How to Make Homemade Pasta Sauce Easy
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04/18/2002
I really didn't expect this sauce to taste as great as it did- I will never buy another jar of sauce. It cooked faster than the pasta and was a very sweet sauce! I did add some oregano and extra basil. The beauty of this is that you can add anything to it and it's great- I added green pepper, mushrooms (drained), and some italian sausage- perfect for the chunky sauce lover. It was awesome!! Thanks so much for this recipe!!
10/20/2005
As written, this is pretty bland and watery, imo. However, it is a nice basic recipe that can be improved upon and tweaked to personal preference. Personally, I sautee some chopped onion in olive oil, then add the herbs (regular Italian seasoning), garlic, pepper, a little chicken broth, and the tomatoes. Husband doesn't like chunks of tomato so I usually put the tom's in a bowl and whizz them up a bit with a hand-held blender. If I'm in the mood for a thicker, more robust sauce, I add some tomato paste and more chickie broth.
01/29/2006
I used what I had on hand and it was fantastic. 1 can 14.5oz diced tomatoes(w/juice) instead of 28 oz of crushed and 1/4 cup of oil was the only changes I made. I cooked the garlic in the oil and when I poured in the tomatoes I mashed them a little. This is really simple and fresh tasting. Might use fresh basil next time. Great in a pinch. My chicken parm came out fantastic!
08/05/2002
I'm 15 and I love to cook but I'm not too good with making complex things...This recipe was absolutely excellent!!!!! I made it for lunch and my mom came home and had it and LOVED IT! She took it back to work and everyone wanted the recipe!! It was so easy to make and it was SO good! Thanks!!
01/27/2012
after finding this recipe last year, i don't buy sauce anymore. i read all the reviews and added the most recommended modifications: 1 tsp sugar, a TB of tomato paste, another tsp or two of dried basil and a hefty pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. wonderful! so simple, yet so good. oh, and they don't have crushed tomatoes on the island where i live, so i just squish canned whole, peeled tomatoes. my three-year-old loves to assist with this part!
08/25/2003
Quick and easy to make. I had all the stuff and it didn't require a trip to the store, so it gets and extra star for just that reason. I don't know that the taste is anything spectacular. It was good though and my neice who was staying with me when I made it loved the fact that there was no meat in it. I added a little sugar to sweeten it up.
10/07/2000
This is a very good pasta sauce that can be used during the busy weekdays when you get home from work and don't have alot of time. We had it over shells and I added some red pepper flakes to give it some heat, I may add onion the next time also. It's better than any bought sauce and you could add things like mushrooms if you wanted. This will be a keeper for us.
04/12/2008
This was very quick prep and tasty good! I added an additional large can of concentrated crushed tomatoes and 2 teaspoons of ground italian seasonings. Instead of cooking for 20 minutes I cooked for 3 hours on low with a large bay leaf. Added into the sauce I used the Three Animal Meatball recipe from this site.
05/29/2001
This is quick and easy, yet doesn't taste "store bought". You may consider adding some seasonings, such as basil or oregano or some vegetables to make it more hearty.
10/13/2008
Great, easy recipe. I also added diced green pepper, onion and mushrooms, although I'm sure it tastes great w/o the veggies too. Served this over spaghetti with hot turkey italian sausage and garlic breadsticks on the side.... yummmm!
04/11/2011
I used what I had on hand and WOW, so good. I used 1 can petite diced tomatoes (w/olive oil & garlic) and one can plain. Also used fresh basil from a tube that I keep in the freezer. We used this sauce over manicotti, with garlic bread, and a salad, a glass of Pinot Grigio...great dish...thanks!
06/08/2009
Used a bit extra olive oil and six leaves of fresh basil instead of the dried--this is a gorgeously easy and delicious sauce. My go-to recipe!
03/10/2009
It was a very good recipe... with onion! I added about 1/4 cup (maybe less it was leftovers from omlets!)and it tasted a ton better. Good starter recipe!
12/21/2013
This is awesome. It is so easy. The key is use good canned tomatoes. I use the Cento brand in a yellow can. I add Italian seasoning along with the basil and a pinch of sugar for a little sweetness that we enjoy in our sauce. This is as close to a fresh made sauce as it gets when you don't have 4-8 hours of sauce cook time. Way better than a jar IMHO. I will make it again when I need a dinner in a hurry. Thanks for sharing.
07/18/2011
yummy, quick, and i had everything on hand! tBetter than jarred! Has that home cooked from italian restaurant taste, for such little effort! I did add a bit of garlic salt near end of cooking meatsauce b/c it was just a wee bit bland!
08/07/2012
Not wanting to use the ready made sauce that came with my pasta, I decided to try this one. I only had stewed tomatoes but this came out very good! My family really enjoyed this one so I'll be making it again!
10/11/2008
This was awesome. I love how simple it is especially after spending hours making other pasta sauces I've seen on this site. And you can really make it your own. I like to add a little bit of diced bacon and some ground beef to give it a meaty taste for my meat-loving boyfriend and we roasted some of our home grown red peppers and threw them in too. Fantastic and it takes no time to make! Cheaper than bottled sauce and by far fresher!
01/06/2013
Made this tonight because I ran out of Prego for my lasagna. The most sensitive child noticed a difference but she said it was a good one. I only modified it to make it smell like what I wanted to taste. I added 2tsp sugar and oregano based on what I wanted to taste. I only had powdered basil so I added 1/4tsp to 1/2tsp. Again, it was based on smell. In the end I added graded parm to the sauce after it mixed it in w/the meat. This was a very good quick sauce base.
04/03/2015
this was so fast and easy! i added some onions in with the garlic and also put in some tomato paste to help thicken it. delish!
12/28/2011
It smells delicious but there is something missing. I added onions and thyme.
10/11/2006
This was a really good basic recipe. I added some meat for bolognese and i put in loads more basil than in the recipe and a touch of chilli. Next time I will add onion, mushroom and cinnamon. Double garlic too probably. Very good though!
11/23/2009
For the limited ingredients in this recipe, the sauce was delicious! I made it yesterday and loved how quick and easy it was to put together. It tasted fresh compared to the overly sweet bottled sauces. Thanks for a good recipe!
11/27/2014
Loved it. It was simple, easy, quick, and yummy! I added Italian seasoning instead of just basil and I also added Italian sausage.
05/03/2011
My picky husband loved it! Great fresh taste, much yummier than anything from a jar, quick too.
09/15/2004
A fabulous start to a sauce of your own! I used a can of diced tomatoes because that's all I had on hand. I doubled the garlic, added 1 TSP oregano, 1 TBSP sugar, 2 TBSP ketchup, and 1/2 TSP crushed chillies. It's a delicious and fresh tasting sauce. Thanks!! :-)
12/03/2002
Super quick. All the garlic gives it an almost spicy kick. My husband loved this.
10/11/2004
I never made pasta sauce before and this gave me some great direction to start a sauce and then add my own touch to it. My recipe changes every time. Thanks!!!
11/08/2006
This is a good starting point. We added crushed pepper and some tomato suace to give it more substance.
03/29/2010
So easy and so tasty! My husband liked this better than store bought sauce. This is a great base to make whatever kind of sauce you want by adding mushrooms, meat, or bell pepper. I will make this over and over again!
04/17/2011
I also added a few things to this one...1 can paste, green peppers and mushrooms. I used Italian Seasoning and also bought crushed tomatoes with basil. This was quick and easy and very delicious.
12/08/2014
Added oregano, onion powder and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Super easy and much better than jarred sauce.
08/17/2014
This was really quick and easy to make. I used diced tomatoes and added shallots and a bay leaf to the mix. I smashed the tomatoes with a potato smasher as it cooked to even out the consistency. So much better than store bought any day! And no worries about added sugar and other hidden additions!
10/07/2010
Quick and tasty. I added a dash of dried crushed red peppers for a little zing!
05/08/2014
This was quick and easy for a starter. I added a small can of tomato paste, half a cup of red wine, half a cup of chicken broth,a little water and italian seasonings.
07/20/2011
What a great basic quick recipe. I was making eggplant parm at the last minute and needed some sauce. I added about a Tbsp of sundried tomatoe paste with the garlic. Then some Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (14 oz can) along with some Italian dried seasoning. Hey this was so good and quick why keep jar on hand. I'm Italian and my Italian Grandpa had a bakery, then a dinner. This would be good to make ahead and freeze. enjoy
12/19/2014
good when you don't have much ingredients and time I would say this is a very very basic sauce that you can build and tweak to your liking. I found it to be so so. I won't make it again. at least I can say I've made my own sauce
03/30/2011
This was quite good; not awesome, but since this is maybe the first time I've ever not used jarred or canned sauce, I may stick to homemade from now on. I made it almost exactly as written. I cooked the sauce for the full 20 minutes, but turned the heat down from medium because the sauce was bubbling a lot and spattering my cooktop. The spices here are simple, and doubtless can be improved upon, but for a quick-and-dirty homemade pasta sauce, this was quite a treat.
09/25/2010
I used diced can tomatoes instead of crushed ones and it was still great! I actually did not think the sauce would be any good so I had some extra store bought sauce just in case but it was actually good. The trick is making sure you put just enough garlic to have flavor but not too much to over power the flavors of the basil and tomatoes.
08/21/2005
I made this for dinner tonight, adding in double garlic, and some oregano and it was delishious! I will definatly make this again maybe adding a splash of chili powder for zing and some chopped onions.
02/06/2011
I added 1 T. sugar (just because!) and used my immersion blender to puree after simmering in the pot - LOVED IT! We like sauce without tomato paste, and this had plenty of flavor and texture without it.
11/01/2009
Absolutely the best pasta sauce recipe I have ever made and in my 63 years, I have tried a few! I started with sauteing a chopped onion with the garlic (only 2 cloves ) and a little sugar to cut the acidity. Also used fresh basil instead. No salt was necessary either. Used on the Eggplant Parmaesan II recipe. Fabulous!!!!!
08/17/2008
It won't knock your socks off, but is a good basic sauce recipe. I did tweak it a bit, adding sugar, oregano, and cinnamon for more flavor.
12/31/2012
Definitely a good, basic recipe that you can put your own spin on. I added chopped onions & mushrooms but still felt it needed something more. I will play around with this as it is a great base, and so easy!
03/20/2008
My husband loved the taste, thought I had labored forever in the kitchen. I did add onions to the garlic when sauteeing & also added oregano & more basil. Very easy, I will never buy jars again, either.
04/15/2002
This was a very easy recipe, which tasted good. It was very nice with cheese tortellini.
07/15/2012
I liked it a lot. Im not a a great cook so this was a great recipe for those who dont have much time or are slow cookers. i added Balsamic Vinegar for more flavor.
04/03/2012
Often times I veer from the original recipe. I had NO time and NO jar sauce on hand. So, I followed the recipe and found it to be simply perfect. No more jar sauce, as this will be my last minute standby for a no fuss meal. Thanks for sharing.
02/25/2008
I've made this a few times now and it's great! I had never made pasta sauce before but hated the idea that I had no control over the ingredients. This is perfect, can be changed to suit tastes and takes hardly no time at all. I use a lot of garlic, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and sometimes add olives too. I also add a can of diced tomatoes because I like a chunkier sauce. Very easy and good.
02/13/2010
I really liked this recipe; I think it's a really good simple jumping point to making pasta sauce to your own taste :) I made this a few months ago, adding more garlic, basil, oregano, and lots of crushed red pepper flakes (I love my sauces spicy) and it was a really good sauce. I would recommend it to anyone who is just starting to make their own pasta sauces. Best part is I always have almost all of this on hand!
04/12/2009
The recipe by itself is pretty bland, but add a few things and you can dress this up:)! Its easy, affordable, and like many others said I don't think I will ever buy bottled pasta sauce again!
10/24/2006
i really enjoyed the ease & freshness of this sauce. no modifications were made aside from my stirring in a small sauteed onion. i served this with angel hair pasta and the delicious tomato chicken parmesan (also from this website). thanks for the recipe liarose!
01/17/2012
A great quick pasta sauce for things like lasagna (which is what I used it for today). Thanks!
07/27/2015
Yum! I added Italian sausage and mushrooms and it was GREAT! Even my picky sister loved it! Could use some more spices, but it worked. Amazingly short cook time for such a great sauce.
12/08/2009
Very good! Could have even more flavor, but a great starting point with many possibilities!
06/12/2013
It was a good basic sauce. Family loved it. I did use chopped tomatoes (I didn't have crushed on hand) put through the blender a bit. I thought it needed a bit more, maybe paste would be good. I will use this recipe as the base for future sauces but will tweak it to our desired preference.
12/21/2009
Super easy to make, even on a weeknight.
05/06/2009
This was not too good. Seemed to simple to be good and sure it enough it was. Needs more of a taste to it.
05/21/2010
I loved this. My whole family did. I was surprised by how good it turned out since it was so quick and easy and didn't have many ingredients. I added onions to mine when I sauteed the garlic. Yum.
03/13/2009
I was quite impressed. I didn't have any of the store bought stuff yesterday, But I did have the ingredients for the recipe on-hand. It was simple straightforward and a very flexible recipe. I used this recipe with some seasoned ground beef, and the end result was a sauce that fit the bill perfectly. Rague, Prego, and all the others as of this post are all officially FIRED! I'll be making my own from now on. Peace.
07/02/2009
It's hot today and I didn't want to spend a lot of time cooking. So I thought spaghetti! Of course I had no pasta sauce. I found this recipe. Of course, I did not have a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes. I did have a 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes pre-seasoned with basil and garlic. So I substituted that and used a few leaves fresh basil since I grow it. Tossed with the pasta and sprinkled with Parmesan. It was yummy and no one noticed it wasn't the typical sweeter taste of a store bought sauce. And it was ready in less than 15 minutes!
06/26/2008
I loved this, it was quick and easy, just what I needed. The only change I made was that I used sliced tomatoes instead of crushed and increased the cooking time for a thicker, chunkier sauce.
04/20/2010
I have never made my own sauce before and looked for a basic one I could make in a pinch. This was soooo easy and tasted great and my favorite part is that it's so much cheaper than jarred sauce. My family loved the flavor of it. Now that I have this basic recipe I'm branching out with adding other herbs and veges. I can now enjoy pasta more than I ever did.
09/15/2018
I added a small can of tomato paste, a tiny bit of sugar, and fresh basil
04/25/2021
Excellent base recipe. Fast and easy to make. I've been experimenting with adding ground beef and ground veal, as well as onions or shallots. Very easy to adapt this to your own personal flavor preferences.
01/26/2010
I used this to replace pasta sauce in another recipe. If you love sauces with basic tomato flavor, this one is good. I didn't really feel it was awesome on any level. I wouldn't use it again, unless I ran out, like this time. Its not the recipe's fault by any means, its just not dimensional enough for what I use pasta sauce for.
10/10/2017
I realized too late that I was out of jarred pasta sauce. I searched online for something quick and easy, and this recipe more than met that criteria! I didn't expect it to be as delicious as it is! I added fresh bell peppers & vine ripened tomatoes, then simmered it until the peppers were cooked cooked through. The entire family, including a child who "despises" tomatoes & any type of peppers, adored it & all requested that I make it again soon! This will be my go-to recipe from now on! I will NEVER use jarred pasta sauce again!
03/29/2016
I added onion, Italian seasonings, extra garlic ,just a touch of red wine. Did not care for it.
08/24/2015
So yummy! Would make it again, added more basil and more pepper.
09/08/2019
The "taste test" went okay, but as I had to use up tomatoes, just froze the pasta sauce. Will review further when I use it!
12/29/2015
Wow this is really good... Simple, clean, very tasty with depth. After tasting this, I don't feel the need to have to let sauce simmer forever for it to be awesome lol. Will definitely make again. I didn't change anything, which is unusual for me :-)
02/08/2009
If you want quick, this is your recipe. It is better used as an ingredient, rather than the star on top of pasta by itself. I used it with Italian sausages, onions, peppers and fennel--and it was great! I couldn't help but add to it, though -- I used a T of fresh basil, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and a touch of red wine. A good, solid recipe for every cook!
01/29/2008
Wonderful and so simple. I even found canned crushed tomato with basil already included. It was delicious!
06/24/2012
This is an aweome recipe, amd my family loved it.
11/13/2012
Definitely Quick! Tasty & Healthy! Will make this my go to recipe for fresh tomato sauce whenever I have an abundance of tomatoes...
03/29/2008
Good base recipe. I added my own spices (more garlic, italian seasoning, onion flakes) and some grated cheddar cheese ( didn't have parmesan on hand) and it was excellent. I also added ground beef.
09/05/2018
Fantastic recipe! My son asked for Spaghetti and meat balls. I looked in my cupboard and realized I didn't have a jar of sauce. But I had the ingredients for this recipe! Thanks
10/26/2017
I found this overly sweet and bland as to seasonings. I followed it exactly so I don't know what went wrong.
04/02/2009
You won't win best cook of the year with this sauce but it is more than worth it. You get a lot for a little in this case. This is exactly what the title says a quick pasta sauce.
09/01/2012
Tastes better for a pizza than a pasta. Simple n quick..
06/01/2004
I don't think we would like this sauce with just pasta, but it was perfect with Stuffed Shells III, by Renee. If you like stuffed shells, this sauce with that recipe makes a wonderful combination.
11/28/2016
I was skeptical but out of my regular sauce so I gave it a try. This was unexpectedly really tasty. I added a half of a chopped onion and sautéed with garlic before adding the tomatoes. It's sweeter than long simmering sauce but still really very good.
10/05/2008
I decided to try this when I found out I didn't have any jarred sauce handy. I am glad I did. It truly was "quick." I added some extra seasonings to taste and was quite pleased.
10/11/2017
Very easy and delicous. I used fresh chopped tomatoes because I didn't have any canned. I simmered at medium heat for 25m.
12/11/2018
I was skeptical because this recipe has such great reviews but the ingredients list was missing something to balance the tartness of the canned tomatoes. I made it anyway because of the glowing reviews and it was so sour! Most recipes using canned tomatoes use brown sugar or balsamic vinegar to cut the tartness, which is what I had to do to salvage it (along with adding tomato paste and more spices).
09/29/2019
I made this sauce exactly as written. It was fast and delicious. I used it on pasta, but will be trying it on other dishes. I will definitely be making it again.
11/05/2018
Delicious, simple and quick sauce to put together! I found that it needed sweetness, so I added a few tblsp of brown sugar. That helped to improve the flavor and cut the acidity of the tomatoes, for my tastes anyway. Another time, this would be wonderful over pasta, but I'm using it in a vegetable lasagna. Thanks for this excellent recipe!
12/21/2012
We didn't have any pasta sauce in the house so we whipped this up quickly. Tasted great and probably saved us $1.50!
11/06/2012
Awesome! I tried this one penne and it tasted just like store bought sauce! This sauce is great. It's quick, easy, simple, and tasty!
Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/21455/quick-pasta-sauce/
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