Best Pasta Sauce Recipe Ever: 4-Ingredient Spaghetti Sauce Recipe Starts With Fresh Tomatoes by Donna John

Sauces/Condiments Pasta
2 years ago

Best Pasta Sauce Recipe Ever: 4-Ingredient Spaghetti Sauce Recipe Starts With Fresh Tomatoes

When you're in a hurry and need dinner fast, jarred spaghetti sauce is fine. I buy it all the time. But if you have time, and fresh tomatoes, why not make your own fresh, healthy, homemade pasta sauce?

This simple tomato sauce recipe has just four ingredients and is rich with tomato flavor. The fresh tomatoes cook down, low and slow, and turn into an intensely flavored sauce. Add garlic, basil and lots of olive oil and the taste is amazing. Try it and see.

Cuisine: Italian / American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 to 3 hours
Total Time: 2 to 3 hours plus 10 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients

  • 3 - 4 pounds Roma tomatoes
  • chopped garlic
  • fresh basil leaves
  • olive oil
  • sugar (optional)

Here's how to make it:

  1. Wash the tomatoes.
  2. Cut the tomatoes in half.
  3. Put the tomatoes in a Dutch oven. Sprinkle them with a little salt.
  4. Bring to a simmer and smash them with a potato masher.
  5. Cook on low heat, stirring often, until they reduce down and form a "paste," about 2-3 hours. (Below is tomatoes after 1 hour of cooking.)
  6. Tomatoes after 2 hours.
  7. Tomatoes after 3 hours.
  8. Throw in some chopped or whole garlic, fresh basil leaves and about 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, if needed. (This will depend on how sweet your tomatoes are and how you like your sauce.) Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  9. Add the olive oil. (I use a lot, probably around a 1/4 cup or so, but it's all to your taste.)
  10. Stir well to combine.
  11. Serve with your favorite pasta and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

Need help converting cooking and baking measurements? Here are some handy kitchen conversion charts.

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Sugar $3 & Up
Olive Oil $4 & Up
Potato Mashers $5 & Up
Pasta $1 & Up
Dutch Ovens $15 & Up

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Donna John
We had this last night. I had to add ground beef to my husband's, though he has eaten it meat-free before. It has a great, rich flavor because of how the tomatoes condense down. It's really good. Hope ya'll give it a try!
Donna John
Cooked a batch of this tomato sauce last night and snapped photos while I did. Hope they help if (when!) you decide to try this recipe. Elisa All Schmitz 30Seconds
Tribe
Wow, this looks awesome! 🙌🙌
Elisa Schmitz
OMG! This is amazing, Donna John . I love your photos! You truly make me believe that I can do this. I want to try soon, thank you! #yum
Dawn Taylor
Thank you for this!! Love the simplicity, and I know it will be healthy and yummy :)
Barb Davis
I know NOTHING about tomatoes. Are Roma the only kind I can use? 2and dumb question...grocery stores carry Romas? I'm not a good cook...trying to learn.
Donna John
You could also use a smaller regular tomato, but most grocery stores will carry Roma tomatoes, which are more oval. Let me know how it turns out for you. This is one of my all-time favorite ways to eat spaghetti. Barb Davis

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