipe for meatballs? Thanks again!
★★★★★
Hi Beth – We do! Here is the link: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/italian-style-meatballs/ – hope you enjoy these too!
No tomato paste?
Hi Justin – Nope! Not necessary unless you are using fresh tomatoes…then you might want to add some if needed to thicken the sauce a bit.
If using fresh tomatoes from the garden, how many pounds should I use? Thank you!
Hi Lynette – We actually have a fresh tomato version of this recipe written – but not yet posted. Here it is – enjoy!
Ingredients
4 pounds fresh plum or San Marzano tomatoes (try and get the San Marzano)
½ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 cup diced shallots
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
¾ cup fresh packed basil chopped and divided
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup freshly grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons butter
Method
Using a tomato shark or paring knife, remove the stem and core top from each tomato.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and have a large bowl standing by with ice water.
Once the water boils, drop in all of the tomatoes and as soon as the peels start to come off (30 seconds to a minute), remove to the ice bath with a spider or strainer.
Drain and place the tomatoes in a bowl. One at a time, pull skins off until all the tomatoes are skinned.
Place a small fine strainer over a large bowl.
Cut each tomato in half the long way. Pick up each half and scrape the seeds into the strainer letting the liquid drain into the bowl. After the seeds and any stems are removed to the strainer, place the flesh into the bowl under the strainer. Tear large pieces with your hands as you go. Repeat for all of the tomatoes.
With the back of a spoon, press and stir the seeds and stems around in the strainer to release any juice into the bowl and then discard the seeds and stems. Set prepared tomatoes aside, you should have 5 cups.
Leave burner off and in a 5 quart heavy bottomed pot, place oil, garlic, shallots and pepper flakes. Heat slowly to hot and stir and cook until the shallots are tender.
Add tomatoes, oregano, mint, ½ cup of the basil, sugar, salt and pepper.
Place a diffuser under the pot and bring the mixture to a bubble. Cover with lid slightly ajar and cook for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and using an emersion blender, blend slightly to combine but leave some pieces.
Add the remaining basil, Romano and butter and stir to combine.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
This is the best tomato sauce recipe I have found to date! I gave a jar of this sauce to my Italian neighbor after he shared his bounty of home grown tomatoes with me, and he raved about it. It’s one of the few times I daydreamed a dish for days after eating it. We grow our own garlic, basil, oregano, and mint, so this is a great way to show off our gardening prowess. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’m looking forward to trying more things on your website.
Wow Jenny – So glad you (and your neighbor) enjoy the sauce!
Your recipe sounds wonderful and it looked like the perfect way to use the mountain of San Marzano I have coming on. I was disappointed when it didn’t give equivalent amounts of fresh tomatoes to use, especially when it mentioned fresh tomatoes in the intro. Can you elaborate?
Hi Sondra – We actually have a fresh tomato version of this recipe written – but not yet posted. Here it is – enjoy!
Ingredients
4 pounds fresh plum or San Marzano tomatoes (try and get the San Marzano)
½ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 cup diced shallots
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
¾ cup fresh packed basil chopped and divided
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup freshly grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons butter
Method
Using a tomato shark or paring knife, remove the stem and core top from each tomato.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and have a large bowl standing by with ice water.
Once the water boils, drop in all of the tomatoes and as soon as the peels start to come off (30 seconds to a minute), remove to the ice bath with a spider or strainer.
Drain and place the tomatoes in a bowl. One at a time, pull skins off until all the tomatoes are skinned.
Place a small fine strainer over a large bowl.
Cut each tomato in half the long way. Pick up each half and scrape the seeds into the strainer letting the liquid drain into the bowl. After the seeds and any stems are removed to the strainer, place the flesh into the bowl under the strainer. Tear large pieces with your hands as you go. Repeat for all of the tomatoes.
With the back of a spoon, press and stir the seeds and stems around in the strainer to release any juice into the bowl and then discard the seeds and stems. Set prepared tomatoes aside, you should have 5 cups.
Leave burner off and in a 5 quart heavy bottomed pot, place oil, garlic, shallots and pepper flakes. Heat slowly to hot and stir and cook until the shallots are tender.
Add tomatoes, oregano, mint, ½ cup of the basil, sugar, salt and pepper.
Place a diffuser under the pot and bring the mixture to a bubble. Cover with lid slightly ajar and cook for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and using an emersion blender, blend slightly to combine but leave some pieces.
Add the remaining basil, Romano and butter and stir to combine.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
I have made many tomato sauces in my day. This recipe rates as the very best I think the slow sauté of the spices and the simmering of the sauce is the key! Many thanks for sharing a great recipe. I will make it many times.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoy the sauce Leasue!
No sugar – ever.
★★★
Thanks for your feedback Vincent!
Following your instructions And indulging in the results, It was As if I have spent as much time as your husband developing this recipe thank you very much
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed the sauce Carlos!
I made this recipe as a surprise for my wife, deviating slightly by sautéing the onions in the olive oil first and adding 1tbsp of plain tomato paste at the end, and everyone loved it. This recipe is so delicious I cooked eggs in it for my family the next morning. I’ll be looking at your other recipes soon.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed the sauce Mr F!
Fantastic. I hate when people review a recipe after having made a ton of changes to it, but I’ll admit I did add a little celery at the beginning with my onion. My Italian grandmother always did, and it felt wrong not to. I also didn’t have red pepper flakes so I used pimentón picante but in my experience the end flavor is the same. I made this with fresh picked tomatoes and they were still pretty chunky after 90 mins of cooking so I gave it a really quick mix with an immersion blender. Just a tad, and the consistency turned out great. I was really happy with this, definitely a keeper!!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe Helen!
I’m making this sauce tonight for the second time in a week and I love it! Only thing I didn’t have was red pepper flakes and forgot to get some today. Will grab some for next time. Would tomato paste help the sauce stick to the pasta a little better? Although to be honest, after adding meat to this at the end I’d be content eating the sauce alone with some garlic bread!
★★★★★
Hi Mike, this is Jack. Appreciate the kind words. I find that the best way to get the sauce to stick to the pasta is to slightly undercook the pasta, add it to the hot sauce and finish cooking the last minute or two in the sauce. Adding tomato paste will certainly make it stick better but will make the sauce too thick unless you add a little pasta water when you add the pasta to the sauce.
Good luck,
Jack
My family and I enjoyed this recipe a lot. We licked our plates clean at the end. Thank you all the way from India!
★★★★★
You’re very welcome! Glad you enjoyed the sauce!
Made this last night and it’s fantastic. First time making sauce from scratch and I’ve added this to my repertoire. Served it with meatballs over spaghetti….so good. The simmer took a little longer than the recipe called for but no biggie. Just make sure your sauce looks right. Let it cool a bit before serving
★★★★★
Thank you so much Stephen – so glad the recipe was a success!
Fabulous ! I made this sauce today from my garden tomatoes. It’s perfect! I was able to can a quart of this and have enough to enjoy with our dinner.
Thank you for generously sharing!
★★★★★
You’re welcome Pam – glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi Martha,
I’ve been looking for a good homemade tomato sauce. I’ve found yours today and will try it tomorrow. Can I use my slow cooker instead of cooking over the stove top? Have you ever try that? Thank you.
Hi Angie – A slow cooker won’t allow the sauce to reduce as it simmers which helps intensify the flavor. We don’t recommend it for our recipe. Sorry.
Can I use fresh blanched tomatoes 🍅
Yes you can – depending on the variety of tomatoes, you may need to simmer for longer and/or add some tomato paste to thicken the sauce.
I messaged my 100% Italian girlfriend from New York for my first homemade red sauce recipe. She texted me about 40 messages in a row to contain her excitement and sprinkle in the recipe. Long story short I stumbled upon this one and compared it to hers which were essentially identical. My husband and I have made this twice now, once as a plain red sauce the second as a Sunday gravy and we are hooked. I think this Texas couple has found their inner Italian. We have used Censo tomatoes both times and the flavor honestly just doesn’t compare!
★★★★★
Thanks Emily! So glad you are enjoying the sauce recipe as much as we do!
Can I leave out the butter and cheese to make it dairy free, or do you have an ingredient replacement suggestion for dairy free?
Hi Audrey – You can leave it out to make this dairy free. Alternately, you might like our Marinara Sauce too: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/marinara-sauce/
This was delicious. I spent some time looking for sauces to go with a meatball recipe I have. This was perfect. This will be my go to red sauce from now on. I have never used a diffuser before, but I will definitely use it again.
So glad you enjoyed the sauce Laurie!
I love spaghetti sauce. I always have it on hand as my mother did. My grandparents were from southern Italy and Sicily. When I shut my eyes I can see my grandmothers kitchen and smell her sauce. Italian sauce is a very personal thing to anyone who makes it. Its how their mom made it or their grandmother or great aunt Rosa. You can never mess with anyone’s sauce. My family always made our sauce with cinnamon and fennel. I am going to give your sauce with a little of the La Grua flair. I am sure its going to be terrific, the next day
Hi Sharyn – You are absolutely correct – family recipes, no matter how they are made, are the best in anyone’s eyes!!
Cinnamon and fennel sounds interesting and delicious – we have a Greek Giouvetsi recipe on our site that has a tomato sauce with cinnamon seasoning. I wonder if there were some Greek influences from your relatives in Southern Italy and Sicily? (Always fun to explore family heritage!) Hope you enjoy the sauce!
Would love to learn more authentic italian recipes
Hi Jazz – You can browse our Italian recipes here: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/tag/italian/ Enjoy!
I’m going to use this recipe tonight for chicken parmesan as a welcome home dinner for my boyfriend. I was wondering if you think it would be okay to bake the sauce with the chicken after I cook the sauce? Or do you think I should skip that part altogether and bake the chicken by itself?
Hi Jessica – You can definitely use this sauce recipe in another recipe requiring that the sauce be baked – no problem to do so. We have a Chicken Parm recipe here that uses this sauce (FYI!) https://www.afamilyfeast.com/chicken-parmesan/
I have finally found my sauce recipe!! I make this in the morning so by the evening it is almost as good as it is the next day.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoy the sauce Janine!
Hi martha
This is mahavir from India.I am in restaurant business for 6 years and we only serve pure veg indian food.
recently opened a cafe where we serve pizza ,burgers,pasta,coffee
Am not getting a proper authentic receipe for pizza sauce
If possible please help me with the following
1.receipe for tomato sauce
2.receipe for pizza sauce
Hi Mahavir – We have both kinds of recipes on our site – you’ve commented here on our Italian Tomato Sauce recipe post so you should be able to print the recipe from there, and we have two pizza sauce recipes – a No-Cook Pizza Sauce and a Roasted Tomato Pizza Sauce. https://www.afamilyfeast.com/roasted-tomato-pizza-sauce/ or https://www.afamilyfeast.com/easy-no-cook-pizza-sauce/. I’d encourage you to tweak the recipes as needed to make them your own, and to suit your customers tastes! (You can also use the search bar on our site to search for any other recipes.) Hope that helps
I love this sauce. I would have never thought to use a rack between the pot and the burner. It worked perfect! Thank you for that tips… also your meatballs are the bomb!
★★★★★
Thanks Patti!
Can you can this sauce and have it for later?
Hi Patti – We typically freeze it in zipper seal bags rather than canning it…there are special rules for canning high acid foods such as tomatoes and tomato sauce so to be safe, unless you are 100% familiar with doing so, I’d suggest freezing it instead.
I’ve tried a lot of tomato sauce recipes and this is my favorite. My wife, who is Italian, says it’s one of the best sauces she’s ever had. I use Cento San Marzano peeled tomatoes. Since our stove has a ceramic top, I can’t use the heat deflector, but I watch it carefully and stir often to prevent it from burning. The recipe says to cook partially covered, but we like a thick sauce, so I leave the cover off, otherwise we would need to simmer it an extra half hour. Great recipe……thank you for sharing!!!
★★★★★
Thank you Tom! (And your wife too!)
Hi Martha and Jack! I hope you and your family are well and staying safe from this awful time in our country. I do make this sauce almost to the letter except for the mint leaves. When I buy a wedge of parmesan , I do grate but safe the rind on the cheese and throw in the pot for extra flavor but it is removed. By the way… I made my marianara last night and you are so right! Sauce is always better the next day. Take care . PS. You know I am the “garlic queen” . I add a tad more. LOL.
★★★★★
Hi Doris (aka Garlic Queen) 🙂 – Hope you are staying safe too! You might like the mint – it complements the flavor of the basil but you wouldn’t necessarily know that mint is in the sauce. And of course, you can add as much garlic as you’d like! 😉 Take care, Martha
Mint!?! That’s a first. I’ll definitely have to try this in a few months when my herb garden is overrun with it. Noted and bookmarked. 🙂
Hope you’ll give it a try Melanie – it enhances the flavor of the basil, but you won’t necessarily know that there is mint in the sauce!
I rated this recipe five stars even though I haven’t tired as yet but plan to this week. My question /comment is, have you ever thought of publishing a cookbook? I don’t think there is a recipe you have posted that I haven’t printed and/or tried. I know I would be first in line to purchase as I’m sure many would also. You do give me a smile whenever you post a Polish recipe as I am half Polish and like to make some of the meals for my children that I grew up eating. Thank you! Tonight is porcupine meatballs! Stay safe!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Linda! We’ve talked about it and have a few ideas for topics – so maybe someday! 🙂
We hope you enjoy the meatballs and I hope you and your stay safe too.
Martha
Love this sauce this is the only recipe I use now that I’ve found it Any idea what the Ca b count might possibly be?
★★★★★
Hi Joe – I just added the nutritional information to the bottom of the recipe card. (We’re slowly adding it to all of our recipes, but it takes time as it’s a manual process.) Half a cup of sauce has 5.5 g of carbs.
I don’t hv a heat diffuser? What else can i do?
Hi Meghan – I’d suggest taking extra care to keep the heat low under your pot as the sauce simmers, and stir frequently to avoid scorching.
Can you use a crockpot to simmer this sauce for a couple hours instead of stovetop?
You can if you’d like, but since a slow cooker is enclosed and cooks the food with steam, you may not get the same reduction/thickening of the sauce or the same development of flavors that you would if it were cooked in a pot on the stove.
Can I put this in a crockpot to simmer on high for 4 hours or until it’s at the thickness I likeThe reason I gave it a four is because I haven’t made it yet
★★
Hi Mary Jo – You can if you’d like, but since a slow cooker is enclosed and cooks the food with steam, you may not get the same reduction/thickening of the sauce or the same development of flavors that you would if it were cooked in a pot on the stove. (BTW – you gave us a 2!)
Luckily this recipe worked with the produce on hand. Fresh tomatoes, the only powder I have is garlic. My dry herbs stretched to oregano, parsley and basil. I’m really bad at quantities. IAC cooking for a really long time was key to a delicious marinara sauce with pasta and cheddar cheese. Yum!
★★★★★
Thanks Carol! So glad you enjoyed the sauce!
I am cooking my sauce right now, about midway, and had to take a small taste. This is my new go to pasta sauce! Thank you so much for this recipe!
★★★★★
You’re very welcome Steve – glad you like it!
Made it last night- so great. The mint just keeps it bright without tasting minty. The cheese and butter make it richer without making it heavy. Thanks for a great recipe. Adding sausages tonight —-or maybe just serving with bread!!
You’re very welcome Lisa! So glad you enjoy the sauce as much as we do!
no real Italian would put oregano and mint in sauce. this is american style. sorry
Thanks for your feedback Mary!
haven’t tried this yet, but do have a question: when yous ay to ad mint? there are several types of mint. which one?
Hi Suzi – The variety of mint that is most often sold at stores in the herb section for cooking is spearmint – that’s what we used.
Hello!
Thank you for your recipe, it looks very good and I want to try it out! My question is; can I make this with fresh tomatoes? Or do they have to be canned?
Belgian greetings,
Sofia
Hi Sofia! Yes – you can use fresh garden tomatoes. Depending on the variety, you might need to simmer the sauce for longer (if they yield a lot of water) and you could add some tomato paste as well if you feel the sauce needs a bit more depth of flavor.
I made this a couple of weeks and and I’m making it again today with maybe the last tomatoes of the season … and I’m freezing it.
Thanks a lot for a fantastic way to preserve tomatoes… my teenager can’t get enough of it😊
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So glad you enjoy the sauce as much as we do Kavita!
Can I use fresh garden tomatoes? If so, how do you recommend I alter the recipe?
Hi Terry – Yes – you can use fresh garden tomatoes. Depending on the variety, you might need to simmer the sauce for longer (if they yield a lot of water) and you could add some tomato paste as well if you feel the sauce needs a bit more depth of flavor.
I have had a favorite “spaghetti recipe “ I have used for years now. I made this tonight with a couple tweaks (I added a teaspoon of liquid smoke and a teaspoon of worchestshire sauce) this was amazing. It may become our new family favorite. Oh, I also added a can of tomato paste to thicken it up a bit.
Great flavor, and great consistency,. It was delicious.
Thanks for sharing
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You are very welcome Wenzel!
Great article, been cooking Sunday Gravy the way here for 35 years. My family loves it, we only eat it once on Sunday.
Thanks Scott
Hello,
Can it be made without a diffuser?
Yes – Just make sure that you stir the sauce frequently to avoid any burning and also avoid a super high cooking temp. Enjoy!
Hi I made the tomato jam. It was good, but now people are burned out on it. What do I do with the jars that are canned and no one is eating it? I don’t want to throw it away, but I don’t want to store it anymore either. Any recipes that could be made with it like tomato sauce, ketsup or salsa? Please advise. Thanks so much.
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Hi Barbara – We sometimes use tomato jam in meatloaf – either mixed in with the beef or as a glaze on top. We also spoon it over softened cream cheese and eat it as an appetizer with crackers. And we use it pretty much the same was as we use ketchup – on burgers, sandwiches, etc. We haven’t tried making a sauce or salsa with it ourselves, but maybe you could do so. Properly canned jam will keep for at least a year but if you don’t want to keep the jars, perhaps you can donate them or offer them to a broader group of friends/family? Hope that helps.
This recipe looks fantastic! I plan on canning about 12 quarts tomorrow, however, I have a question…is it safe for me to can this sauce with fresh parmigiana, butter, & fresh herbs? I’ve read articles that state not to can with cheese or butter. Just need a little advice on this. Thank you!
Hi George – We speak to this in the paragraph at the end of the post…we typically freeze this sauce ourselves. You are correct in needing to make sure that the acidity level of the sauce (or any food you to cook) is safe for canning including recipes with additional ingredients such as cheese, butter and fresh herbs. Since we aren’t canning experts, I’d like to point you to the Ball Canning website here: https://www.freshpreserving.com/home Hope that helps – and we hope you enjoy the sauce!
Hello this is my 1st time making this sauce and it won’t be this sauce s alll Above DELICIOUS … so easy to make ,that being noted , I did not have a diffuser and I have a gas stove so what I did is , I made a ring out of tinfoil big enough to hold the pot and then set a metal cake pan over top making sure that there is a gap between the stove and flame So the flame doesn’t go out, it WORKED OUT PERFECTLY , but since I didn’t have a diffuser I will be ordering a diffuser from Amazon For next time
DELICIOUS
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Great idea Sean! Glad you enjoyed the sauce!
Hope this comes up in the right place, if not may e tge owner of the page can help direct my response to the rigbt person. (I clicked reply but nothing happened so I scrolled back here.. regarding Elissa on July 13, 2013
I realize im saying this 6 years after tbe question was asked, and while sauce can of course be made with fresh organic tomatoes-and its delicious-it is a whole lot more work!
If you can find an italian specialty store, they often have imported jars of whole peeled tomatoes! They save you tons of time and energy, and are tastier and healthier than canned ones.
Im sure by now youve foubd a good way to make sauce with fresh tomatoes but Im hopeful youll be able to see my response and save yourself a bit of elbow grease and a few hours every now and again!
Thanks Jaclyn – I don’t know if Elysse subscribed to follow-up comments but hopefully she will see your response!
A lovely sauce! I used a blend of heirloom tomatoes from our garden and quadrupled the recipe. I preserved with a water bath canner (5 full quarts and a little left for immediate use). I added organic sunflower lethicin to keep the oil from separating. Delicious spice blend. Thank you for sharing!
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So glad you enjoyed the sauce Susan!
Can this be canned
Kristin – We freeze it ourselves. If you want to can, you’ll need to take extra precautions since it is a high acid food – please visit the link in the post (Ball Fresh Preserving’s website) for information.
You had me until you said sugar as one of the ingredients, why would you ruin a good can of Sonia Manzano tomatoes no sugar just need it!
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback Michael!
This recipe was perfect, SO delicious and even better the next day. I did not have mint so I brewed some mint tea and used that as a water dilution when the sauce thickened too much as it reduced over 90 minutes. The cheese at the end really added an x-factor and the butter really mellowed the acidity. I think about 1/2 a tablespoon of butter may have been a little better since I used it for a recipe that also included a lot of cheese as a layer above.below the sauce. 5 stars!! My boyfriend whose birthday it was had tears in his eyes when he told me it was a perfect dinner and reminded him of his childhood. <3
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Oh wow – now you’re bringing tears to our eyes Laura! 🙂 So glad you both enjoyed the recipe!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made it for my family tonight and they all loved it. My pickiest eater actually had thirds. This will definitely be a staple in our home, no more store bought jar sauce for us. I love knowing exactly what went into the sauce. As a side note, I also added 1 tsp fresh thyme. Yummy!
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So glad the recipe was a hit Nikole! (I agree – it’s nice knowing exactly what is inside…)
I make this all the time, but I use it for my lasagna. I have tried marinara sauces but nothing is better than using this. My family loves it and we will never use anything else for our lasagna!! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
You’re welcome Amelia – so glad you are enjoying the sauce!
Sounds delicious. Will be trying shortly.
We hope you enjoy the sauce as much as we do Cheryl!
I make this sauce all the time. So good. Have you added pork neck bones to this recipe? If so, do you brown pork then add the remaining ingredients? Would love your input!
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Hi Angela! We actually have a Sunday Gravy recipe too which includes pork spareribs (as well as other meats) – it’s similar to this sauce and you might find that recipe helpful. https://www.afamilyfeast.com/sunday-gravy/ (But short answer is yes, you would brown the pork first and remove it to a platter while you start cooking the sauce. Then add the pork bones (and any juices) back to the sauce for the simmering step. Hope that helps!)
Your sauce is similar to the one I make. I start by trying Italian sausage in my pot. Once these brown I take them out and add chopped onion and garlic with some fresh basil and parsley. Then I add my sausage and fresh tomatoes.
I let it simmer for a couple hours then add fresh grated Romano my sauce.
I also add my homemade meatballs after frying the a bit and finish cooking them in the sauce. I then add more basil and a pinch of hot pepper flakes. Simmer it until thickened and meatballs are cooked through.
Sounds delicious Chantal!
How do you cook the sauce without a heat- diffuser?
Hi Thomas – Without the diffuser, just be sure to keep the flame/temperature low under the pot and stir your sauce frequently to avoid any scorching or burning. We hope you enjoy the sauce.
It sounds wonderful, but never heard of adding butter, well we’ll see !
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Hope you like the sauce Rosalie!
Was looking for a nice home made sauce and gave this one a crack this evening. It was absolutely beautiful and even though I only simmered for about 45mins (so to not eat too late), the sauce was silky and flavoursome. It’s on my recipe list to make a big batch next.
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Thank you Paul! So glad you enjoyed the sauce as much as we do!
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Made this tonight. Probably the best sauce I’ve ever made. Very rich and flavorful. Thank you!
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You’re very welcome – so glad you enjoyed the sauce as much as we do!
This is fantastic. I’ve made it twice but I add a 28 oz. Can of crushed tomatoes as well…it is so yummy I will never need another recipe.!!
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Thanks Tina!
Is this Italian Tomato Sauce ok to make Lasagna? I would add ground beef and ground Italian Sausage to it.
Hi Tom – Absolutely! You might enjoy our classic lasagna recipe (which is made with this sauce) https://www.afamilyfeast.com/classic-lasagna/
I followed this recipe exactly, with the exception of allowing it to simmer on low for several hours. While my back was turned, my very fickle foodie boyfriend dipped his finger into the sauce “do not touch that sauce, it’s perfect!”
And I agree, it’s wonderful! Thank you!
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You’re welcome Tia! 🙂 Simmering it longer will intensify the flavors – so you might like it that way too!
Hi Martha! I tried this sauce and absolutely love it! Question.. when you say crushed garlic do you mean smashed with a knife or in a garlic press? Thank you Joanie
Hi Joanie – Smashed with a knife!
This is my favourite tomato sauce and I have cooked a lot of them. It definitely tasted better after 24 hours in the fridge. Just divine. Thank you for this recipe. I am about to cook a huge batch and freeze. I would like to can a batch but have decided not to because of your safety concerns.
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Thank you Lynne! We freeze this sauce all of the time and it defrosts wonderfully!
Good Morning! I was just looking around to solve a problem, and wanted to let you know, if you make your sauce in a slow cooker, it comes out a lot better. Trick is to lightly brown your vege’s in another a skillet or pan first while you put your tomatoes and do exactly what you suggested, scrunch them up by hand or use a potato masher!
I ran into a problem yesterday, making 3 cans of a different brand of San Marzano tomatoes, which, so far has made the best sauce if you can’t find locally grown Beefsteak tomatoes. The problem is, that the sauce came out quite astringent for my taste. Is sugar the only way to balance it?
Hi Dick, this is Jack.
My grandmother used to cook tomato sauce on the stove for hours and hours which would give the same deep flavor as a slow cooker, however I think it changes the sauce to the point where you no longer taste the fresh taste of the tomatoes. This is totally a personal preference, both methods work. To cut the acidity, I have occasionally used baking soda to calm down an acidy brand of tomatoes. Start with a miniscule amount and keep tasting until the acidity level is perfect for your taste. We took a long time testing many, many different brands of canned San Marzano tomatoes and Cento has always stood out for us, but again, personal preference.
Good luck,
Jack
Hi. I’m excited to try this recipe to use and store for years to come. Just one question about the tomatoes. Before you crush the tomatoes, do you need to drain the juice before then crush or can I throw all in a bowl, crush, and toss all into pot?
Hi Kevin – You can use all of the juices in your sauce!
Do you drain the whole tomatoes???
Hi Kristine – No – you don’t need to drain the tomatoes – just add the juices/liquid to the sauce.
Only changes I made we’re to double the garlic cloves and I added half a green pepper. Beat tomatoe sauce I’ve ever made!!!! Taste just like grandma’s.
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Glad you enjoyed it Danielle!
Hi there, how much does this recipe yield?
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Hi Alex – About 1 1/2 quarts
At what point do you add the sugar?
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Hi Renee – See step 2
Wife and I both loved this sauce. Cooked it without the mint because we didn’t have any, still delicious. Thank you.
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You’re welcome John – so glad you enjoyed the sauce as much as we do!
I will be trying to Sauce tonight with some homemade stuffed garlic bread sticks. I hope it turns out well if so I will leave a comment later either way. I am also trying this with fresh tomatoes instead of canned ones.
Hope you enjoy the sauce Mimi – fresh or canned will work well in this recipe.
I’m cooking this sauce as I type. My house smells heavenly. A little taste test makes me know when it’s done it will be awesome! Another good way to make a diffuser is to use the canning ring lids. It works great!
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Great idea Theresa!
All of the ingredients were perfectly balanced and will stated for these items
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Thank you Joan!
I would like to make this recipe but with fresh picked cherry tomatoes. I have an abundance of ripe cherry tomatoes. What modifications would I need to make? It seems like peeling the cherry tomatoes would not be practical.
Also, I do not have a heat diffuser. My stove is a glass top electric. Any suggestions? I just saw other comments on this. Think I will use a cooling rack over the burner.
Hi Mike – Agree – peeling cherry tomatoes would be very time intensive! I’d suggest cooking the tomatoes then straining the mixture in a cone-shaped chinois (here’s a link to one on Amazon that is similar to one that we have: https://amzn.to/2q4KIxD ) – a wooden pestle like this (https://amzn.to/2yGFonS) would allow you to press the tomato pulp through the strainer while leaving the skins behind. (Other strainers will also work, but chinois is meant for situations like this.) The diffuser is suggested to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot – alternately, you can just make sure you keep the cooking temp low and stirring the pot often. Hope that helps!
I would like to use this recipe as a base for my spaghetti sauce. Would you suggest cooking this first and then adding the other ingredients to be cooked longer- or would you suggest throwing everything in to cook together?
Depends on what ingredients you are adding. My family used to make a sauce on Sundays that they added meat to like pork ribs and bone in beef chuck. They would sear the meat first then cook in the sauce until tender. So if that is the case, start the meat early and add it to the sauce before the sauce cooks. The longer you cook a tomato sauce, the deeper the flavor BUT the more of the true fresh tomato taste is lost. If you are adding ground beef or ground pork, I would cook that and add to the sauce about 30 minutes prior to the completion time. If you are adding vegetables like sautéed Green bell peppers and onions, I would again cook separate then add close to the end of the sauce cook time. If you are trying to make large batches of the sauce to use for different purposes, I would make it but remove it from heat before cooking for the 90 minutes. Zip bag it and freeze it that way. Then when you need it, pull it from freezer and thaw then use as needed as described above.
Hope this helps,
Jack
This is the best sauce I have ever tasted. Adding a piece of pork roast while cooking really adds to the flavor but even without it is wonderful. Freezing in zip lock bags is a Great way to have fresh sauce handy all the time. Thanks for this great recipe.
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You’re very welcome Carol – so glad you enjoyed the sauce as much as we do!
Hi – I made this sauce and your Italian Meatballs today as written and just wanted to let you know that both are amazing!
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Thank you so much Andrew! So glad you enjoyed the recipes.
Wow, what a cache of recipes for a newly wed. I printed out all of them. I will include a copy of each one for every bridal shower I attend. Thanks so very much.
Thank you!
Hi Martha, a friend gave me a freezer bag full of tomatoes from her garden ( last years ) and I would like to use them up. Can you tell me how I can make a tomato sauce or soup with them? Once they are thawed out, can I use your recipe? I don’t want to waste them.
Hi Patricia – You can absolutely use them – in this sauce recipe (you’ll probably want to start with 3-4 pounds of fresh tomatoes), or we have a great tomato jam recipe (https://www.afamilyfeast.com/tomato-jam/ – which is what we make with a lot of our own garden tomatoes that we freeze) or our Tomato Soup recipe (https://www.afamilyfeast.com/tomato-soup/). I’m not sure what kind of tomatoes she gave you, but chances are you will need to remove the peel and seeds before cooking with them – all you’ll really want for your recipe is the tomato pulp. We’d suggest thawing them in a strainer – if they are whole, cut them in half – so that the excess liquids drains out. Once thawed you might be able to remove the skins by hand as well as the seeds, or you could put the tomatoes through a food mill which will push the pulp through holes, leaving the skins and seeds behind. Once thing to note – if the tomatoes are at all freezer burned, the flavor won’t be as good. I hope that helps! Martha
I made one of your tomato sauces a little while back and it was the best. Tasted just like the popular Italian Restaurant in my town – which is a big deal! So good – will have to try this one, too.
We hope you love this sauce too Becki!
Hi Martha… This is the recipe that will get me back in the kitchen after a difficult battle with shingles. I have missed cooking most of all….have saved several of your recipes for getting back on track. Today, I made my first batch of pesto for freezing. My DH planted my herb garden to cheer me up and it’s producing so much basil.
I hope you are having cooler weather than we are, so humid and hot in Mid South.
Thanks for the inspiration!!!
Linda
Hi Linda! I’m so sorry to hear about your recent bout of shingles. My brother-in-law had shingles a few summers ago and it was so painful! I hope you’ve turned the corner for good! Our sauce is a great way to use up some of that fresh basil from your garden. We’ve had a very cool June up until this week (so our garden basil isn’t producing very much yet at all) – and this week it’s hazy, hot and humid. I don’t mind it after such a cool and rainy last few months – but ask me again in a few weeks. 🙂 (I’m sure I’ll be wishing for cooler days again…) So nice to hear from you today and I hope you are feeling 100% better very soon. Martha
Hi, I want to try this sauce recipe … Am I able to use a Crock pot? If so how long do I leave it for?
Hi Alicia – I wouldn’t recommend it – the liquids in this sauce need to reduce a bit as it simmers on the stove (which helps give it rich, delicious flavor). A slow cooker lid will trap the moisture and it won’t reduce – I think the sauce will end up watery.
What if you don’t have a heat diffuser?
Hi Alicia – Just be sure to keep your heat under the pot at a low simmer and stir the sauce so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom.
Thank you. Also for how long?
Hi Alicia – Your cook time will be the same as written in the recipe – about 90 minutes
I would like to try this recipe in my instant pot…how would I convert this recipe for a pressure cooker?
Hi – We haven’t tried making this sauce in the Instant Pot ourselves (nor are we Instant Pot experts) so I’m super reluctant to even guess at how you would go about adapting it. Maybe you could start with a recipe like this: http://www.instantlydelicious.com/blog/basic-homemade-pasta-sauce – the adjust the herbs and other seasonings to match our recipe? Hope that helps!
I did not use the heat diffuser just had it a very slow simmer and stirred it often.
Thanks for the additional comment Cindy – as long as you stir the sauce frequently and simmer over very low heat, the diffuser isn’t necessary
Made a big batch of this sauce today
Had some on pasta tonight for dinner and froze the rest. I did add some chopped carrots and celery. I also see a can of tomatoe paste. I let It simmer about 3 hours.. It was
Very good. Going to use it again on pasta in lasagna and for pizza.
Thanks Cindy! We’re glad you enjoyed the sauce!
Hello – Love all your great recipes! On the Italian Tomato Sauce, if I wanted to make a double batch of this sauce, would I double all of the ingredients?
Thanks Cheryl! Yes – just double the ingredients. Also – if you are making a double batch all in one pot, be sure to stir it regularly so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom as the sauce reduces. Hope you love the recipe!
Hi again we never add sugar to our sauce . some grated carrot added to oil with dry herbs will take its place … also the tomato paste is usually sweet so are canned Italian tomato San Marzano taste them , sometimes a cheap brand of Italian style tomato will be acidic in that case a sprinkle of baking soda on top will eliminate it enjoy !
Hi Joseph – Thank you for sharing all of your great tips! Your Mom’s recipe sounds delicious! Happy New Year to you too!
hello, my tip from my mon me 74years old ,she would heat olive oil med heat dry herbs need to release their oils .they go in first ,then tomato paste stir to break it down and combine wit oil, garlic next fresh only ,then tomatos crushed by hand . WE would add some pork and or beef neck bones that have been browned in oven wit da meat balls ,and as a treat farmers ribs bone in , hey do ya know why oil is put in pasta water, So it doesn’t boil over …A large deep pot is also a god idea.nice site have a blessed New Year !!!!
Hello Martha & Jack, We absolutely love this recipe! I have made this 5 times in the past few weeks. We had so many Italian Red Pear Tomatoes from the garden, I chopped them up and followed the recipe. I put one grate on top of the other, great idea I read in the comments here. Love the butter, makes it so rich. Thank you so much, so glad I found your recipe here!
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We’re glad you found us too Gabriella – so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for taking the time to write to us today!
I tried the lasagna & your sauce recipe and it was great
The whole family loved it for Sunday Dinner. Good quality
Ingredients like Ricotta,fresh mozzarella & fresh Basil makes a difference & extra delicious. Thank you I have to try making The meatballs.
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipes – and we hope you love the meatballs too!
What is a heat difuser? I have an electric stove with a glass top. What could I use? Don’t want to mar surface of stove. Could this be cooked in a crock pot?
Hi Judy – It looks like you could use a heat diffuser made for induction cooktops on a glass cooktop. (Like this one on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jz3pDW) – it has a smooth surface and it is meant to prevent the direct heat from a burner from burning the sauce. We’ve only made the sauce as written – you probably could make this in a slow cooker but the timing will be much longer. Hope that helps!
I use your recipe regularly for any and all pasta dishes and it is a family favorite for sure. I am working on a post for my blog with my lasagna recipe, would it be okay to link to your blog for the sauce? Let me know.
Mimi
thisdomesticateddiva.com
Sure Mimi – no problem!
I made this last night, and it was absolutely delicious. This will be my go to recipe from now on!
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed the sauce!
I have seen it posted so many times but have to ask. What brand of olive oil do you use? Many cooks say use a “good brand” but don’t say which brand they think is good. Just curious. Thanks!!!
Hi Ellen! Great question! You might be surprised to learn that we buy the Kirkland brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Costco – it is from Italy, and it’s the one that is sold in the 1-liter bottles, usually starting around this time of the year when the Fall harvest is imported to the US. (We stock up on it because it does sell out!) Costco also sells a Greek olive oil and an organic olive oil under the Kirkland brand but we don’t care for those – just the Italian.) It has a great, peppery taste and it really is one of our favorites. As an alternative, we also sometimes buy the Lucini brand EVOO – and that is sold in supermarkets. Hope that helps!
It’s early on a Sunday morning, and I’m ready to make this sauce again. Just wanted to let you know it’s become my go-to recipe. I love the addition of mint. Today I’ve finally printed it off, so if the unthinkable happens and the power goes out, I’ll still have the sauce recipe.
Blessings!
So glad you are enjoying the recipe as much as we do Jane! Thanks for writing to us today!
Thanks for this! I don’t have time to prepare tomatoes from scratch, but starting with the canned tomatoes still makes it totally doable and super delicious!
Hello,
thank for your recipie. This really helped me in presenting a variety of foods. And of course I will try it.
Chef Herlan from Indonesia
You’re welcome Chef! Hope you enjoy the sauce!
Fantastico! This is an amazing recipe! A wonderful melding of flavors and it made my house smell like a Tuscan kitchen. I made this for the base sauce of the classic lasagna recipe on this site and can’t wait to use it for this recipe. But after tasting the sauce alone, I’m also flooded with many other ideas on how to use it!
Thank you Donna! So glad you enjoyed the sauce as much as we do! (And we hope you enjoy the lasagna too!) Have a great evening!
Hi, I haven’t made this yet but plan on tomorrow, what I would like to know is I have fresh tomatoes and not canned, how many should I use? I would also like to can these, have you done this before, and if so could you give me the amounts and canning times, if not no worries I can copy recipe and figure it out from another site, looks good. Thanks in advance Jackie
Hi Jackie – Yes – you can absolutely use fresh. You would use the equivalent weight of fresh as the canned in the recipe (so about 3-1/2 to 4 pounds of fresh) – but you will want to remove the skins from the tomatoes before adding them to the sauce. For canning – I’d suggest visiting this site: http://www.freshpreserving.com/getting-started (We actually freeze the sauce in plastic bags ourselves and then just thaw as we need it.)
I just made this sauce in preparation for making your lasagna. The sauce is really good. I did leave out the mint and I puréed it at the end with an immersion blender to breakup the tomatoes a little more and to thicken the sauce a little more.
We’re glad you like the sauce Cindi!
I found this recipe and made it for my boyfriend’s birthday dinner. Everyone loved it so much I have come back to make it again. It’s so great you will want to make more than one batch at a time! The directions were great and so easy to follow. I didn’t have a heat diffuser, so I used a little square cooling rack and it worked perfect. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
Thanks Alizia! So glad you all enjoyed the sauce! Thank you for taking the time to write to us today!
I just cooked your tomato sauce and it is the best-tasting sauce I have ever made!!! My whole kitchen smells wonderful. Not only is it tasty, but it is so easy! Wow!
Thank you so much Barb! We’re very glad you enjoyed the sauce as much as we do!
I am so excited to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing! How long will the sauce keep in the freezer?
Hi Jamie – If it’s stored in an air-tight container or bag – I’d say up 3-6 months depending on how reliable your freezer is. Hope that helps!
Thank you for the recipe! I will make it today.
If you add ground beef, would you brown it along with the garlic and onions or brown it separately and then add along with the tomatoes?
Hi Kathy – My husband Jack and I just talked over your question…our recommendation would be to brown the ground beef first – before you do anything – and drain most of the fat that renders from the beef (you can leave a few tablespoons of the drippings for flavor but since there is already a fair amount of olive oil in the sauce, you don’t want the beef to add too much fat to the sauce). Then follow the directions as written – and add the cooked beef with the tomatoes. Hope that helps! And we hope you enjoy the sauce!
Thank you Martha!
This was the best sauce I’ve ever made! I browned the ground beef first and then removed it and just about all the oil fromthe pan. Before browning it, I seasoned it with salt, pepper, oregano, basil and Italian seasoning. I only added the beef in the last 30 minutes.
It made a very thick, beefy sauce. A little too beefy for me so I will make another batch of sauce and combine them. I think that will make it just about perfect with plenty for the freezer.
Thank you for positing the recipe!
Kathy
So glad you enjoyed the sauce Kathy – and thanks for taking the time to write back to us about adding the ground beef!
I cannot thank you enough for this recipe. I have tried so many, but this is the absolute BEST ONE EVER!!!. Thank you so much. My search is over.
Wow Angie – Thank you! We’re so glad you like the sauce!
with a sharp knife, I cut the stem end off and only a very thin slice off of the opposite end of each of our home grown, water washed clean, Roma tomatoes, then place them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, to make it easier to remove the tom. skin, then, after removing the tom. skins, place the skinned tom. into the largest s.s. pot with: EVOO, sliced garlic, dried/or fresh Basil, and dried/or fresh leaves of mint. reduce the skinned tom. over low heat to a desired thickness, and then hot pack the sauce into clean, sterilized quart jars. note: add one tbl of white wine vinegar to each jar of tom. sauce, fill jar with reduced tom. sauce to within 1/2 inch of the jar rim this is our traditional Italian family way of making our kitchen/table sauce, partially developed over the years, with the help of our Grandma . hope you try and eat it with your favorite pasta. josef
.
Thank you!
different grandma’s tell different stories, ours would take the end of the year garlic, place the skinned garlic in a small chafing dish along with olive oil, a sprinkle of dried Oregano and then place the chafing dish inside of our old stove, and leave it until the olive oil would just start to bubble (low simmer ?). it is still a favorite part of an antipasta that is regularly requested and which we serve….different tastes ?? josef
Sounds good Josef. 🙂
I have always been told that if you heat garlic too fast in the oil…or get it too hot…it will turn bitter. At least that is what my italian grandmother told me when teaching me to cook. Just for your information.
Thanks Kitty! Your grandmother is absolutely correct!
This has become my all-time favorite tomato sauce! It turns out absolutely PERFECT every single time I make it. I typically make up a very large batch & share with relatives who rave about it. I also use it as a base for making enchilada sauce and marinara for pizza and breadsticks. The slow heat up method really does make a big difference too. I’ve opted to add bay leaves which adds a nice touch. My family and I absolutely LOVE IT! Thank you so much Martha & Jack for sharing this truly fabulous recipe!
Thank you – we’re glad you are enjoying the recipe!
Dear Martha and Jack,
First of all, thank you for taking the time to write down a recipe that took so long. I am often unwilling to give away my recipes, but I would rather make better cooks than keep them in the dark.
Anyway, my question to you two is this; other than water, what would you suggest to help thin this sauce out just a wee bit?
Thank you for your time,
Jon
Hi Jon – Thank YOU for your very nice comment! If you need to thin the sauce a bit after it is cooked, we’d recommend a mild white or red wine, or beef stock. But try adding as little as possible – wine or stock will definitely change the flavor profile of the sauce if you add too much! I hope that helps! Martha
I was this think about adding some sausage to this sauce ? What u guys think?
Absolutely Anna! Sausage would be delicious as well as meatballs, etc.
This is a recipe my Nonna would be proud of! The last time I made this I used your basic sauce pot on a flat top electric stove without a diffuser because I don’t have one. I’d like to cook this in my Dutch Oven and now have a coil electric stove. I saw above about using cans. Will that work with this kind of stove? Also do I flatten the can from top to bottom or just squeeze the heck out of it? Better yet can I not use them and not worry about burning it in a Dutch Oven?
Thanks Nikki! Even with the Dutch oven, we’d still recommend using a diffuser or crushed cans on your electric stove top to avoid any chance of sticking and burning. Just remove the top and bottom of the can and then flatten it sideways. Please let us know if you have any other questions! Martha
Very very good. Thank you!
Thanks Jeannette!
I am drooling over the picture, but I can’t find the recipe? Help! Thanks…cms
Please scroll down to the bottom Connie! Thanks!
I have been using Centro cherry tomatoes for other dishes, but NOT my Sunday meat sauce. They are much less expensive for the large can than the San Marzano tomatoes. Can I substitute these for sauce and what would be the difference in taste? They seem to be of very high quality and taste good. I love good sauce and believe the tomaotes are the key to it.
Hi Lois! San Marzanos are considered the ‘gold standard’ for a good sauce but I’m sure the cherry tomatoes will still result in something delicious! We haven’t made this recipe using the Cento cherry tomatoes so I can’t speak specifically to how it will taste. Please let us know how it comes out and thanks for visiting our site!
Thank you for your prompt reply. I am going to try it this Sunday and I will let you know. Because, as with the others on this site, it is the tomatoes that make the difference in the sauce. One only has to learn the hard way about THAT!!
Hi! I have made your sauce tonight for dinner and it was delicious! Just can’t figure out why it didn’t thicken up? Any suggestions? Thanks 🙂
Jenni
Hi Jenni! You could try adding some tomato paste and cooking it down longer. Hope that helps! Martha
Thanks for this recipe! After perusing the web for a LONG time I finally settled on this recipe and I am in the “simmering” stage right now. The house smells awesome. I am going to put a jar in the fridge to use after a couple of days, and the remainder is going to be canned for winter use (I tripled the recipe and used fresh garden tomatoes! Although I did add most of a can of San Marzano tomatoes as they were left over from another recipe earlier this week). I cannot wait to try it! Only change I made was to add a carrot and stalk of celery which I will remove after simmering. Have never added parmesan directly to the sauce, buy I think it is a great idea.
Leaving out the cigar ash…….
Thanks again!
We hope you enjoy the sauce Chris! Your garden tomatoes will be delicious for this sauce – we’ve been doing the same these last few weeks! (And agree…we can’t vouch for the cigar ash…LOL!) Thanks for writing to us! Martha
I have fond memories of Sunday mornings, my dad at the stove, a cigar dangling out of his mouth, as he made a large pot of sauce for the week. I’m eager to try Jack’s version and I will let you know whether or not butter and mint (two ingredients my dad never used) are a satisfactory substitute for the cigar ash- my dad’s secret ingredient!
Paul – you’ve made both Jack and me laugh this morning! We hope you enjoy the recipe! Thanks so much for stopping by! Martha
I’m trying to stay away from canned food, and your recipe sounds so delicious, is there a way I can make this with fresh organic tomatoes???
Yes! Fresh organic tomatoes can be used for this recipe!
I have tried several time to make sauce but have not been too successful. I can’t wait to try your recipe. Would love to be able to can our own sauce. Thanks so much for posting!
I hope you have good luck with this sauce Gen! Thanks for visiting our site!
Do be careful about the San Marzanos. If you want the real ones that come from the region around Naples, make sure you see the “DOP” designation on the label and the seal of the consortium. Not all Cento San Marzanos are DOP (in fact perhaps none of them are anymore)… they are merely San Marzanos that are grown somewhere in Italy, but not necessarily in the Neapolitan area which produces the genuine and protected tomatoes. For the real taste of Italy, make sure you are buying the genuine product. If this doesn’t matter to you, than a “whatever” San Marzano is just fine. I would say your garden grown home canned tomatoes would be miles better than a whatever Cento San Marzano! My compliments!
Thank you so much Bella!
I put my sauce in the oven at 325 degrees after it comes to a simmer on the stove. That way, you don’t have to worry about the bottom burning. If you spray the sides of the stock pan first, it will be much easier to clean. Will it burn around the top sides of the pan? Yep…but since it cooks down, it won’t impact the sauce with a burned flavor.
Thanks Allisynne! Great idea!
I want to make this recipe for a get-together with a bunch of friends, and one of my friends is vegan. Would omitting the cheese and butter ruin the flavor of the recipe? Is there something I could use to replace the omitted ingredients? Thank you!
Hi Wendy! The butter rounds out the flavors and the parmesan has a unique taste all its own…you can definitely make the sauce and omit the two. It won’t taste exactly the same but we think it will still be a good sauce! Unfortunately, I don’t have substitution suggests for you. Thanks for visiting our site!
Martha
Hi Martha and Jack, I am excited to try your sauce recipe, but I am a bit concerned about the mint. I have never heard of adding mint to sauce. Do you taste it much in the end?
Hi Chris! You can leave it out if you prefer but it actually adds a nice subtle flavor that complements the basil really well. It’s not a strong flavor in the sauce at all! Thanks for visiting our site!
Martha
I use a cooling rack rather than diffuser …I use it under the pot…works great have been doing it for years when I simmer or cook anything for a period of time
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Great idea Mary! Thanks for letting us know!
Will this sauce freeze well?
Hi Wendi! Yes – this sauce will freeze well. We’ve frozen it in a zipper seal bag or a plastic container and it freezes fine! Martha
Can you use fresh tomatoes?
Yes – you can use fresh plum tomatoes for this sauce. You would need to remove the skin first. Here’s how:
Bring some water to a boil; then cut an X in the bottom of each tomato before putting it into the boiling water. Leave in boiling water until the skin starts to peel (just a minute or so). With a slotted spoon, remove them to an ice water bath to cool quickly. Once cool enough to handle, remove to a sheet tray. Skin will peel right off. Pinch green stem and twist and pull. What is left will all be usable for the sauce. Plum tomatoes have few seeds so don’t worry about trying to seed them.
Hope that helps! Thanks for visiting our site! Martha
How many tomatoes should you use ?
Hi Talia – It depends on the size of your tomatoes – that’s why we suggest going by weight. Kitchen scales are inexpensive and a great tool to have in your kitchen.
I am eager to make this sauce as it is different from any in my collections of tomato sauces. I believe it will be our favorite! Hopefully I will be able to can some this summer! Homemade sauce is much healthier and tastier than those bought in a store.
Thanks Winnie! We hope you enjoy the sauce!
There is nothing like homemade sauce!! It sort of kills me to buy in when I know it’s easy to make. I love trying out new recipes! This will be pinned and tried for sure!
Thanks Tanya!
Is the heat diffuser absolutely needed? I don’t have one but want to make this sauce. 🙂
Hi Amanda! The heat diffuser isn’t absolutely necessary but it will help prevent the sauce from sticking and burning in the bottom of your pot. My husband suggests that you put a few crumpled pieces of aluminum foil over your stove burner and then put the pot on top of that. Or – be sure to stir the sauce frequently and use a very heavy-bottomed pan to avoid any burning while the sauce cooks. Hope that helps! Martha
Great thank you! I usually cook my sauces with a cast iron skillet so that should be heavy bottomed enough. Will still do the crumpled foil though, that’s a great idea. 🙂 Thanks!
Amanda – I just realized that I misunderstood my husband’s suggestion when I responded to your question this morning!! You can use crushed aluminum cans (NOT foil – foil won’t be sturdy enough) – what Jack used to do before he had the diffuser was peel the paper label off a can, and remove both ends, then crush the can and use that under his pots. So sorry for the confusion – next time I will let him respond! Thanks again for visiting our site!
Martha
I have a gas stove…I just grab one of the grates off another burner and use that.
Great idea Florence!