Learn how to make fresh tomato sauce with your garden tomatoes! This sauce is beautifully balanced with delicate flavors that sing of summer ingredients. We love to serve it on pizza or pasta, or enjoy it by the spoon on its own because it’s just that good!
There is nothing quite like tomato sauce made with fresh tomaotes from scratch! Especially if you’re using your own freshly grown garden tomatoes. It’s a moment of pride and joy when you get to make something from ingredients you grew yourself, or you purchased from your local market.
This flavors of this sauce are so fresh and bright that Drew and I gladly eat it with a spoon as is.
A few steps are involved in the preparation, but the flavors develop fast and are beautifully balanced with fresh basil, garlic & onion, and sweet simmered tomatoes.
Ingredients Needed
Tomatoes – We like to use mostly plum tomatoes such as Roma, but you can use any variety of plum, and or vine-ripened tomatoes.
Onion: to flavor the sauce, we’ll use one small diced yellow onion.
Garlic cloves: fresh garlic is always a must in sauce. This adds robust flavor to any tomato sauce.
Olive oil: a good quality extra virgin olive oil is always key for richness.
Basil: fresh basil is sprinkled in at the end to add bright herbed flavor.
How to Make It
(1) First, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Then use a pairing knife to slice an “x” on the bottom of each tomato (this will help the tomato skin peel back while it boils). Carefully transfer the tomatoes into the boiling water, and let them boil for 30-60 seconds or until the skin starts to break and peel around the tomato.
(2) Then transfer the tomatoes to a cold ice water bath to cool them down and keep them from cooking any further. Then use a pairing knife or your hands to remove the skin from each tomato. Then use the pairing knife to remove the hard core/stem from the center of each tomato. Roughly dice the tomatoes and place them back in a bowl.
(3) Heat a saucepan or pot over medium heat, add the olive oil, and saute the diced onion with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes. It should be soft but not browned. If the pan is too high, lower it. Once the onion has cooked, add the minced garlic for 30-60 seconds.
(4) Then add the diced tomatoes (and the liquids) with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Every tomato has a different amount of water, so the timing can vary a bit. Once the sauce has reduced and thickened, and the chopped basil, then taste, adjust the seasoning with any additional salt and pepper if needed and serve!
Extra Recipe Tips
- Always add herbs at the end – my mom always taught me to add the herbs at the end of any tomato or pasta sauce. The herbs will have the freshest taste, and bring brightness to the whole dish. You can also add them at the last 10 minutes if you’d like the herbs to cook with the sauce for a little.
- Customize the consistency – I personally love a chunkier tomato sauce, so I leave the tomatoes as they are after dicing. If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can puree the sauce a little with a hand immersion blender until it is to your liking.
- Chop the aromatics or leave them whole – if you prefer not to add the onion or garlic and would like a more delicate flavor from the aromatics, you can leave them in whole with the sauce and then discard them at the end. I like to chop them and have them in each bite throughout the sauce!
How to Store Leftovers & Freeze
Refrigerator: completely cool sauce to room temperature, store in sealed mason jars or glass airtight containers, and keep in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Freezer: cool sauce to room temperature, then store in an airtight glass container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to reheat, remove and let thaw for 2-3 hours. Then add to pot and reheat.
Our Favorite Ways to Serve It
Fresh tomato sauce can be used just like any regular marinara! We think it shines best when served with pasta and freshly grated parmigiano reggiano or on our cast iron skillet pizza! You can also layer it into lasagna, baked ziti, or with our chicken parmigiana or eggplant parmesan!
More Sauce Recipes
If you love this sauce, you might also like our San Marzano tomato sauce, Italian meat sauce, or spicy arrabbiata sauce.
Fresh Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 5 lbs fresh plum/roma tomatoes (or a mix of vine-ripened tomatoes with mostly plum)
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small to medium yellow onion
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 Tablespoons fresh basil
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Boil tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil for blanching. Use a pairing knife to slice an X shape on the bottom of each tomato (this will help the skin peel back). In shifts, drop tomatoes into the water while boiling until they begin to wrinkle and peel (about 30-60 seconds, depending on the size). Use a slotted spoon to remove tomatoes and place them in a large bowl with ice water to blanch. Repeat until all the tomatoes are finished.
- Peel cooled tomatoes: Use a pairing knife or your hands to peel the skin from tomatoes. Then use the pairing knife to carefully remove the hard tomato core/stem. Roughly chop up tomatoes into diced pieces and add to a bowl and set aside for the sauce.
- Sauté onions & garlic: Heat your sauce pot, add the olive oil, and saute the diced onions with a pinch (about 5 minutes). The onion should be soft, and gently cooked, not browned on the edges. Keep the heat on a lower heat setting. Then add the minced garlic and saute with the onions for 30-60 seconds.
- Simmer: Add the diced tomatoes and stir in an additional pinch of salt and black pepper. Then let the tomatoes simmer for 60-90 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and thickened.
- Season with herbs: When the sauce is finished, season with salt to taste, add a dash of black pepper, and stir in chopped fresh basil. Then enjoy with pasta or your favorite Italian dish!
Video
Finally a simple and delicious recipe. Grazie.
I’ve made a batch and my family have given it the 👍👍so I’m going to make a 2nd batch. I grow my own tomatoes and we have enough. I’m very happy with your simple but flavourful recipe. Thank you.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed the sauce, Breda! 🙂
I’d like to add 1 lb of ground meat to this sauce to make a heartier meal. Typcially, I use ground turkey (93Lean/7Fat) when cooking. What’s the best way to incorporate it into this recipe?
Hi Pamela! You can add the cooked ground meet in the last hour of the sauce simmering. Hope you enjoy the sauce!
Do you keep the pot covered or uncovered? Or does it not matter?
Are you supposed to empty out the water from the pot before putting on the tomatoes ?? Or do you put the peeled tomatoes back in the boiling water.
I hope the latter lol
Hi Laura! The water is only for boiling the tomatoes to remove the skin. Only the tomatoes get simmered! No added water. 🙂
I’m making this to freeze. I used all San Marzano tomatoes – didn’t use your San Marzano recipe because that called for canned – and added a pinch of cayenne pepper.
My question: Is there a reason why you freeze it in glass? Hard to get an airtight glass container. Would a ziplock or sealed plastic work, or does it impart an odd flavor?
I really want to try this recipe, but I have a reaction to onions. Unfortunately, I cannot eat them. Most Italian dishes contain onions.
Do you think the sauce will taste okay without them?
Thank you.
Hi Deborah! You can absolutely do no onions. I actually grew up only using garlic in tomato sauce, you’ll find that in my San Marzano Tomato Sauce. Just up the number of garlic cloves for more flavor!
This by far is the best and easiest recipe I have found. My sauce always failed because I was putting the seasonings in first and it was bitter. Thank you for a great recipe.
That makes me so happy! Thanks so much, Lisa. 🙂 Really glad you enjoyed the sauce.
Instead of boiling the tomatoes, after coring, I roast them in a 400F oven for 20 mins. When theyre cool enough to handle peel and use per recipe. You get a fire roasted flavor that really shines through.
Love that idea! Thank you, Mike. 🙂
Sounds great! Going to try it today!
It is really the best and fresh tomato sauce. It is very simple and easy to make and it was very delicious and worth making.
Thanks so much, Albertina! so happy you enjoyed it.
If you’re making this to freeze, do you still add the herbs at the end?
yes! Herbs added and then you can freeze. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Please tell me if I can make the fresh tomato sauce and the normal 4 to 5hour tomato sauce in a hot pot or slow cooker fo how many hours if I can.
Thanks your kindness.kathy
You can make both in a slow cooker! I would sauté garlic/onions in a separate pan then add everything to a slow cooker for 5 hours on LOW. Stir every so often. Then add herbs in at the end 🙂
I think that Italian cuisine is my favourite and, thus, pastas are one of the most common dishes I prepare. I have to agree with you that the use of home grown tomatoes is much more better as the taste is more natural and intensive. I prepare similar sauce with different types tomatoes but for me the tastiest are ‘scatolone’ and ‘marmande’ I buy on https://gardenseedsmarket.com/tomato-seeds-en/ . Thanks for sharing this recipe, it looks so tasty!