This simple pasta sauce is ready in only 20 minutes. Seriously!
Store-bought pasta sauce is undoubtedly convenient. So long as you have one in the pantry, you have the key component for many of our favorite weeknight dinners. But what if we told you that a good pasta sauce doesn’t have to simmer on the stovetop for hours. Would you be more interested in making it from scratch if it cooked in the time it takes to boil pasta? Our recipe not only gets you there, but you only need a handful of pantry staple ingredients to make it, too.
How Do You Make a Pasta Sauce from Scratch?
Homemade pasta sauce is super simple to make. Our recipe uses onions, garlic, dried herbs, crushed tomatoes and a pinch of sugar, salt and black pepper. It’s almost as easy as using hacks to make store-bought tomato sauce taste better, but making it from scratch allows you to control the ingredients. Most of our favorite brands list tomatoes as the first ingredient, and they don’t have any crazy sounding additives. That’s good, but they all have one thing in common: A ton of sodium (often more than 20% of your daily recommended intake). When you make the sauce at home, you don’t need to use as much salt, so the flavor of the tomatoes really gets to shine.
What Kind of Tomatoes Do You Use for Sauce?
We’re technically making a marinara here—a quick-cooking sauce that’s relatively thin and tastes strongly like tomatoes. There are all kinds of different tomatoes out there, but this recipe is designed around using canned tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes are perfect because they have the ideal consistency for pasta sauce, so you don’t have to drag out the food processor to get rid of the chunks.
If you have another type of canned tomato in the pantry, you could certainly use it for this recipe. Each type has a different consistency, and here’s how they differ:
Diced tomatoes: Firm chunks of chopped tomatoes in tomato sauce. These tomatoes are treated with calcium chloride, so the pieces won’t fall apart as they simmer.
Crushed tomatoes: Semi-pureed tomatoes in tomato sauce. Crushed tomatoes have a thicker texture than tomato sauce, and they sometimes contain a little tomato paste.
Tomato sauce: A thin, fully pureed sauce made from tomatoes. These jars often contain added seasonings, like basil or oregano, and are usually thinned out with water.
Stewed tomatoes: Large chunks of soft tomatoes in tomato sauce, sometimes left whole or chopped into rings. Many stewed tomatoes also contain onions and celery.
How to Make Simple Pasta Sauce
Taste of Home
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Yield: 8 servings
Instructions
Step 1: Cook the vegetables
This step is where we build all the depth of flavor for this sauce. Start by heating the olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the brown sugar, minced garlic, basil and oregano. Cook for an additional minute, until the garlic is fragrant and the spices have bloomed in the oil.
Step 2: Add the tomatoes and simmer
Add the can of crushed tomatoes along with the bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil before reducing the heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for about ten minutes, until the liquid is reduced and the flavors have come together. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Editor’s Tip: The longer you cook this sauce, the thicker it will become. Feel free to simmer it for an additional 10 or 20 minutes for a really thick pasta sauce.
How to Use This Easy Pasta Sauce
This simple pasta sauce is perfect for spaghetti, but you can also use it on a variety of other dishes.
Turn it into bolognese sauce by adding browned ground beef and sausage (or keep things veggie-friendly with mushrooms).
Use it for chicken Parmesan (and turn the leftovers into sandwiches).
This recipe isn’t approved for canning, but it will last in the refrigerator for five to seven days. It’s best to store the sauce in glass jars or containers. The tomatoes are very acidic, and they can stain your plastic containers. Keep the sauce covered with plastic wrap or close it tightly with a lid.
Can you freeze pasta sauce? Yes.
To freeze this pasta sauce, let it cool completely in the refrigerator. Portion it into airtight containers and freeze it for up to three months. When you’re ready to use the sauce, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating it.
Nutrition Facts
Each 1/2 cup serving of this simple pasta sauce contains about 69 calories, 4 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbohydrates (5 grams from sugars and 2 grams from fiber) and 2 grams of protein.
When it comes to sodium, the 3/4 teaspoon salt equates to roughly 1800mg sodium. That’s about 225mg per serving. If you’re concerned about sodium intake, look for no-salt-added crushed tomatoes. You can also reduce the amount of salt in the recipe.
I guarantee that if this pizza mac is on the menu, everybody will be at the table come dinnertime! Use any of your favorite pizza toppings. I have used Canadian bacon and pinneapple, and my family really loved that. The combinations are only limited by your imagination. &mdashKelly Silvers, Edmond, Oklahoma
These meatball sliders are a fun way to serve meatballs at your party without using a slow cooker. Made on mini Hawaiian rolls, they have a hint of sweetness to balance out all the wonderful Italian seasonings. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
I make this spicy shrimp pasta a lot because it's a something my family never seems to get tired of. The sauce is so fast to make I can get it done while the fettuccine is cooking. In the past, I have added red peppers and spinach, but who's to say you could not add mushrooms or more or less spice. —Stephanie Beluk, Sharpsburg, Georgia
There’s no shame in shortcuts—especially on weekdays. Bring on the boxed mixes, canned goods and frozen veggies. If the fam can’t get enough of your half-homemade chicken mole, we wanna taste! And your shrimp cocktail sauce that’s practically cheating? That, too. Don’t forget your bakery-quality 3-ingredient breakfast pastries either. Send us your foolproof favorites with 12 ingredients or fewer for a chance to win $500. Enter the Contest
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My great-aunt used to make the most amazing braciole, but it was a laborious and time-consuming effort. I took her basic recipe and transformed it into a slow cooker version, making it easier for today's hurried world. My great-aunt always served the flank steak sliced over orzo that had been tossed with olive oil and Romano cheese. Delicioso!—Lisa Renshaw, Kansas City, Missouri
I love that this soup is easy to make and uses common ingredients found in the pantry. You can use other types of sausage or pasta if desired. —Annalise Lau, Newberg, Oregon
I love lasagna and garlic bread, so it only made sense to put them together in these fun little cups. Have one as an appetizer or two for a meal! —Angelique Douglas, Maryville, Illinois
When I crave Italian comfort food on a busy night and don't have a lot of time to cook, this sausage tortellini skillet recipe is fast and yummy. You can have it on the table in less time than a takeout order. —Gerry Vance, Millbrae, California
I based this recipe on a dish my husband likes to order when we go out for Italian food. Not only does he love it, my one-year-old daughter does, too. She'll grab a whole ravioli and eat it! —Jennifer Berger, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
After having the five-cheese ziti at Olive Garden, I tried to make my own version of it—and I think I got pretty close. I always double this when I'm making it and freeze the second one for another meal. —Keri Whitney, Castro Valley, California
I never seem to have pizza dough on hand, but that doesn't stop our family from enjoying pizza. We top crusty French bread with creamy Alfredo sauce, sausage and veggies. It's great to serve at a party for children or teens. —Cherie Sweet, Evansville, Indiana
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Just because you start with a jar of pasta sauce doesn't mean you can't end up with an amazing homemade meal! Grab a jar of the good stuff and combine it with fresh ingredients like spinach, mushrooms and sausage to make a satisfying supper. Not sure which brand of spaghetti sauce to buy? Check out the brands our editors and the Taste of Home Test Kitchen recommend.
This baked lasagna is far better tasting than any store-bought version. Ham and spinach combine for fabulous flavor. —Delia Kennedy, Deer Park, Washington
I'm always looking for dinners that I can put together quickly. I re-created a favorite pasta dish from an Italian restaurant by using grocery store convenience products. Add crusty bread and a salad for a complete meal. —Christine Ward, Austin, Texas
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A couple of nights a week our family ends up eating in shifts because everyone is going every which way, all at the same time. Having a hearty soup simmering in the slow cooker is an easy way to give them all a warm meal. —Susan Stetzel, Gainesville, New York
When I want a lighter dinner, I use lean turkey bacon in this recipe. It gives the pasta that richness you want without all the extra fat. —Courtney Harris, Denton, Texas
This is a super fun way to serve lasagna for make-ahead lunches, potlucks or other fun get-togethers. My daughter took some of these to work and by noon was emailing me for the recipe. —Sally Kilkenny, Granger, Iowa
Our Test Kitchen kneaded basil, oregano and Parmesan cheese into packaged bread dough for this full-flavored crust. Purchased pesto sauce keeps it big on taste and convenience.
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In southeastern Wisconsin, our cuisine is influenced by both Germans and Italians who immigrated to this area. When preparing this recipe, we usually substitute German bratwurst for the Italian sausage, so we blend the two influences with delicious results. —Craig Wachs, Racine, Wisconsin
This recipe is so versatile! Look in your fridge for anything else you want to throw in, like red pepper, mushrooms, extra zucchini—you name it. And if you're a vegetarian, go ahead and leave out the chicken. —Stephanie Loaiza, Layton, Utah
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Pensacola, Florida
s my love making this satisfying dish--it's easy and elegant, and the slow cooker minimizes my time in the kitchen. I make this during football season, too. For game days, I skip the pasta and serve the chicken on submarine rolls with a bit of the sauce and some chopped lettuce. You could also cut the chicken breasts in half and make sliders. —Bonnie Hawkins, Elkhorn, Wisconsin
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When my husband and I wanted to live healthier, our first step was to eat more power foods, such as whole grains, fresh veggies and protein. Combined with our love for Italian food, this tasty lasagna is one of the nutritious results.—Jennifer Yaden, Richmond, Kentucky
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When you taste this casserole, you'll think it came from a complicated, from-scratch recipe. Really, though, it starts with frozen ravioli and has only three other ingredients. —Patricia Smith, Asheboro, North Carolina
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One night friends on a tight schedule stopped by. I invited them to stay for dinner, so I needed something I could fix in short order. I created these savory roll-ups, featuring a creamy three-cheese filling. They taste like lasagna but bake in a fraction of the time. —Julia Trachsel Victoria, British Columbia
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My family is from Argentina, which has a strong Italian heritage and large cattle ranches. One of our favorite Argentinian recipes is this all-in-one lasagna packed with meat, cheese and veggies. —Sylvia Maenenr, Omaha, Nebraska
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Whole wheat noodles and zucchini pump up nutrition in this delicious, family-friendly dinner. Topped with dollops of ricotta cheese, it has an extra touch of decadence. No one will believe this one’s lighter. —Lorie Miner, Kamas, Utah
Grandfather loved pirate stories and good pasta. When we make his stuffed shells, it reminds us of his favorite tropical places and adventures. —Kathy Noll, Laureldale, Pennsylvania
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On especially cold winter days, my family loves this with mild Italian sausage. I agree about the cold days, but I prefer a spicy sausage blend, which gives it a bit of a zing. —Cindi DeClue, Anchorage, Alaska
When a girlfriend came home from the hospital with her newborn, I sent over this freezer casserole. She and her family raved over how good it was. Try substituting olives for mushrooms or using veal instead of chicken. —Jamie Valocchi, Mesa, Arizona
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After years of working in professional kitchens, Lindsay traded her knives in for the pen. While she spends most of her time writing these days, she still exercises her culinary muscles on the regular, taking any opportunity to turn local, seasonal ingredients into beautiful meals for her family.