Easy Homemade Tomato Sauce
If you like a quick, budget-friendly tomato sauce for your pasta but don’t like the added ingredients you get in the jars, this recipe is for you. With only a few ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, you can make a tasty and easy pasta sauce that tastes fresh and will be much better for you.
Jump to RecipeWhat is up with the Store-bought Tomato Sauce?
Unfortunately, when you check the ingredients of a jar of pasta sauce – even the expensive ones – you’ll see added sugar, citric acid, canola oil, and my least favorite two words on the planet, “natural flavors.”
Sure, the tomato sauce of our youth tasted nice and sweet, but that sugar kept you coming back for more (addicted to sugar) and was simply a cheap ingredient for the company to add. Why not ditch those harmful ingredients and create a quick homemade tomato sauce you can simmer while you prep the rest of the meal?
As good as the friend who gave this to me
It was the most excellent day…I was getting together with two friends who had kids for a little family date, and my bestie said, “Let us cook the main dish for you at your house.” Well, why yes, please! She brought a few ingredients and wrote down the recipe as a parting gift.
I have done this recipe dozens of times since, and I feel great making something healthy that both the kids and I can love. It tastes as fresh as the sauce at a restaurant, but it came from my two hands.
It’s a Tomato Sauce that is adaptable.
Consider it like a foundation for your meal, and let your creative juices fly. Add some fresh ground sausage or meatballs. Puree the tomatoes beforehand for a smoother consistency. Add fresh basil for a topping. Make this a pasta primavera with some added zucchini, squash, or mushrooms.
You can lower or eliminate the oil and use my oil-free tips to make it healthier. Make it gluten-free with gluten-free pasta! Add some parmesan if you can do dairy, or try my Cashew “Cheese” Sauce for a dairy-free option that makes it taste like a tomato alfredo. It’s truly up to you!
Are you new to cooking?
Check out my 10 Easy and Healthy Cooking Tips for Beginners and get cooking!