Homemade Tomato Sauce for Pasta
Homemade tomato sauce for pasta in 35 minutes: 6 ingredients, no added sugar and freezer-friendly. With the trick to keep it from turning acidic.
This homemade tomato sauce for pasta comes together in 35 minutes with 6 ingredients and yields about 600 ml (4 servings). It keeps 5 days refrigerated and up to 3 months frozen, and the trick to keep it from turning acidic is a grated carrot in the base, not sugar.
Instructions
-
Make the onion and garlic base
Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 more minute, just until fragrant; if it browns too much, it will make the sauce bitter.
-
Add the grated carrot
Stir the grated carrot into the base and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Its natural sweetness balances the acidity of the tomatoes: this is the trick that lets you skip adding sugar to the sauce.
-
Add the tomatoes and crush them
Pour in the canned tomatoes with their juice and crush them in the pot with a wooden spoon or a masher. If you use fresh tomatoes, peel and chop them first. Scrape the bottom of the pot to lift the aromatics.
-
Season with oregano, salt and pepper
Add the teaspoon of dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Season lightly at first: the sauce concentrates as it reduces and you can always adjust the salt at the end.
-
Simmer over low heat for 20-25 minutes
Lower the heat to minimum and simmer the sauce for 20-25 minutes with the pot half-covered, stirring every 5 minutes so it does not stick. It is ready when it thickens, turns a deeper red and the oil starts to separate on the surface. The most common mistake is rushing this step over high heat: the sauce ends up watery, acidic and tasting of raw tomato.
-
Adjust the texture and finish with basil
If you prefer it smooth, blend the sauce with an immersion blender; if you like it rustic, leave it as is. Turn off the heat, add the fresh basil leaves torn by hand and let it rest for 2 minutes before tossing with freshly cooked pasta.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating and help other cooks ★
Foodtastico Tip
Freeze the sauce in portions of about 150 ml (one serving per person) in jars or airtight bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or straight in a pot over low heat with a splash of water; that way you have pasta sauce ready in 5 minutes any day of the week.
Nutrition information
| Calories | 95 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 2 g |
| Carbs | 12 g |
| Sugars | 8 g |
| Fat | 5 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g |
Values per serving (1 of 4).
Frequently asked questions
How do I keep tomato sauce from turning acidic?
The trick in this recipe is the grated carrot in the base: its natural sweetness neutralizes the acidity of the tomatoes without adding sugar. The slow 20-25 minute simmer also helps; the most common mistake is cooking the sauce too briefly over high heat, which leaves the raw acidity of the tomato untransformed.
Can I freeze tomato sauce for pasta? For how long?
Yes, it freezes very well for up to 3 months in jars or airtight bags. The most practical approach is freezing it in portions of about 150 ml so you thaw only what you need, in the refrigerator overnight or straight in the pot over low heat.
Canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes: which works better?
Canned peeled tomatoes give a more consistent result year-round, because they are packed ripe and well concentrated. Fresh tomatoes only win at the peak of the season, when they are very ripe; in that case use 1 kg, peel them and drain the excess water.
How many days does the sauce keep in the refrigerator?
It keeps for 5 days in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Let it cool completely before sealing and always use a clean spoon to serve; if you want to keep it longer, freeze it.
How do I turn this sauce into bolognese?
Brown 400 g of ground beef in the same pot before the onion base, remove it, make the sauce as written and return the meat during the slow simmer. Add 10 extra minutes of cooking over low heat so the flavors come together.
You might also like
– /5
No ratings yet — yours can be the first.
Ratings and comments will be available very soon.
Comments
No comments yet. Tried the recipe? Tell us how it turned out.