10-Minute Tomato Sauce Recipe With Garlic & Basil Saves the Day Sauces/Condiments

You'll always find a jar of spaghetti sauce in my pantry. Well, almost always. When the craving for spaghetti hit recently, to my surprise, the pantry was bare – at least for spaghetti sauce. What to do?

I had a 28-ounce can of chopped tomatoes in tomato puree. With a few other simple ingredients, this can of tomatoes transformed into a delicious, fresh-tasting spaghetti sauce recipe. This quick pasta sauce recipe cooks in 10 minutes. No joke. The ingredients are simple: a can of chopped tomatoes, olive oil, onion, garlic and basil. You can add a pinch of sugar if like adding that to your pasta sauces or a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for a little heat.

Serve this quick and easy tomato sauce over your favorite pasta, or use it in any Italian recipe that calls for tomato sauce. Store the sauce in a container in the refrigerator until ready to use if you make it ahead of time. 

Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 can (28 ounces) chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 - 3 tablespoons chopped onion
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
• fresh basil leaves, torn
• pinch of sugar (optional)
• crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Here's how to make it: 

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepot. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes (do not drain). Bring to a gentle simmer.
3. If you don't like a chunky sauce, mash the tomatoes up with a potato masher. Simmer, stirring often, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the fresh basil leaves. Continue to gently simmer about 5 more minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. If you like a sweeter sauce, add a pinch of sugar. To spice it up, add some crushed red pepper flakes.
6. Serve over your favorite pasta.

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