It takes just 15 minutes to make a vibrant, Fresh Tomato Sauce — you’ll never go back to cans or jars again!
Here’s a dirty little secret that all those Italian grandmothers don’t want you to know. You can make fresh tomato sauce that’s really really incredible in just a few minutes. But you need to make it in the summer, with good ripe tomatoes. It’s super easy and super good. If anyone tries to tell you you must peel the tomatoes, or take the seeds out, or simmer it all day, tell them, nicely, to mind their own beeswax.
Use as many or as few tomatoes as you want. I used 4 tomatoes and got about 2 cups of sauce. Use any variety, although for a classic red sauce I went with red tomatoes. This couldn’t be simpler. Just rough chop the tomatoes and throw them into a pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, a clove or two of chopped garlic, and some salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like. (I like.)
Season it any way you like. I’m going to add fresh basil, but just before I serve the sauce. You can use other fresh herbs like thyme, oregano, or parsley. This sauce will be lighter in every way than traditional tomato sauce, so I think fresh herbs are best.
Ingredients
- 4 medium-large ripe tomatoes, rough chopped (do not peel)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put everything into a saucepan and cook for 15 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender. If you want a thicker sauce, cook it a little longer.
- Refrigerate the sauce until ready to use, and use within a week.
notes:
- If you like you can strain the sauce to remove the seeds.
25 Comments
Chris Scheuer
April 7, 2015 at 1:24 pmI think I’ll just drink mine right from the cup, if you don’t mind! It looks amazing!
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Sarah Westendorf
October 8, 2014 at 7:36 amI used this recipe in a food roundup on my blog, DashandaPinch! Thanks so much for letting me link to your blog. http://dashandapinch.com/2014/10/recipe-roundup-homemade-pasta-sauces/?
Mary
August 8, 2012 at 1:54 amThis looks wonderful. I always prefer a quick sauce over a simmer all day one. Although, I make both kinds; this one is my favorite when tomatoes are ripe!
Kitchen Belleicious
August 7, 2012 at 12:01 pmyou bet i have 15 minutes- i would give all day if it means having this sauce at dinner time! Love it
l o v e l y t h i n g s
August 7, 2012 at 2:18 pmThat looks just perfect! I love your photos…I always say that…but I do! I am making this with my tomatoes from the farmers market and I just purchased ravioli from Stew Leonard’s last night, but no sauce….so in 15 minutes…I’ll have the perfect sauce for my ravioli!
Barbara
August 7, 2012 at 12:40 pmReally Sue, is there anything better?? This looks wonderful. I saw a recipe for fresh tomato soup recently and think I better try it. Especially after seeing this!
Joanne
August 7, 2012 at 11:55 amNothing beats fresh tomato sauce in the summer! So delicious and brightly flavored!
Bites from life with the barking lot
August 7, 2012 at 4:17 amA few years ago a pal told me she never peeled her tomatoes before she froze them… just pureed and put in bags….I tried and it took hours off the process. Wish my tomatoes were ripe….my basil is ready!
Ellen B Cookery
August 6, 2012 at 8:44 pmI love homemade tomato sauce and can’t wait to start making our annual batch in September. This looks really good!
Sue/the view from great island
August 6, 2012 at 10:37 pmHow do you preserve it, Ellen? Do you can it, freeze it?
Eileen
August 6, 2012 at 7:51 pmSimple sauces like this are a total lifesaver in the hot hot heat of summer. :) Love it!
Sue/the view from great island
August 6, 2012 at 8:32 pmI think I could eat it just as is, with some bread for dunking.
Claudia
August 6, 2012 at 7:22 pmThis has been a standard in my home for many years. I freeze this for a nice summer taste in December.
Sue/the view from great island
August 6, 2012 at 8:25 pmI would love to freeze a few batches of this sauce for next winter!
The Café Sucré Farine
August 6, 2012 at 5:22 pmYour photos alone are delicious and this sauce sounds like summer in a bowl!
Sue/the view from great island
August 6, 2012 at 8:35 pmThanks Chris!
Cathy at Wives with Knives
August 7, 2012 at 12:19 amWow, it doesn’t get any easier that this! I’ve never made sauce this way but can imagine how the wonderful flavor of the fresh tomatoes comes through. I like the idea of dunking slices of toasty garlic bread into a bowl of sauce…slurp!
Dom at Belleau Kitchen
August 6, 2012 at 3:27 pmI love a good sauce and this looks simple and brilliant and you are so right… with the best new summer toms you CANNOT go wrong!
Sue/the view from great island
August 6, 2012 at 5:16 pmIt’s use ’em or lose ’em time!
From Beyond My Kitchen Window
August 6, 2012 at 9:07 pmI love a fresh sauce and make something very similar to this all summer long. You can’t beat the taste of fresh tomatoes.
Rose
August 6, 2012 at 6:23 pmLove fresh tomato sauce! I especially like using yellow or orange or pink tomatoes, which are supposed to be less acidic.
Sue/the view from great island
August 6, 2012 at 8:13 pmI’m already planning a yellow sauce, how gorgeous would that be! But I don’t mind the acidity in tomatoes, which must be why I like the old varieties over the newer super sweet ones.
Tricia
August 6, 2012 at 3:42 pmIf I could manage to get it away from my husband, I would use it in a hearty vegetable beef soup! Gotta love tomatoes :)
Sue/the view from great island
August 6, 2012 at 5:26 pmThat sounds so good—I love the idea of using a really fresh base for a hearty beef soup.