Homemade Pizza and Pasta Sauce
A simple tomato sauce with onion, garlic and Italian herbs. Use it on pizza, stir it through pasta or make it the starting point for another meal. This is the tomato sauce I make for pizza, but it gets far more use in my kitchen than that. Stir it through pasta, use it as the starting point for another meal, or change it up with ingredients your family enjoys. A good sauce earns its place in more than one recipe!
Why am I sharing this sauce now?
Well, I’m about to recieve a brand-new pizza oven. Can you tell I’m excited? 🤣 I thought I’d share my pizza and pasta sauce recipe while I’m waiting, because once that oven arrives, you’re probably going to be bombarded with pizza photos. Consider this your warning! 🍕🍕🍕
More than a pizza sauce
If you’ve got my $12 online Pizza Course, you might recognise this one. I’m sharing just the sauce recipe here because I use it for so much more than pizza. The rest of the course stays in the course, so I’m not giving away all our pizza-making secrets and videos. 😉 But I’ve you’ve not visited it for a while, I’ve just finished an update.
Personally, I think this sauce is as good as, if not better than, anything you can buy in a jar or tin. The kids love it too, and you can keep it simple or add a few extras to make something different. That’s what I like about having a reliable tomato sauce recipe. Once you’ve found one you enjoy, you don’t need to start from scratch with a different recipe every time you want to change dinner. The big difference with this sauce is my Herb Blend, if you’ve not made this, you really should give it a shot.
Want more dishes with similar sauces try Meatballs with Tomato Sauce and Stuffed Pasta Shells with Spinach and Feta we love tomato based dinners like these.
Extra tips
- Give the onion time to soften. This is worth doing before adding the tomatoes. You want the onion to become part of the sauce rather than leave crunchy pieces behind.
- Watch the consistency when cooking on the stove. A wide frying pan reduces sauce more quickly than a narrow saucepan, so use the thickness of the sauce as your guide.
- Cool it before using it on pizza. If you’re serving it with pasta, you can use it hot.
- Store it in the fridge. Transfer to a clean container, refrigerate promptly and use within five days.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, that’s why I wanted to share it here. Use it as a pizza sauce or stir it through cooked pasta. If it’s a little thick for pasta, add a splash of the pasta cooking water to loosen it.
Yes. I use Bec’s Italian blend, but your preferred Italian herb blend will work too.
Yes. Make it ahead and keep it refrigerated for up to five days. It’s handy to have ready when you’re putting dinner together.
The sugar helps balance the tartness of the tomatoes. It’s there to round out the flavour rather than make a sweet sauce.
Yes, the ingredients are naturally gluten-free. Just check the label on your Italian herb blend to make sure it’s suitable. Serve it with gluten-free pasta or a gluten-free pizza base.
Yes. Cool it promptly, then freeze in small airtight containers for up to three months. Freezing it in portions means you can take out just what you need for pizza or pasta. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat if serving with pasta.
Homemade Pizza and Pasta Sauce
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becs-table.com.auEquipment
- 1 Thermomix or pot and stovetop
Ingredients
- 80 g brown onion halved
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 30 g extra virgin olive oil
- 400 g canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- 1 heaped tsp Bec’s Italian blend Personally I think this Herb Blend makes a difference😁
Instructions
Thermomix method
- Place the onion, garlic and olive oil into the mixing bowl. Insert the measuring cup and chop 5 sec/speed 5.
- Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula. Remove the measuring cup and sauté 8 min/120°C/speed 1, using the appropriate splash protection for your model.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt and Italian herb blend. For models using the simmering basket as splash protection, place it on top of the mixing bowl lid. Cook 20 min/100°C/speed 2.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Allow the sauce to cool before spreading it onto your pizza base.
Conventional method
- Finely chop the onion and garlic.
- Place them in a frying pan with the olive oil. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt and Italian herb blend. Simmer gently until the sauce has reduced, stirring occasionally to prevent it catching on the bottom.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Allow the sauce to cool before spreading it onto your pizza base.