tomato sauce

Tomato sauce made from scratch in under 30 minutes, with real texture from canned tomatoes and a simmer trick that tastes like all-day cooking.

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Total Time 31

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Calories: 110

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

tomato sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
800 grams canned whole tomatoes or 2 cans, use your hands to crush
1 teaspoon salt
0.5 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
0.5 teaspoon sugar
0.25 cup fresh basil chopped

Method

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chopped onion and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring once in a while, until translucent but not browned.
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute. If it starts to color, lower the heat immediately – burnt garlic ruins the sauce.
Pour in the canned tomatoes (use your hands to crush them right into the pan for a chunkier sauce). Add salt, pepper, dried oregano, and sugar. Give everything a good stir, then bring to a gentle simmer.
Let the sauce bubble uncovered for 18–20 minutes. Stir a couple of times. (If it starts sputtering, pop a wooden spoon across the top of the pot, halfway covering it – this helps contain splatters without steaming the sauce.)
Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the fresh basil. Taste; if it needs a kick, add another pinch of salt. If too tangy, a splash more sugar. I always do a final taste-test right over the pot before I call it done.

Notes

I started making this tomato sauce when I was short on time but wanted something better than jarred. It’s quick, but it tastes like you simmered all afternoon.

How to get real flavor in less time

The big trick? Crush canned whole tomatoes by hand instead of using pre-chopped or passata. The texture is chunkier and it gets that “cooked down” feel so much faster. I let the onions go soft (not golden!) and add garlic right before the tomatoes so it doesn’t get bitter. One extra move: toss the basil in after turning off the heat so it stays bright.

If your sauce starts to sputter when simmering, I set a wooden spoon across the top of the pot. It lets steam out but cuts down mess—a little thing, but if you have white walls, it saves cleaning later.

Swaps and add-ins

You can use crushed canned tomatoes if whole isn’t available, but skip pre-seasoned or “Italian” blends—they can be weirdly sweet. Olive oil is worth using, but you could get by with good sunflower oil in a pinch.

If you want to add protein, toss in a handful of cooked lentils or ground turkey for the last 10 minutes. Fresh herbs like thyme or parsley work here too—basil isn’t the only option.

Storage and make-ahead

This sauce keeps up to 5 days in the fridge and freezes well up to a month. I freeze it in 1-cup containers for quick pasta lunches. If it thickens a lot, just stir in a splash of water as you reheat.