This Simple Quick Italian Tomato Sauce has saved me more than once when the clock turned to five (or six) and I needed something on the table in a jiff that I knew everyone would want to eat!

Simple, Quick Italian Tomato Sauce

I first saw this, I think, on America’s Test Kitchen and was intrigued. And thanks to those geniuses, I can make an Italian Tomato sauce in under 20 minutes from a few herbs and a can of tomatoes. Best of all, Simple Quick Italian Tomato Sauce is much better than anything you can buy in a jar – and tastes so much fresher.

About Simple Quick Italian Tomato Sauce:

No matter how bare the cupboard or the fridge (especially before shopping day) we always have a few boxes of pasta around and cans of tomatoes. There’s generally at least an onion or two rolling around, and I usually have fresh herbs in the garden or in a pot. If I don’t, I can use dried herbs or whip up some of my Homemade Italian Seasoning Blend. In about 20 minutes, about the same time it takes to bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta, I can throw together a great tomato sauce!

This Simple Quick Italian Tomato Sauce is vegetarian but you can do the same thing with it that I used to do with a jarred pasta sauce when I was serving anyone that expected a beefy Italian Spaghetti sauce. Just brown up some ground beef, drain and add in the sauce to simmer and reduce.

Of course, you’re not limited to using a tomato sauce like this over pasta – Try it over sauteed peppers and onions, with or without sausage, drizzle over Italian style meatloaf or stuffed vegetables. I often cook it just a bit longer to thicken it up more when I’m planning on using this for pizza sauce. Simple Quick Italian Tomato Sauce makes about the same amount as a jarred pasta sauce, so substitute it at your will.

Simple, Quick Italian Tomato Sauce

Making Simple Quick Italian Tomato Sauce & a Leftover Idea:

There’s not much to know about making this super quick, super easy sauce. The onions, grated, cook down easily and the sauce still manages to have a great flavor in no time at all. I suggest using a large, wide pot so the reduction happens quickly and use a pot with high enough sides to avoid spattering. I often double this sauce to have extra on hand. It freezes very well.

This is one of those pasta sauces that really lends itself well to adding the well-drained pasta right to the pot then serving. If I don’t do that and happen to have a little leftover I love to make Spaghetti Pie. Just layer about two cups of leftover spaghetti, mixed with two eggs and a 1/4 to 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Add a layer of Ricotta, Cottage Cheese or Bechemal, then top with the leftover sauce. Mozzarella goes on top as much or as little as you’d like.

There’s another Cook’s Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen Pasta sauce on my site that I just love, too, a Quick Marinara. It’s similar but has its own spin. Or maybe you’d like to take a peek at some of my other favorite Pasta Meals on my site.

Spaghetti Pie, always a great leftover option.

Saving Money on Simple Quick Italian Tomato Sauce:

The pricing of making your own opposed to buying in jar is dependent upon a number of factors – full price to full price for this homemade Simple Quick Italian Tomato Sauce compared to a jar makes the homemade pretty cost-effective. Sales prices make things unpredictable. Add in a coupon or two and all bets are off.

I don’t use coupons as much now that my store doesn’t double any longer, but I do watch the sale prices closely for tomatoes and stock up at a low. I habitually buy the larger cans of whole tomatoes and just break them down in the blender when I want tomato sauce. If I only need a small can of tomatoes, I just divide the larger can in two (they large cans are about 29 ounces) and add the extra to a Ziploc and freeze. I try to do this right away so I’m not tempted to shove the can of tomatoes in the fridge. That never bodes well! By the time I think about them again, usually, they’re too old to use and that can is starting to corrode, and that’s a waste.

I mentioned I grow herbs. It makes such a big difference in my recipes and even more, it makes me feel better about the recipes I’m cooking. Special, maybe? I bring them inside when fall hits and try to keep them alive through the winter, then replant them in the spring. There’s not much of a risk in growing your own. Even if you kill your herbs off, the cost of a plant is usually a fraction of a tiny packet at the store. If you kill it, just dry it and put it in a jar.

Simple, Quick Italian Tomato Sauce

Simple Quick Italian Tomato Sauce

Print Recipe

• Author: cook's illustrated
• Total Time: less than 30 minutes
• Yield: 2 1/2 cups (20 ounces) 1x
• Category: Pasta Mains
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated onion, from 1 medium onion
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (plus additional to taste, if desired, when finished)
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes with juice – pulse in blender or food processor
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves or two teaspoons dried
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat oil in medium saucepan.  Add onion, oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar; increase heat to high and bring to simmer.

Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 – 20 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and additional oil; season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Notes:

Grating the onion makes the recipe go really fast and reduces the need to simmer longer and mellow out the flavor.

If you don’t have fresh herbs, use a quarter of the amount of dried herbs or substitute about a teaspoon of Italian Seasoning. Add dried herbs in at the beginning of the cooking process.

Keywords: canned tomatoes, Cook's Illustrated, Freezes Well, Italian, Marina, Pasta, Tomato sauce, Tomatoes, Vegetarian Meal