This authentic Italian tomato sauce (yes, it’s what you’d call “marinara”) is so quick, and easy to make that it’s ready before the pasta is finished cooking! Read the reviews; when you make this once, you’ll never go back to those inauthentic, sugar-filled, store-bought sauces, or inauthentic recipes. Buon appetito!
As promised, here is my own “how to make tomato sauce” post. This is continued from my last rant (here) where I dissected BuzzFeed’s attempt to write a recipe for making “the best” tomato sauce, explaining why it was all wrong. (I HAVE ADDED A LINK TO A TIK TOK VIDEO!) 🍝
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Actually, this is not “my” recipe—this is a basic recipe that millions of Italians have used for ages to make one type of Italian pasta sauce. It’s the equivalent to posting a recipe for a basic hamburger in the US.
It’s not an actual copyrighted recipe, and of course there are variations, but almost everyone knows how to make a hamburger. However, many Americans ask…
How do you Make Fresh Tomato Sauce?
It’s not difficult at all, and you’ll be so happy with the results (just read the reviews below).
This is a super quick Italian pasta sauce recipe which is actually ready by the time the pasta is done (usually it’s ready before then). You can choose to make a smooth or chunky sauce according to the tomatoes you use. Just remember, there should be no need to add any sugar, not even a pinch! Yes, it cuts the acidity, but if you use the right tomatoes, there is no acidity!
You may also like to make homemade gnocchi and serve it with this sauce.
This is also a base for many other types of sauces, including penne alla vodka and penne arrabbiata. If you want to add both onion and garlic to this sauce, you may, but I’d suggest making it as written the first time.
How do you make Marinara Sauce?
Let me first explain that “marinara” sauce in the US is not what marinara sauce is in Italy. The recipe I am sharing today for a quick homemade tomato sauce is what Americans would refer to as a “marinara” sauce. So if you’re looking for a marinara sauce recipe, you have found it!
Now, what is a marinara sauce in Italy? Unless it’s a pizza, marinara refers to seafood (the English word “marine” comes from Latin. “Mare” in Italian means “sea”.) So this recipe is more of a marinara sauce in Italy. A bit confusing, especially since I just realized that most Americans searching for this recipe are googling “marinara sauce”, and they’ll probably never find it! 😭
Do you need to make this sauce using fresh or frozen tomatoes? Use this fresh tomato sauce recipe.
CAVEAT: If you substitute any of the ingredients which I list, or alter any of the directions, you must realize that you will not have the same outcome, or the same flavor as the sauce that I describe here.
Cooking your pizza sauce? You’re doing it wrong!
It’s how they make it in Naples, and takes less than 5 minutes to stir together!
Once, I gave a friend a recipe with instructions on which specific ingredients to use. The friend made the recipe and then told me, “It didn’t taste as good as yours.” After a brief investigation, I realized that she had substituted inferior quality ingredients. If you want the best results, use the best ingredients!
If you’d like to make a spaghetti sauce with meat, I’ve just added this recipe (4/2021)
UPDATED July 7, 2016: eating authentic Italian pasta as part of the Mediterranean diet, can actually aid in weight loss according to a recent study.
How to Check the Quality of your Tomatoes.
Want a tip on testing if your choice of canned tomatoes are top quality? First, read the label: tomatoes from Italy are usually very good, but do check the ingredients. You do not want anything added other than tomatoes, salt, basil or citric acid.
I’ve seen news stories where tomatoes were brought from China, then canned in Italy so they could say “made in Italy”. They added color and all sorts of nasty things, so don’t just rely on the label. See the “Il Pomodori di Napoli”? These are from Naples, so they’re the real deal and delicious! Discover lots of new canned tomato recipes that you can enjoy on my latest post!
The best of the best are Pomodoro San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino, DOP = the REAL San Marzano tomatoes. Yes, it’s a mouthful, but this wording, along with two seals of approval guaranteeing the quality of these tomatoes is your way to knowing you are paying for the best quality tomatoes. The cans will always say “pomodori pelati Italiani”, which simply means “Italian peeled tomatoes”.
Go online Italian grocery shopping at Sogno Toscano! I buy loads of my authentic Italian products here and you can too! Use my link and discount code CHRISTINASCUCINA10 for 10% off your purchase (they often offer free shipping over a base amount, too.)
Once you decide to purchase said tomatoes, here’s the second test: open the can/jar/carton and taste the tomatoes or puree.
Does it taste good? If you made a sour face, they’re probably not going to make a great sauce. If the answer is “Yes, they’re sweet and tasty!” then you’ve found the right tomatoes, and they will make a great sauce!
CLICK TO SEE THE VIDEO MY DAUGHTER MADE FOR ME ON TIK TOK!
TIP: allocate one wooden spoon for making your Italian tomato sauce. Don’t use it for other dishes, especially something like a white sauce, as it can flavor more delicate recipes. Here’s mine; can you tell I’ve made quite a lot of tomato sauce over the years?
If you’re looking for an authentic bruschetta recipe, I have that for you, too!
What’s the Difference Between Italian Tomato Sauce and Marinara?
Italian tomato sauce is just any authentic tomato sauce that you’d find in a home or restaurant in Italy. However, marinara sauce means two things depending on where you are. In the US, marinara is used to refer to a meatless or vegetarian sauce, whereas in Italy, marinara means a seafood sauce. To add more confusion, a marinara pizza doesn’t have any seafood on it, but is a plain tomato sauce pizza with garlic, oil and oregano.
How to Freeze Italian Tomato Sauce
This will answer any question you may have about freezing this sauce. It freezes beautifully, and all you have to do is cool it to room temperature, place in a freezer-proof container (preferably not plastic) and refrigerate until cold. Then you can label and transfer it to the freezer. It will keep for at least 6 weeks, but I don’t know who can go 6 weeks with this wonderful sauce in their freezer and not use it before then!
Authentic (Quick) Italian Tomato Sauce
for Pasta (Spaghetti Sauce)
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 to 5 cloves fresh garlic (not in a jar, dried, powdered, or frozen) preferably grown in USA/Europe
- small bunch of fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped (my family likes to use parsley in sugo)
- 1 (28-32 oz) carton/jar of whole, chopped tomatoes or puree (like Mutti, or Bionaturae) or about 1 lb of fresh tomatoes (San Marzano, Roma or cherry tomatoes are great)
- about 1 1/2 level tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher or sea salt (note: salts are not all equally salty)
- 3 or 4 large leaves of fresh basil, more to add to each plate, if desired
- Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano to grate on top
To enjoy with pasta as soon as the sauce is ready, put a large pot of salted water on the cooktop over high heat and cook the pasta as directed (if you are using egg or a very quick cooking pasta, do this about half-way through these directions). You can use an immersion blender to purée the tomatoes if you like a smooth sauce.
Pour the oil into a large sauté pan (not a deep pot) over medium high heat.
Crush the garlic and add it to the oil (if you want a spicy sauce, you can add some hot pepper, fresh or flakes, at this point). Sauté the garlic until it just starts to brown, then add the parsley. Notice I put the thick parsley stems in? You can pull these out later, but they add to the flavor of the sauce.
Turn the heat up to high. Now, add the quality puree (passata) or chopped tomatoes, and quickly cover with the lid for about 30 seconds, until the squirting subsides.
Stir with a wooden spoon and lower to a medium heat, or higher. It is important that this sauce is cooked at a fast simmer, as it is cooked briefly. Add the salt and continue to simmer at a fast pace, and stir often, WITHOUT THE LID.
The sauce will thicken quickly, so do not overcook it, and have it become too thick; about 5 to 7 minutes should be sufficient. This is not a super thick sauce, so don’t let it cook too long.
Taste the sauce, if it doesn’t taste delicious, it probably just needs a little more salt and you can add some black pepper if you like. Turn off the heat and add the fresh basil (I tear mine into pieces) and stir well. Also, unless absolutely necessary, do not wash your basil. Wipe it with a damp paper towel instead so the water doesn’t ruin the flavor and aroma of the basil.
You can put some sauce in a bowl and set it aside at this point. This way you can add more to the pasta if it needs it (some people like less sauce, and some like more.) When the pasta is almost al dente, start adding it to the sauce in the pan.
If you drain your pasta in a colander, reserve some of the pasta water to add back into the pasta in case it’s too dry, or needs to cook longer in the sauce (turn the heat on and add more water.)
Serving pasta in a bowl, instead of a plate, keeps it hotter. I served it on a plate here as it’s nicer to show in photos, but I always serve pasta in bowls (this is the norm in Italy, too.)
You can top this dish with some freshly grated authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese or Pecorino Romano, however, know that Italians don’t add a strong cheese to a light, fresh sauce like this one. At this point, you shouldn’t really need to add any salt and pepper. I like to eat pasta with a fresh cayenne pepper and nice glass of red wine.
For example, you can make this same sauce in a deep pot, cook it longer and add meatballs for a different sauce. And I just happen to have an authentic Italian meatball recipe for you. That’s what happens when your mother is born in Italy!
How NOT to Serve Pasta!
Also, if you’ve been plating pasta in a bowl, then topping it with sauce like the emoji 🍝, this is American-style. It honestly doesn’t taste as good if served this way. (If you don’t believe me, try it both ways, side by side.) You’re welcome!
If you want to serve it the way they do in Italy, mix the sauce in with the pasta and then plate it. Domenica Marchetti, who is an authority on Italian cuisine and the author of six Italian cookbooks explains this on her site, also. If you’ll notice, she also has a simple Italian tomato sauce recipe which is almost identical to mine.
BUON APPETITO!
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Authentic (Quick) Italian Tomato Sauce for Pasta
NOTE: To enjoy with pasta as soon as the sauce is ready, put a large pot of salted water on the cooktop over high heat and cook the pasta as directed (if you are using egg or a very quick cooking pasta, do this about half-way through these directions).
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, preferably grown in USA/Europe
- small bunch of fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1 (28 oz) 800g can/jar of whole, chopped tomatoes or purée
- 1 1/2 level tsp sea salt
- 4 large leaves of fresh basil
Instructions
- Pour the oil into a large saute pan (not a deep pot) over medium high heat. Crush the garlic and add it to the oil (if you want a spicy sauce, you can add some hot pepper, fresh or flakes, at this point). Saute the garlic until it just starts to brown, then add the parsley.
- Turn the heat up to high. Now add the tomatoes, and quickly cover with the lid for about 30 seconds, until the squirting subsides. Stir with a wooden spoon and lower the heat a little. It is important that this sauce is cooked at a fast simmer, as it is cooked briefly.
- Add the salt and continue to simmer at a fast pace, and stir often.
- The sauce will thicken quickly, so do not overcook it, and have it become too thick; about 5 to 7 minutes should be sufficient.
- Taste the sauce, if it doesn't taste delicious, it probably just needs a little more salt. Turn off the heat and add the fresh basil (I tear mine into pieces). Also, unless absolutely necessary, do not wash your basil. Wipe it with a damp paper towel instead, so the water doesn't ruin the flavor and aroma.
- Use as desired.
Notes
- To enjoy with pasta as soon as the sauce is ready, put a large pot of salted water on the cooktop over high heat and cook the pasta as directed (if you are using egg or a very quick cooking pasta, do this about half-way through these directions).
- Add drained pasta to the sauce (save some pasta water to add back into the pasta in case it's too dry), and enjoy immediately.
- I like Mutti, La Valle or Bionaturae brands, or about 1 lb of fresh tomatoes (San Marzano, Roma or cherry tomatoes are great)
- Also, if you've been plating pasta in a bowl, then topping it with sauce, this is American-style. If you want to serve it the way they do in Italy, mix the sauce in, and then plate it. You will 100% taste the difference.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 135Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 498mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information is only an estimate.
You can’t get a simpler, better tasting Italian tomato sauce!
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Pasta sauce can make or break a recipe! Love your scratch version! Yum!
Absolutely! Thanks, Marjory!
What a great sauce to have on hand, so fresh and flavorful!
Simple is the best – I love a tomato sauce with very few ingredients. I hate when a ton of dried herbs are added. Fresh, and just basil! This is my kind of sauce.
Me too!! Thanks, Steph!
This looks like pure deliciousness. So fresh as well!
It is, Megan!! Thanks!
Mmmmm, I can just smell the wonderful aroma of those Italian tomatoes, garlic and basil wafting through your photos…I’ve no doubt this sauce is pure heaven!
Haha! If only we could have smell-o-vision, right?
Hi Christina. :) I love your blogs.
On this one you say “Fresh Roma
Tomatoes are best if you have them.”
I love using fresh anything if I can.
So if I did use fresh Roma’s in this
recipe, how would I go about it.
Blanche for skins and puree?? Please
advise…
Sincerely,
Nancy
Thank you, Nancy! Yes, you could blanche them to remove the skins then chop them up (also remove the seeds if you don’t like them) to add to the oil and garlic. If you don’t mind the skins and seeds, you could just chop them up and add them that way. You could also puree the sauce at the end to get a smooth result, but Italians don’t usually do that with this kind of fresh sauce. Enjoy! CC
This sauce is amazing and so simple to make – I’m trying to get away from processed food completely and all your recipes are great. Just a bit difficult at times to work out the ingredients as I am in Glasgow, Scotland but I try my best !
Hi Jane, thanks so much for your note! I’m so happy you like the quick sauce! Yes, I do mostly gear my recipes using US products, but if you ever have a question, please don’t hesitate to ask and I’ll do my best to get back to you as soon as I can (you know I’m from Glasgow, so I’m happy to help a fellow Glaswegian)! :)
I never ever make comments like this but I feel compelled to. If you decide not to publish it, I totally understand. I am brand new to your site and was excited that I found another great food blog. I was scrolling through your recipes and came across this post and the previous one critiquing the buzzfeed process (which I agree is intense!).
I totally get wanting your country/region’s cuisine to shine through authentically. I do. I’m of Slovakian origins and frozen pierogi makes me ragey. However, I understand that people enjoy them and I’d hate for anyone to feel like they couldn’t enjoy Eastern European food because they couldn’t make pierogi themselves. I also think it’s weird to put sour cream on them but that’s just how other regions enjoy the food.
An American example is chili. If you go to Texas, don’t even ask for beans. They’ll look at you like you’ve got two heads. However, I’m sitting here now in Ohio eating chili ‘Cincinnati Style’ with beans over spaghetti and that’s great too. Just different regional interpretations of the same great dish.
I have a recipe for tomato sauce from my great-aunt whose family came from Italy in the early 1900s. It is one of those with meat and a long simmer and it’s delicious too! I don’t think it’s fair to compare your fresh sauce with a long cooked bolognese type which is what I assume the buzzfeed article was going for. They’re completely different sauces. Like it or not, most Americans were raised on jarred sauces and those are the long cooking type so your sauce is unfamiliar. Teaching how to do it differently is great, but I just felt a little alienated and not good enough from these posts (and I make sauces like yours all the time! Can’t remember the last jarred sauce I bought). Like enjoying a sauce that isn’t exactly this one or having to use canned tomatoes or jarred garlic makes me ‘less than’. I surely don’t think that was your intent but everyone needs to take first steps to cooking better or maybe can’t even afford these better ingredients. I’d hate to think someone just gave up because they can’t get jarred tomatoes. Just my two cents.
Thanks for your heartfelt comment, Jennifer! I would never not post a comment unless it crossed the line with abusive language or some other reason that I felt made it inappropriate to publish.
I really appreciate your comments and I completely agree 100% with everything you wrote. I had thought that I made it clear on my “rant” about BuzzFeed’s recipe that I wasn’t saying that people shouldn’t make food the way they want or like it, but that I took issue with the “authentic” part or calling something Italian, when it clearly is not, but maybe I didn’t make it clear enough.
There absolutely are so many sauce recipes which ARE authentic to Italian cuisine which are not made quickly, or are simmered for a longer length of time, in fact, I make this type more often than I do the quick recipe. So I think the problem is that I made it seem as though a long simmered sauce with meat is not as good as a quick one. However, I didn’t intend this; my second post was only a recipe I published as an example of how quick and easy a sauce recipe can be (in contrast to the BuzzFeed article). You have to admit that the BuzzFeed sauce would take an entire day if you followed that “recipe”. It obviously isn’t a real recipe but a way of BuzzFeed to get people to their site, by combining several different parts of many recipes. There are a lot of people don’t know a real recipe from a made up one, so I felt the need to basically rip it apart.
Sometimes I don’t have tomatoes in jars so I use canned-if I don’t have fresh parsley, I use frozen; in my posts I was giving the best ingredients to use in order to get the best outcome, which is what I strive to do in each and every recipe. I don’t want people not to cook if they can’t find a certain ingredient, however, in certain circumstances, I would actually make a different dish if the only thing available will make the final outcome tasteless or worse. Since you do cook, I know you understand what I’m saying- it would be like making pierogi using a boxed mix, you’d advise someone that they’re just not going to taste “authentic”, right?
Thanks again for your thoughts and I hope if anyone else feels the same way, they’ll read your comment and my response so I don’t come across as pretentious, because that would make me sad. I’m definitely more of a peasant food and pub food girl, so I hope no one thinks I’m haughty when it comes to cooking! :) CC