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Authentic Homemade Spaghetti Sauce (Fresh or Canned Tomatoes)

Katie Wells Avatar

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spaghetti sauce
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Authentic Homemade Spaghetti Sauce (Fresh or Canned Tomatoes)

Authentic Italian food is a big tradition in our family. Over the years I’ve come up with plenty of healthy twists on our favorite Italian dishes that fit our lifestyle. One of the most delicious recipes is this homemade spaghetti sauce that goes great on rice noodles, zucchini noodles, and of course homemade meatballs.

Why Homemade Pasta Sauce?

Years ago I became privy to my Nonna’s best spaghetti sauce recipe that uses pre-canned tomato sauce and diced tomatoes (that she probably canned herself). One year I attempted to mimic the recipe using fresh tomatoes since we had an abundance from our garden and came up with my own pasta sauce recipe. It’s great on homemade “spaghetti” and meatballs, especially with a little parmesan cheese.

I’m sharing my variations of both today:

How to Make Pasta Sauce from Fresh or Canned Tomatoes

If you’re working from fresh tomatoes, use the first recipe. If you’re using canned tomatoes, use the second. I cook this on the stovetop, but you could also simmer them down in a Crockpot or slow cooker if preferred.

While “Nonna’s Recipe” is still the gold standard of spaghetti sauce in our family, I’m not sure I’m allowed to share the secret recipe. Instead, I’m sharing my own variations. I know I can share one part of her secret, which is to throw a piece of a carrot into the sauce while it’s cooking. This absorbs the acidity of the tomatoes and creates a sweeter sauce. It also removes the need for a sweetener to cut down the acidity.

This spaghetti sauce is great for an easy weeknight dinner, especially if you can it for later. Plus we think it tastes a lot better than jarred sauce from the store.

 

spaghetti sauce

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce With Fresh Tomatoes

Authentic tomato marinara sauce from fresh tomatoes, basil, and garlic.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Calories 144kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

8 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Grate half of the carrot.
  • Pour the olive oil into a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  • When hot, add the diced onions to the olive oil and saute for 5 minutes.
  • Add the minced garlic and grated carrot and saute for 2-3 minutes longer or until onions are translucent and tender.
  • Add the tomatoes, chopped basil leaves, oregano, thyme bay leaves, parsley, and sea salt.
  • Simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours or until cooked down and starting to darken.
  • Add carrot piece for the last 30 minutes to absorb acidity while the sauce thickens.
  • Remove the sprigs of fresh herbs, bay leaves, and piece of carrot.
  • Optional: Use an immersion blender to puree sauce until smooth (for a thicker sauce, skip this step).
  • Use fresh or store in the refrigerator up to 1 week, or can it according to your canner’s instructions for tomato products.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce With Fresh Tomatoes
Amount Per Serving (0.5 cup)
Calories 144 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Sodium 313mg14%
Potassium 778mg22%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 3722IU74%
Vitamin C 44mg53%
Calcium 53mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

To peel fresh tomatoes (or peaches) cut a small “x” on the top and drop into boiling water for 10 seconds and then drop into an ice bath. The skin will easily peel off.
spaghetti sauce

30 Minute Homemade Spaghetti Sauce With Canned Tomatoes

If a two-hour simmer time isn’t your thing, this recipe tastes almost as good and cooks in much less time. This is my go-to on a busy night when I have 30 minutes to turn a pound of ground beef into dinner.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Calories 158kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

8 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 medium onions (chopped)
  • 8 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 56 ounces crushed tomatoes (or whole or stewed tomatoes)
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 1 TBSP dried basil leaves or 1/4 cup fresh, finely chopped
  • 2 bay leaves optional
  • ½ tsp dried thyme optional
  • salt (to taste)
  • black pepper (to taste)

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized or large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes
  • Add minced garlic and saute for another minute.
  • Then, add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper.
  • Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer.
  • Simmer for 10-15 minutes to let flavors meld. (Can simmer longer if desired for a thicker sauce with a deeper flavor).
  • Serve over spaghetti noodles or pasta of choice.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
30 Minute Homemade Spaghetti Sauce With Canned Tomatoes
Amount Per Serving (0.5 cup)
Calories 158 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Sodium 577mg25%
Potassium 865mg25%
Carbohydrates 22g7%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 761IU15%
Vitamin C 26mg32%
Calcium 102mg10%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

  • For a thinner sauce that works better for pizza, chicken parmesan, etc, use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.
  • This recipe yields about 4 cups of sauce.

Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!

How to Use Homemade Pasta Sauce

You probably already have a recipe in mind since you’re reading this post, but this is endlessly versatile and great in many recipes. The fresh tomato recipe variation is great for tomato season, and I often can any extras to use in the winter.

It works great with Italian sausage, beef, and even ground turkey. I’ll often serve it with zucchini noodles and chopped up bell peppers for extra veggies.

I use this sauce in:

How to Can Your Own Pasta Sauce

You can easily make a large batch of either of these sauces and can it for future use. I often do this when we have an abundance of tomatoes from the garden. There’s really no reason to can the recipe made from canned tomatoes since it’s quick to whip up and there’s no need for the extra step.

Canning Instructions for Homemade Tomato Sauce

I follow these instructions for canning my homemade tomato sauce. There’s some debate if it’s ok to water bath can tomato products or not. The general consensus seems to be that tomatoes are iffy for water bath canning because the pH is sometimes not quite acidic enough. One solution is to add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice per pint for canning or check the pH to make sure it is 4.4 or below.

I prefer to just pressure can according to my pressure canner instructions. The pressure is enough to kill any botulism spores and is considered safe for tomatoes.

How to Freeze Homemade Tomato Sauce

If canning isn’t your thing, you can also freeze this homemade sauce. I like to freeze in quart-size glass mason jars (here’s how) or metal containers, to avoid the plastic in freezer bags. You can also freeze this sauce in any airtight container once it has cooled.

What are your favorite ways to use spaghetti sauce? Leave a comment and let me know!

 

An authentic homemade Italian pasta sauce recipe using fresh tomatoes and herbs.

 

 

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

253 responses to “Authentic Homemade Spaghetti Sauce (Fresh or Canned Tomatoes)”

  1. Mark Sundman Avatar
    Mark Sundman

    I have bee researching pasta sauce recipes for the last two days and I must say this one sounds interesting. I will not rate this yet as I have not tried it but rest assured I will return once I do. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t simmering uncovered help with thickening of the sauce? I noticed several comments said it was a bit thin. I’m a thick chunky sauce loving kinda feller and will be testing this sauce VERY soon. I’m interested in the honey just to see what it adds to the flavor. My aunt made some AWESOME sauce I remember as I was growing up (she was always cooking something tomato based), she always had some kind of Italian sausage cooking right along with her sauces. I do wonder what the difference in the herb thyme and lemon thyme is? Should one be used above the other? Ms Katie thank you for sharing this, I’m always interested in new recipes, I belong to several recipe sharing pages on facebook always learning new tastes and flavors is an exciting hobby!!! Blessings =o)

  2. Juli F. Avatar

    2 stars
    You say the color change depends on the tomato. What kind of tomato did you use?
    I got my sauce to look like the picture, but, it’s orange. It doesn’t look visually appetizing. And we eat with our eyes.

  3. Alyssa Leys Avatar
    Alyssa Leys

    I tried making this last night and my pasta sauce was relatively thick even after I used my immersion blender, that I can live with, but my pasta sauce was brown instead of a redish color, straight up brown… can you maybe help me out as to what might have happened?

  4. Grayham Avatar

    Tomatoes were cheap at the store so I can bought a few kilos. Got excited in finding your recipe and it did not disappoint.
    I followed it to a ‘tee’ and ended up with a delightfully tasty deep orange tomato sauce that superbly enhanced our pasta supper.
    Thank you – I think the negative chefs should re-assess their culinary skills.
    Now to try some of your other recipes…….
    Best regards.

  5. Debbie Avatar

    I spent several hours making this sauce today and I was so excited to try it. I agree with a few other reviews…it was not good at all and a waste of time. Thanks for sharing your recipe though. others seem to like it so that’s good. It’s just not for us for sure.

  6. CLAIRE Avatar

    5 stars
    GREAT RECIPE, MINE TURNED OUT GREAT .. THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME ATTEMPTING HOMEMADE TOMATO SAUCE!! THE ONLY THING WAS THAT IT TURNED OUT A BIT WATTERY … HOW COULD I THICKEN IT UP? REALLY GREAT SAUCE THOUGH!! THANK YOU!

  7. Anu Avatar

    Mucho thanks for the recipe! I’m already half way there…simmering the tomatoes et al. When do you add the honey…? I should’ve asked this before I started preparing isn’t it:-)

  8. Sue Gosser Avatar
    Sue Gosser

    5 stars
    Fabulous, I can’t wait to try your other recipes ! I did use an immersion blender at the end to blend everything nicely.

  9. Kristin Avatar

    I still have this on the stove – however, prep time 10 minutes??? I was in the kitchen for 3 hours – peeling and seeding tomatoes, dicing onions, peeling and mincing garlic, etc. What am I missing??

    Also, honey is listen in the ingredients, but I dont see where/ when to add it?

  10. Kazie Avatar

    5 stars
    Fantastic recipe.. my whole house smells amazing right now….and tastes fantastic.. I had to omit the bay leaf because i dident have any on hand but it is still great.. A keeper for sure 😀

  11. Nadyha Avatar

    I’m excited to try this recipe!
    Do I simmer uncovered for the whole 2-3 hours? And when adding fresh basil and bay leaves, should they be added the last 45 minutes or the beginning with all other dry ingredients?

    Thank you for sharing your recipe with us 🙂

  12. Chris Avatar

    Yes, you can prepare the tomatoes and freeze them. When you defrost them for use you can then at the spices. You’ll want to simmer the sauce for about an hour when preparing with the spices.

  13. Christine McGovern Avatar
    Christine McGovern

    The only ingredient I have for this recipe so far are the tomatoes. Living on Long Island, my hubby and I took a ride out to the northern fork where farmland and farm stands are abundant. So I went a little crazy with the tomatoes, which are mouthwatering! I don’t want them to go bad, so I decided to stew them and make sauce. Please, can I stew them for 2-3 hours and then FREEZE the sauce until I get the other ingredients?
    Thank you Thank you Thank you!

  14. Brett Avatar

    If you come from an authentic Italian family… why’d you need this recipe in the first place? Boom.

  15. Crickie Avatar

    1 star
    OK, I come from an Italian household. This tomato “sauce” was terrible. Not even remotely authentic. Don’t waste your time.

  16. Brad Avatar

    Honey Wellness Mama, I need to know when to add the honey. I also noticed the prep time is 10 minutes. What is the trick to preparing 16 tomatoes by boiling, peeling, cooling, and removing the seeds? Is that realistic enough time?

  17. Amy Avatar

    5 stars
    Made this recipe tonight for my family..absolutely wonderful!! Followed the recipe exactly except I doubled the garlic 🙂 I emulsified after cooking down to hide the onions from my son..everyone loved it..and the recipe made enough for 2 dinners!!

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