Skip the Jar: Make This Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce Instead
We’ve all done it—grabbed a jar or can of pizza sauce off the grocery store shelf. But once you try this quick and easy homemade pizza sauce, it likely won’t happen again, or at least not as often. The sauce comes together in minutes with just a few pantry staples, and the flavor is so much better!
Here are the few simple ingredients you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Tomato paste
- Garlic
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Water
- Salt
- Black pepper
The key to this flavorful sauce is caramelizing the tomato paste
Caramelizing the tomato paste is the key to this flavorful sauce. I first discovered this process when making one of my all-time favorite pasta recipes; Alison Roman’s Caramelized Shallot Pasta. Here is the post I did for that recipe. Caramelizing the tomato paste only takes a few minutes but makes such a big difference in the flavor. You’ll see how easy it is in the instructions.
How many pizzas can I make with this recipe?
Depending on how much sauce you like on your pizza, this recipe will make at least three pizzas and for most people, you can stretch it to four pizzas. I typically use about 2/3 cup of sauce for each pizza.
What’s the best way to store any leftover pizza sauce?
It’s best to store the leftover pizza sauce in a glass jar with a lid or in an airtight container. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to five days. If you don’t plan on using it again soon, I would freeze it. I like to freeze it in 2/3 cup portions or just enough for one pizza.
A few basic kitchen tools you’ll need
- Medium saucepan
- Microplane (for grating the garlic)
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
Instructions for making easy homemade pizza sauce
- Add the olive to the saucepan over medium heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the dried herbs to the oil and cook for about 1 minute or until the aromas from the herbs are released.
- Now add the tomato paste and the grated garlic to the saucepan and stir until the tomato paste begins to break down and absorb the oil. Keep cooking the tomato paste until it has turned dark red brick in color.
- Stir in the cup of water, add a little salt and some black pepper, reduce the heat to low, and let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes. The longer it cooks, the more flavor it takes on.
- Transfer the sauce to a small bowl, add it to your pizza dough, use your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Skip the Jar: Make This Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce Instead
Once you try this quick and easy homemade pizza sauce, you probably won’t grab a jar or can off the grocery store shelf again.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup water
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the olive to the saucepan over medium heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the dried herbs to the oil and cook for about 1 minute or until the aromas from the herbs are released.
- Now add the tomato paste and the grated garlic to the saucepan and stir until the tomato paste begins to break down and absorb the oil. Keep cooking the tomato paste until it has turned dark red brick in color.
- Stir in the cup of water, add a little salt and some black pepper, reduce the heat to low, and let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The longer it cooks, the more flavor it takes on.
- Transfer the sauce to a small bowl, add it to your pizza dough, use your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Notes
The ingredients and cooking time for this recipe only include the pizza sauce and not the pizza dough.
