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
If there were more stars I’d press those I’ve really tried for thirty years to get the perfect sauce. This is absolutely amazing.
Pat, that means so much!! Glad you finely found a recipe that worked 🙂 Appreciate it so much!
I’m half way through the simmering and will can this in about an hour. Me and my husband have tried different tomato’s before but he was told try san marzano. It’s thickening so nice and I’m kind of getting excited
Homegrown San Marzano’s will be beautiful in this, I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for sharing, Pat 🙂
I’ve made sauce in the past using canned tomatoes for lasagna, mostly. I will try this recipe with tomatoes from my garden this year. I am wondering, can you add in other ingredients such as mushrooms, meat, veggies, like the jarred sauces have? The mushroom pasta sauce is our favorite.
Hi Ruth, I don’t see why you couldn’t! It’s a very fresh sauce, so I don’t think meat will hold up to it very well in the sauce. But vegetables for sure! Meat should be added to a more rich sauce that typically uses canned tomatoes. Hope you enjoy it!
I plan on canning the tomato sauce. Once made, can it be stored in the pantry?
It should be totally good to can and stored at room temperature, if it has some citric acid!
For the nutrition facts, how much is each serving?
This has com out very watery, what have I done wrong. Must say taste is good
Hi Louise, if it’s still watery, I would keep cooking the sauce. It will naturally thicken as it cooks down!
I’m getting ready to make this. Do you keep the seeds in or do you remove them?
Hi Terri, I don’t have an issue with seeds when I use most tomatoes, but you can strain out seeds if you like!
Hi. I have successfully made this recipe now have in freezer. Wondering can I now use this to now make bolognaise with meat using this already cooked tomato sauce. Wasn’t sure if can be cooked more
Hi Debbie, it should work for a meat sauce! Just keep the sauce covered so it keeps the moisture trapped. 🙂
Simmer covered or uncovered?
I do a mix of partly covered then uncovered! I’ll make note of that in the recipe. 🙂
First attempt a fresh tomato sauce and I will call it a win! Very easy to do and I have simmered it all day. I will add salt when I use the finished sauce for pizza, pasta sauces etc.
Thanks so much for sharing, Lisa! I’m thrilled it worked out for you 🙂
15 mins prep time is a little ambitious!
Hello. Hello! I can’t wait to try this with plum and San Marian tomatoes I froze from my summer garden. I love to can and wondering if this recipe could be canned and would you still add herbs before canning or after opening a jar to use?
Hi Robin, this recipe should can great! I would add the herbs and make the recipe as is. 🙂