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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, Sunday Gravy, Marinara Sauce and other kinds of sauces?
- 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.
- We also have recipes for Bolognese (a meat sauce that is cooked low and slow with milk), a more traditional Italian Meat Sauce (made with ground beef and Italian sausage), and finally an Italian Meat Ragu (made with shredded beef and other ingredients).
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
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Italian Tomato Sauce
An authentic and delicious Italian Tomato Sauce that has been passed down through generations.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 4 crushed garlic cloves
- 3/4 cup chopped onion (optional)
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano, divided, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, divided, or 1/2 tablespoon dried
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped mint, divided
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 28–ounce cans of whole tomatoes or two quarts of freshly canned garden tomatoes
- 1/4 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. (See Notes below.) 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.
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Notes
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.
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.
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.
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!