I spent most of yesterday making tomato sauce.
There was washing, trimming, smashing into a food mill (I have this one and it’s a life saver- affiliate link), simmering, stirring, seasoning, and thennnnnn, finally at 6:39pm, I started ladling the gallons of sauce into quart jars and lowering them into the boiling water canner.
It was a long day.
And I had to ask myself, WHY ON EARTH am I doing this?
No really. I asked myself that.
It was hot, messy, and monotonous. All the components of a super fun day, right?
However, all inconveniences aside, I know it’ll be 100% worth it when I pull those shiny red jars of homegrown tomatoes out of my pantry on a blustery winter day. Not to mention, what else am I going to do with the 5,873 San Marzano tomatoes that are currently in my garden and needing to be canned ASAP?
(P.S. Apparently San Marzanos really like Wyoming.)
Making tomato sauce is a commitment. Long, slow simmering evaporates the water from the tomato puree and results in a thick sauce with an amazing depth of flavor and intensity you just can’t get any other way.
BUT…
Let’s just say you don’t have enough tomatoes to make gallons of sauce to can. And let’s also say that you don’t happen to have 12 hours to patiently watch sauce simmering on the stove.
Well, you still have options, my friends.
I started experimenting with this fast tomato sauce recipe several years ago, and I’ve been making it regularly ever since. It can be whipped up in 15 minutes or less, and only requires a handful of tomatoes, instead of bucketloads. Hallelujah.
The flavor of this quick tomato sauce is different than your traditional all-day tomato sauces (it’s a little brighter and fresher tasting), but it’s quickly becoming my go-to when I need pasta sauce or pizza sauce in a hurry.
I used to have this recipe as a tagalong in my How to Freeze Tomatoes post, but I found myself referencing it so much, I figured it deserved to have updated photos and a post of its very own.
So, here ya go!
How to Make FAST Tomato Sauce (VIDEO)
The FAST Tomato Sauce Recipe
Keep in mind the measurements here are very loose guidelines and definitely not set in stone. I never measure when I’m making tomato sauce, and it’s ALL about the flavor that develops as I put this sauce together. Taste frequently and adjust as needed.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups halved or quartered ripe tomatoes (paste-type tomatoes are the best here, but any variety will do)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (my favorite olive oil)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Salt & pepper, to taste (I use this salt.)
- Fresh basil and/or oregano (optional– dried will work too)
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, gently heat the garlic in the olive oil for several minutes. We’re not looking to brown it, or even saute it really– just to soften it and mellow out the flavor.
Add in the tomatoes and allow the tomatoes and garlic to mingle, stirring as you go. The tomatoes will release their juices, and you can season with salt/pepper accordingly.
Stir and simmer the tomatoes until softened, and now add in the herbs. You can use dried herbs if you wish, but if at all possible, use fresh basil and/or oregano. The flavor difference is amazing.
Puree the mixture with your hand blender. I like to leave my fresh sauce a little bit on the chunky side.
If you don’t have a hand blender, you can puree in a food processor or blender instead. But seriously– you NEED a hand blender (like this one- affiliate link). I use mine all the time.
Toss with fresh pasta (combining this with homemade pasta is out of this world) or use it as a topping for your favorite pizza recipe.
Remember– this sauce will have a much brighter, fresher flavor than a slow-simmered sauce, or a sauce made with canned tomatoes. Although there’s still a place for all-day-simmered sauce, I adore the brightness of this fresh version.
Tomato Sauce Recipe Notes
- If you have tomatoes in your freezer, this fast tomato sauce recipe is a great place to use ’em! You don’t even have to thaw them first– you can simply pop them straight into the sauce pan after you heat the minced garlic. Allow the tomatoes to thaw out in the pan over medium low heat, and then proceed with the rest of the recipe. And in case you are curious how to freeze tomatoes, here’s my tutorial for that.
- I suppose you could can this sauce if you wanted to, but considering it only makes a small amount, I’m not sure it’d be worth it. I’d recommend sticking to a tomato sauce recipe that’s scaled for water bath canning if you need to use up a lot of tomatoes
- I like to keep this fresh tomato sauce pretty simple and crisp in flavor. However, you can go crazy adding spices and herbs if that’s your jam. Try parsley, crushed red peppers, or even a dash of brown sugar to cut the acidity, if needed.
- This sauce can easily be poured into freezer-safe containers and frozen for several months.
Fast Tomato Sauce Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 2-3 cups 1x
- Category: Pantry Staples
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 cups halved or quartered ripe tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (my favorite olive oil)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Salt & pepper, to taste (I love this salt)
- Fresh basil and/or oregano (optional– dried will work too)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, gently heat the garlic in the olive oil for several minutes. We’re not looking to brown it, or even saute it really– just to soften it and mellow out the flavor.
- Add in the tomatoes and allow the tomatoes and garlic to mingle, stirring as you go. The tomatoes will release their juices, and you can season with salt/pepper accordingly.
- Stir and simmer the tomatoes until softened, and now add in the herbs. You can use dried herbs if you wish, but if at all possible, use fresh basil and/or oregano. The flavor difference is amazing.
- Puree the mixture with your hand blender. I like to leave my fresh sauce a little bit on the chunky side.
- If you don’t have a hand blender, you can puree in a food process or blender instead. But seriously– you NEED a hand blender (like this one). I use mine all the time.
- Toss with fresh pasta (combining this with homemade pasta is out of this world) or use it as a topping for your favorite pizza recipe.
Other Tomato Recipes You’ll Love
- Roasted Poblano Salsa Recipe
- How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- 40+ Ways to Preserve Tomatoes
- 10 Tips for Growing Tomatoes
I like the simplicity of this recipe! Just wondering, do you find fast-cooking tomato sauces more acidic than the slow-simmered kind? I run into this when I make mine and it gives me heartburn, which isn’t an issue when I use a slow-simmer method.
I’m going to give this recipe a try though!
Hmmm… I haven’t noticed that in particular, that’d be interesting to test with a pH strip, though!
Thank you so much for this recipe.
Sincerely, going back to old fashion is a better way to live healthy in this generation.
Some people like Sarita H.. comments September 2018
Get some GI upset related to the high lectins..considering you have the peels and the seeds included..
I would peel ( hot water 30-60seconds, not that hard) and deseed push through what ever kind of mesh.. and I put that mix.. in large Dutch oven. pot..straight tomato IN…..The OVEN …. yes..OVEN …ON 200-220..degrees ..IT NEVER BURNS.. AND REDUCES THROUGH THE DAY..OR NIGHT..
This looks really tasty! I do a very similar version, but throw it all in the oven to roast a bit before blending it. YUM!
I love the idea of roasting the tomatoes first!
That sounds amazing!!
Sorry Sweetheart. After decades of various tomato experience. Blanching is the way to go. Otherwise the sauce has floating “skins” that are not tasty or handsome.
I guess the occasional skin doesn’t bother me that much… Especially not in this quick sauce. I do run my other tomatoes through a food mill for canned sauce.
Please, at what temperature and how long do you blanch your tomatoes?
Bring water to a boil then put an x on bottom of tomato with a knife and remember to take out the stem part then put about 7 tomatoes at a time in boiled water for 20 seconds then take out and place in ice water. It’s called concasse. If you have more just do it in increments of about 7 at a time. After you take the skins off cut them in half and squeeze to get the seeds out. Now you have a tomato you can use in anything. You can use the juice for drinking.
Just started seeing the stuff you do .. love it can say I do things almost sameway u do. Just have to ask were do u find jars. At that lock seal . We dont have anyone around here that sells them .. just normal canning jars. Thanks looking forward to more to more videos. U have .
I love a quick sauce and I have tried different methods, but they were always so acidic. I started adding a teaspoon of baking soda at the end and let it simmer for a few more minutes. It fizzes a little at first, but defintely tones down the acidity and tastes great!
Do you remove the tomato skins after simmering or do you just blend them in?
I love following all your ideas! Your the nest. Keep it up! Add butter and milk to the recipe and you can make tomato soup quick .
I also was wondering do you leave the skins and seeds in and just blenderize them. Blenderize? probably not a word. lol
I will never, ever, ever buy jarred spaghetti/marinara sauce again! I use my canned tomato juice I put up (2 quarts) and double the other ingredients. Then cook down until I like the thickness before using the stick blender. Perfection! Can’t wait to try with my fresh tomatoes this summer! Thank you!
Thank you. I had a friend from Sicily and this is how she made her sauce. I didn’t get it written down before she died. Now I have it. No more store bought for me.
So glad to hear this recipe was just what you were looking for!
Do you have any recipes for Cherry, or Grape tomatoes ?
What are paste-like tomatoes?
I made my sauce in the slow cooker this year, just cut the tomatoes in half and didn’t peel. The peel has tons of pectin and the sauce thickened up nicely. I added cut up onions and garlic at the beginning and after the tomatoes had cooked several hours used my immersion blender. At this point I added oregano and some in batches a bit of red pepper flakes (the options depend on what you like), sometimes a couple of spoons of tomato paste as well. After simmering a bit longer removed the lid to let it cook down to a consistency I liked and canned or froze it. The peel is completely melted into the tomatoes after blending but you do get the seeds which doesn’t bother me and there is really no babysitting or burning when using the slow cooker.
I too dumped everything into the crock pot. I would call this “slow sauce”. I like the idea of prep in the am then let it cook all day. Also used the stick blender so minimal cutting/chopping is required.
Love this recipe. From here, can you go ahead the “hot bath” can the sauce, providing you add the lemon juice since I am using romas. if you do hot bath can, how long to you let them sit in the hot water? thank you.
Hi!
I just made this sauce from some of my Amish Paste tomatoes. I only tried a couple of spoon fulls but it was really tasty.
I added one thing to it and that was some cloves of blackened garlic that I had made. It added a bit of sweetness and has a bunch of health benefits.
It was so easy and fast to make. I am going to freeze it in smaller quantities for using in the future.
We just found your channel and I think I am going to like it. I plan on trying your fermented pickles also. And I am sure other things ?
I love that you use Real Salt in your recipes. I grew up very close to where that is mined and I use it all the time. I also use some of their seasoned varieties when I am cooking.