San Marzano Tomato Sauce {Family Recipe}
My family’s beloved San Marzano Tomato Sauce. This luscious red sauce is simmered for several hours to develop the richest taste. It’s filled with fresh herbs, authentic Italian flavors, and the most inviting aroma. Easily the best tomato sauce I’ve ever had!
From my family to yours.
This Italian tomato sauce (also known in Italian as “Pomodoro sauce”) is quite unique because it was the very first recipe my mom ever taught me how to make. It was the very beginning of my love for food. For years this sauce has brought my loud, bold, and very loving family together and has been a part of many memorable family dinners.
When you make this homemade pasta sauce you will find the results are luscious, rich, and developed in flavor, and the perfect sauce to compliment your favorite Italian dishes! Although tomato sauce is quite simple, using quality ingredients matters. And letting your sauce cook low and slow for hours will give you the most beautifully rich and savory sauce you’ve ever had.
The first steps for making this sauce… put on some Frank Sinatra, grab a glass of vino, and enjoy the sweet aroma of simmering tomatoes & garlic. ‘Cause, that’s amore!
Ingredients Needed
You’ll need just a handful of pantry items and fresh herbs to make this recipe happen. Here’s the full list: canned San Marzano plum tomatoes, garlic cloves, quality tomato paste, olive oil, salt & black pepper, and fresh herbs – basil, oregano, and thyme if desired.
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Why are San Marzano tomatoes the best?
San Marzano tomatoes first originated in Naples, Italy. They are not just a staple in my family’s recipes, but are considered to be the best tomatoes in the world to use in sauces!
These tomatoes are set apart from others because of their rich, sweet flavor and lower acidity. They are also known to have a thicker consistency compared to other canned plum tomatoes.
Take an extra step and use D.O.P.-certified tomatoes – usually visible on the front or the back of the can. This is a protective seal that guarantees authenticity.
Brands we like to use that are D.O.P. certified: if you’re looking for a quality-certified brand, we recommend Sclafani, Rega, and Pastene.
Brands we like to use that are quality, but not D.O.P.-certified: If you do not care for using a D.O.P.-certified brand of tomatoes, be sure to at least use a tomato that is a product of Italy! The brands we like are Cento and Dellalo.
How to Make San Marzano Tomato Sauce
- Saute garlic in olive oil: Saute minced garlic for 30 to 60 seconds on low – medium heat – constantly stirring. Using lots of garlic in this recipe will give your tomato sauce the foundation of its flavor.
- Add Tomatoes, paste, and salt & pepper – cook low and slow: The key to a good tomato sauce is cooking it for up to 4-6 hours. This allows the sauce to thicken, flavors to richen and develop, and acidity to balance.
- Stir in fresh herbs at the very end: Cooking herbs in the sauce for hours can actually result in a bitter flavor. For a fresh, vibrant herb flavor add them at the very end when the sauce is finished for best results.
Tips for Success
- Use quality San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes: to make a perfect tomato sauce you need San Marzano. These tomatoes give your sauce a thicker consistency and are sweeter, richer, and less acidic in flavor. I grew up with my mom always using Cento, but I also love using D.O.P-certified brands and preferably organic tomatoes. Be sure that whatever tomato you do use, is a product of Italy to ensure its top quality!
- Use Amore Sun-Dried Tomato Paste: Rather than using normal tomato paste as a thickener, my family loves to use this sun-dried tomato paste for a richer taste.
- The best herbs for tomato sauce – traditional Italian tomato sauce always calls for fresh basil or oregano – or a combination of both, such as this recipe! Sometimes you’ll see thyme thrown into red sauces too. And if you’d like a little heat, you can add some red pepper flakes too!
- Add a Parmesan cheese rind: When you purchase a block of parmesan cheese – save/freeze your cheese rind for recipes like this! It’s a unique ingredient that instantly adds flavor. The rind won’t melt (though it will get soft); it will just sit in your sauce or soup and infuse it with extra umami and savor. Add the rind during the simmering time of the sauce, then use a utensil to carefully remove it before serving.
- Achieve rich flavor by using lots of garlic! As a born and raised garlic lover, I encourage you not to shy away from the number of garlic cloves listed. So much flavor in red sauces comes from the aromatics (garlic, onions, etc.). We use lots of garlic in this sauce to create a complex flavor! It will not taste “garlic-y”- but wonderfully balanced and rich.
Our favorite hand-held blender
Make Your Sauce Smooth in Seconds
I love a sauce with texture – but if you prefer a smooth sauce consistency we love using this hand-held immersion blender to make this happen in seconds! It's much safer than transferring hot sauce to a blender and is the easiest tool to use. The blender is one of my moms favorite kitchen tools! It's great for creaming sauces, soups, and hot drinks.
How to Avoid an Acidic Sauce
Add a carrot to simmer in the sauce: this is something my mother always did and is very traditional in Italian sauces. The sweetness of the carrot releases its flavor and naturally absorbs any acidic flavors from the tomatoes. How to: remove the stem, peel the carrot skin off, and place the whole carrot into the sauce to simmer. Remove the carrot once the sauce is finished.
Use a stainless steel pot: whenever making tomato sauce, it’s important to choose the right pot. My top recommendations for sauce are stainless steel. Other pots such as non-stick or cast iron can cause the acid in the tomatoes to mix with the metal and result in an unpleasant metallic taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add meatballs to cook with the sauce? Of course! We love cooking our Italian meatballs with this sauce. If the meatballs are about 2 inches in size, after being browned in a pan or baked, you can add them to the sauce to cook for the last 60-30 minutes. If they’re much bigger, you can let them simmer for 2 hours in the sauce. Stir the sauce gently to prevent breaking the meatballs, and make sure you are using a large enough pot!
Can this sauce be made with fresh tomatoes? Yes! We love to make tomato sauce with fresh garden tomatoes. Use our fresh tomato sauce recipe for this process! This recipe will actually take less time to make, but the flavor is equally as delicious.
Can I make this in a slow cooker? Of course! I recommend first sauteing the garlic in a pan. Then add the garlic to a slow cooker with the rest of the sauce ingredients, and set it on LOW for 5 hours. Stir a few times throughout the cooking process. Add the herbs at the end.
Why does this recipe call for no onions? This was the way my mom taught me how to make tomato sauce, just with garlic as the aromatic. A lot of traditional tomato sauce recipes only call for garlic, so it’s not that uncommon to see onions not included. But we have tried it with onion and it’s delicious too! If you would like to add onion, dice it small and saute the onion (before the garlic) for about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic!
Do I need to chop the tomatoes before adding them to the sauce? Only if you want the sauce to be very smooth, with no texture/chunks of tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes are so tender that they will naturally break down as they cook, especially in this recipe since it calls for a longer simmering time. So no, they do not need to be chopped before cooking!
Tips for Storing Leftovers & Freezing
Store & keep fresh: Let sauce cool to room temperature then store in an airtight container or glass jars. Chill in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.
How to freeze: First, let the sauce cool to room temperature – then store in an airtight container or freezer-friendly ziplock bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Our Favorite Ways to Serve it Up
The best way to serve this tomato sauce is with your favorite Italian dishes! Some of our favorites are…
Lasagna! We love layering this sauce in our vegetable lasagna, spinach lasagna roll-ups, and Italian sausage lasagna! For a healthier take on lasagna, we also love making our zucchini lasagna or eggplant lasagna too.
Baked pasta! This sauce is always the perfect addition to our baked ziti or baked rigatoni! And we can’t forget our baked cauliflower ziti too.
Meatballs! Make my family’s Italian meatballs with this sauce, or try it with our vegetarian zucchini meatballs or eggplant meatballs – so yummy!
Eggplant & Chicken Parmesan! My mom has always made this sauce with her famous chicken parmesan. And I love to serve it with this classic eggplant parmesan!
Rollatini! We love making zucchini rollatini or eggplant rollatini with this sauce as well.
Pasta noodles! You can also keep it really simple, and serve this red sauce with your favorite Italian noodles such as penne, rigatoni, fusilli, spaghetti, or shells! And whatever you do serve this sauce with, don’t forget to add crusty bread on the side for dipping. 😉
I hope you love this homemade tomato sauce just as much as we do! It’s a staple for complimenting my favorite Italian recipes – especially around the holidays.
If you’re looking for a red sauce made with fresh tomatoes – you’ll love our Fresh Tomato Sauce recipe!
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San Marzano Tomato Sauce
A famous family recipe – San Marzano Tomato Sauce. A luscious red sauce simmered for several hours to develop the most rich and hearty tomato sauce. Fresh herbs, authentic Italian flavors, and the most inviting aroma. Easily the best tomato sauce I’ve ever had! From my family to yours.
Ingredients
- 8 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4-5 28oz cans San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes (with juices)
- 2-3 tbsp amore sun-dried tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp (each) salt & black pepper
- 3 Tbsp fresh basil (for dried basil – 1 Tbsp)
- 2 Tbsp fresh oregano (for dried oregano – 2 tsp)
Instructions
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Cook garlic: In a large stainless steel pot on LOW-MEDIUM heat sauté garlic in olive oil for 30-60 seconds. Stir constantly to keep garlic from burning.
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Add tomatoes and simmer: pour canned tomatoes with juices in with the garlic. Add tomato paste, salt, and black pepper. Mix ingredients together, partially cover with lid – but not completely, and simmer on LOW heat for 3+ hours. Stir every so often to avoid burning. Note: if using a parmesan rind, add it in this step and let it simmer with sauce until finished. Remove and discard rind when ready to serve.
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For smooth sauce: when sauce is finished cooking, use a hand immersion-blender to puree. Note: If you prefer a chunkier/thicker sauce (like I do), you can skip this step as the San Marzanos naturally break down while cooking.
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Add herbs: when sauce is finished, mix in chopped fresh herbs. Season with additional salt & black pepper if needed and serve!
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I also sauté o ion with garlic at beginning
Thanks for sharing this every Sunday gravy with everyone
So happy to hear it! Thank you, Jerry!
Best sauce ever
So happy to hear it!
Really happy to hear that! Thank you, Dolores!
Canned tomatoes? Canned San Marzano tomatoes? Where am I supposed to find those?
Hi Joe, you should be able to find canned san marzano tomatoes at any local grocery store!
This was really easy and turned out delicious. I couldn’t find sun dried tomato paste, so I used regular tomato paste and added chopped up sun dried tomatoes. I also added beef bouillon and sugar as I felt it was missing ‘something’. It was amazing. I served it the first night with your chicken parmesan recipe (also delicious) and my boyfriend loved it. I saved the remaining sauce and added ground beef for spaghetti a couple nights later. I still have a ton of leftovers but I’m definitely not complaining. I’ll be making this again soon and canning it so I have it on hand.
The description says, “A famous family recipe – San Marzano Tomato Sauce also known as ‘Italian gravy.'” I thought Italian gravy was meat based. Is that not correct?
Can I add ground beef or maybe a combination of ground beef and Italian sausage to this recipe?
yes! I would brown the meat in a pan and add them for the last 30 minutes of the simmer.
When simmering should the pot be covered or not?
You can partially cover it – to avoid the sauce from splattering. That way it’s not cooking too fast. Covering the pot fully will trap the heat, cook it much faster, and could accidentally burn it if it’s not low enough or being stirred enough. Hope this helps!
This was amazing! The depth of flavor is just outstanding. I did add the parmesan rind and it did melt which made the sauce creamy which we ended up loving. Will definitely make this again.
Thank you so much, Patricia! I am so glad the flavor was so wonderful. 🙂
I’m in the process of making this sauce now, and my gosh every time I go to stir it (and taste it) it’s better and better. Instead of using 8 cloves of minced garlic, I roasted an entire head, mashed it, and added it in the sauce. I’m just 2 hours into simmering and my gosh, this sauce is like a warm hug on a cold day. I’ve always used crushed tomatoes instead of whole, I’ll never go back! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Thank you, Kathryn! I am so happy to hear it 🙂
Back again. Made the sauce for a 2nd time and it came out a little bitter. I used San Marzanos and followed recipe exactly. I’ve heard of adding a little sugar but would know how to calculate how much or just by taste. Any rules of thumb on that or words of wisdom?
Hi Jon! I’m sorry to hear that. There is a few things that can play a factor in bitterness. Cookware (I recommend using only stainless steal), the tomatoes themselves could be acidic to begin with, or incase burning accidentally happened. But I would try to cut the bitterness with a 1 teaspoon at a time of sugar until you feel it’s just right. A good method that helps (which I will add to this post) is adding a whole carrot to your sauce. It will actually help cut acidity in the tomatoes while the sauce simmers – then you remove it once the sauce is done… Hope this helps!!
Hi! Looking forward to making this. Might be a silly question, but to you simmer covered or uncovered for the 4 plus hours? I normally cover, but you don’t have notes anywhere and wonder if leaving uncovered will make for a thicker sauce. Thanks!
Hi Nicole! good question. So, usually we leave it uncovered on the lowest setting, but sometimes for sauce splattering reasons we will do a partial cover. You can of course cover it completely too! you might just have to stir it more often because it’s cooking a little faster. 🙂 Hope this helps!
My new go to tomato sauce, awesome. Be sure your cans of San Marzano tomato’s have the DOP certification on the label, if verifies they actually came from the region (the soil is very unique due to a volcano, that’s what make them so special).
Thanks so much, Robb! I’m so thrilled to hear it!
I made this about 5 times over the last year or so and it is definitely going to be it for me going forward. No more store sauces. I will jar this up and put it in the freezer whenever I need sauce.
I use the cheese rind tip, its great. I use some cheese cloth now so removing the rind is easy.
Also, I make my own sundried tomato paste with Calabrian chiles. It adds a nice spice and another flavor. Thank you!
Thank you, Mark! So wonderful to hear this. How amazing you make your own sun-dried tomato paste! That is something I will have to try for myself. 🙂
I don’t like the thickness of this sauce. What do you recommend? I will run tomatoes thru blende before adding to pot
Yep, you can blend the tomatoes. If you don’t like a thicker sauce I would skip the tomato paste, simmer for less (the more you simmer the more it thickens). So maybe 3 hours so you aren’t reducing all the water content from the tomatoes! Hope this helps!
When should I toss the parm rind in?
From start to finish of the simmering process! Then remove it before serving.
Loved this so much the 1rst time that I quadrupled it and jarred it the 2nd time! Does it still need to be refrigerated if its stored air tight in Mason jars?
You can refrigerate for up to a week, but I would recommend freezing the sauce for the freshest results!
Hi. I am making this sauce for vegetarian lasagna. Do I chop the tomatoes and spices. Do have a recipe for lasagna?
You can puree the sauce at the end, or chop them ahead of time. I personally put everything in the pot at once and let the whole tomatoes break down naturally. I like it on the “chunkier” side though!
Can I add meat to this sauce? If I do… when do I add it? Would I cook the meat and then add the tomatoes? I was wanting to do an Italian sausage/ground beef mixture. Would that make it to greasy if I add it in the beginning?
Hey Emily! I would cook the sauce, then towards the last hour of the sauce simmering, brown the beef or sausage in a skillet. Then add it to the sauce for the final 30-60 minutes of its cooking time. Hope this helps 🙂
Five cans is quite excessive. If I use three, please adjust seasonings and garlic
It’s a big batch, but 3 cans is an easy fix! You can do 5 cloves of garlic, 2 Tbsp of basil, and cut the other herbs in half.
AMAZING
Absolutely brilliant sauce, best I’ve ever had
Thank you, Tony! So so happy to hear it 🙂
Love your recipe. I cook as well when free.
So glad you enjoyed it!
How much would you say this recipe makes of the final product? Is it a huge amount like gallons or just a few servings? I’m wondering how much the 5 cans of tomatoes break down, 5 cans seems like a lot.
Looks like a great recipe. Question: what kind of pot do you recommend? Something lightweight, or more like a dutch oven?
I love using a dutch oven for soups. But, surprisingly, not for sauce! I would recommend a lightweight stainless steel pot 🙂
Beautiful base for pasta sauce! I only needed one can of tomatoes and added ground turkey, carmelized onions, and wine. It was great over chickpea pasta and I can’t wait to have it again!
Sounds so delicious. Thank you, Drew! 🙂 Really glad you enjoyed it.
When do I add the ground beef?
Brown the beef in a separate pan and add in the last hour or 30 minutes!
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I am trying to estimate final volume after letting tomatoes cook down. With 5 can recipes, approximately how much final volume will you have?
Hi Bethany Kramer,
I hope you are doing very well today with your great cooking skills and Italian recipes.
I am 45%I Italian-Australian living in Gold Coast Qld , Australia. I am very much interested to taste and learn the original recipes of my Italian heritage .I could not access the real and authentic recipes from here due to our diverse culture.
I would love to hear from you and if you can share some most valued Italian recipes is very much appreciated.
I will try this tomato sauce recipe and I will give you feedback about it.
I am so glad to have seen your recipe post.
Have a lovely and wonderful day.
Thank you and looking forward to hear from you soon.Please keep safe and healthy and your family.
Kind regards,
Joy
Hi joy, Thanks so much for reaching out! You can find all of the Italian recipes here that I’ve shared on the blog. I think you’ll enjoy them 🙂
We made it today and loved it!
We served it with angel hair pasta and baked rosemary chicken.
yay! Sounds absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing, Phyllis! 🙂
Hi, I have a question. Did you add water to your sauce/slosh the tomato cans? Why or why not?
This is the only “gravy” tomato sauce that we use. Very, very good. Love garlic, so I usually use more.
Thank you so much, Olga! I’m so so happy to hear that. The more garlic the better!
Its an amazing recipe I will try this because this my favorite. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
When do you add the Parmesan Rind you mention in the notes ?
You add it while the sauce is simmering (from beginning to end). 🙂
Tried to send this to my son who is trying to learn to cook but he’s not on Facebook twitter neither am I. Why do you not include e-mail.?
Hi Jane, sharing our recipes is simple. You can copy the link and share on any platform – including e-mail. Hope that helps!
Can you can this sauce?
I haven’t, but many readers have jarred it. It should work well canned!
This is a great recipe for people on a diet which allows for a shortcut to fresh clean eating! I really thought for me to make my own gluten free pasta sauce without added sugar, I would need to follow several steps but with the Ceto tomatoes, it was effortless. This sauce was amazing, even better than I expected. Best sauce I’ve ever had. I added lean ground turkey over gluten free pasta. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much Rebecca! Ground turkey sounds like a delicious addition 🙂
Made two recipes side by side exactly as written, except I used regular tomato paste. One using authentic San Marzano canned tomatoes, one using grocery store brand canned stewed Italian tomatoes. Both smelled wonderful, but the San Marzano sauce was much brighter red and tasted much more fresh and clean (although a bit bland for our taste). The stewed tomato sauce was decent but tasted tinny and reminded me of cheap store-bought sauce (but slightly more seasoned).
I will continue to use this recipe with only San Marzanos, but will definitely add more salt and or seasoning and will try the sun dried tomato paste if I can find it. Even when I combined with ground beef/ a little seasoning for spaghetti, it still needed a little extra something to give more flavor.
Thank you for sharing.
Hey Bethany,
Can’t wait to try this!
Did you place the rind into the sauce the whole time?
I did yes! 🙂
This is the best pasta sauce I have ever made. Since my husband and I are garlic addicts, I actually used 6 garlic cloves. After simmering for 4 hours, our kitchen smelled so good, I could hardly stand it! This will be the only pasta sauce I will make from now on! Thanks for sharing this scrumptious recipe.
What a compliment. Thank you, Judy! I love garlic as well and think the more the merrier in sauce. So happy you loved it!
I’m a bit ambivalent about this recipe. I made it and it was very tasty but it lacked a certain “punch” of other recipes. My first thoughts were that it had a rather flat or thin taste, very tomatoey but flat. It seem conspicuously missing a “punch”, whether that be a little bit of hot pepper or even a shot of sugar. I will say that it was very spare on spices compared to what I’m used to (family recipe) with no bay leaves, or even onions. I plan to try it again with a few modifications, maybe just the sugar.
Hi dave! This is just a simple tomato sauce – a LOT of flavor develops the longer you simmer it and a generous pinch of salt always helps. Although I don’t add sugar to my sauces you are free to try that out!
If you like spicy – definitely add red pepper! That is more along the lines of arrabbiata sauce rather than classic tomato sauce. 🙂 Hope this helps!
You describe San Marxano tomatoes as amazing after being grown in Italian volcanic soil, and then link to Californian-grown tomatoes…
Both tomato products I use and have linked are tomatoes grown in Italy.
I used progresso in the past. But then I found this brand especially the San marzano which is especially sweet. Excellent, excellent tomato sauce every time. I always start with Browning onions and garlic first and then adding the sauce. I also put the whole tomatoes from the can into a blender and blend it up before adding it into the garlic and onion.
I made this sauce, it’s incredible. Impaired with a Fabio Fibrianis(?) sauce and received lots of compliments. So good.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
Does this recipe really call for 5(28oz) cans of tomatoes? That seems like a lot for 8 servings. I really want to make this for my family this weekend. Thank you!
The sauce cooks down over the several hours it needs to simmer. My family also uses a LOT of sauce per serving – so I stick to the safe side and shoot low on servings. But it can certainly serve more than 8 🙂
I have several recipes that call for tomato sauce, totaling 96 oz. How many cans of Marzano peeled tomatoes should I purchase? If I buy (5) 28 oz. cans of Marzano peeled tomatoes, how many ounces of tomato sauce will that make?
Hi Gale! If you used 5 cans that were 28 oz you would have more than enough. It’d be about 140 oz – hope that helps 🙂
I like to use a combination of whole and crushed tomatoes. If I don’t put sausage in my ssuce I use 1/2 teaspoon of crush fennel seed.
Totally agree! I use a combination of those as well when I don’t have all whole tomatoes 🙂
WOw!!!, amazing, this is exactly what i always to do
Can I use a crockpot instead?
yes! I’ve had other readers have success with using a crockpot/slow cooker for this recipe. I’d recommend 3-5 hours on LOW.
How much can tomato paste would I use. I can’t find the sun dried paste you refer to.
It would be the same amount!
I only have 2, 28oz cans of San Marzano tomatoes. I also suck at math and shiznit. I have all of the the ingredients, but this mug doesn’t know how much of each to put in, cuz.
Definitely going to make.
Would you cook Meatballs and Sausage right in the sauce?
I would first sear meatballs (as a recipe would call for) as well as sausage in a pan first. Then simmer in sauce for the last hour or two.