This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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 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
- 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. 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.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
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.
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