A rich and flavourful homemade pasta sauce you can ladle over pasta or use as a base for pasta bakes, moussaka and more! Get this easy spaghetti sauce made with fresh tomatoes prepped in just 15 mins.
In This Post You’ll Learn
Why We Love This
It’s so easy to make your own homemade pasta sauce at home. Unlike store bought sauce, you know exactly what’s in it – no preservatives, artificial flavours or unnecessary sugar. Just real, fresh ingredients for the best flavour!
It’s the perfect base sauce for your favourite pasta recipes or as a substitute for passata in homemade napoli sauce. Try it as a delicious tomato base for pork and beef ragu or as a quick pizza sauce for fried pizza.
This easy spaghetti sauce is adaptable to suit your tastes, yields quite a big batch and freezes well so you’ll always have some on hand when you need it most.
Related: Pasta al Forno / Greek Moussaka
What else can I use the homemade pasta sauce for?
Serve this sauce as a quick and easy pasta sauce topped with fresh basil and parmesan, or as the base sauce in recipes that normally call for canned tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato puree or passata. Why not try it in these amazing recipes next:
Bolognese – Aussie style bolognese for the perfect weeknight dinner
Pizza fritta – For when you want pizza right now!
Amatriciana – Infused with smoky guanciale, a hint of chilli and pecorino romano cheese.
Napolitana pasta – Ready in just 10 minutes!
Campfire stew – Delicious Aussie style sausage and bean casserole.
Greek moussaka – Layered veggie bake with a delicious meat sauce.
Pasta al forno – Easy Italian style pasta bake.
Karniyarik – Turkish stuffed eggplants.
Chicken mole – Try it as an amazing homemade taco filling.
What is Homemade Pasta Sauce?
Today’s homemade pasta sauce recipe is for a simple Italian style tomato sauce also known as tomato sugo, pomodoro sauce or red sauce.
It’s made with fresh tomatoes simmered down with garlic, onion, bay leaves and spices into a smooth tomato sauce that pairs perfectly with pasta.
What You’ll Need
- Tomatoes – This recipe works great with most varieties of fresh tomatoes. Roma tomatoes are the best choice because they have a rich flavour, dense texture and less pulp and seeds. Look for tomatoes with a rich red colour and delicious aroma. You could even use cherry tomatoes, which would yield a sweeter sauce. Sub with canned roma or san marzano tomatoes to make it quicker and easier.
- Olive Oil – Use high quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavour.
- Red Wine – For depth of flavour choose a nice dry red wine. Otherwise if you prefer not to cook with alcohol, sub with red or white wine vinegar, cranberry juice, beef stock or chicken stock.
- Onion, Garlic and Herbs – Use finely chopped onion and garlic along with basil leaves and bay leaves. Use fresh herbs if you like, but high quality dried herbs will work just as well.
- Optional Spices – We love adding a little extra heat and flavour with hot paprika, smoked paprika and mace. Sub with nutmeg and cinnamon for a sweeter flavour profile.
How to Make Homemade Pasta Sauce
First, gather your ingredients: See recipe card below for measurements.
Prepare fresh tomatoes:
Note: If using canned tomatoes, you can skip this section.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add whole fresh tomatoes and ensure they are covered by the water. Bring back to the boil, then remove from heat and drain.
- Allow tomatoes to cool down enough so you can handle them, then peel the skin and dice into small pieces. Discard the stems.
Make the sauce:
- Heat the olive oil in the same large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent.
- Add the prepared tomatoes (or canned tomatoes), red wine, basil leaves, bay leaves and optional spices (hot paprika, smoked paprika and mace). Stir well and bring to the boil once more, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for around 2 hours until sauce has thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
- Carefully transfer sauce into airtight containers and allow to fully cool down before storing in the fridge or freezer.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Keep Clean – You might like to wear an apron while chopping the boiled tomatoes, as this step can get a little messy!
- Even More Flavour – The riper the tomato, the better it will be flavour-wise for this dish. Avoid serving the finished sauce on the same day if you can. It will be even better if you store it in the fridge for a day or two to allow the flavours to fully develop before using.
- Consistency – This sauce is slightly chunky as that’s what we prefer. However if you want a super smooth sauce, you can dice the tomatoes extra small when prepping or use an immersion blender to puree the sauce once cooked.
- Storage – Homemade pasta sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for around 2-3 months.
FAQs
Sugo is a tomato pasta sauce made with fresh tomatoes. It includes ingredients like onions and garlic sauteed in olive oil. Ragu, on the other hand, usually includes a protein like ground beef or pork and generally includes more seasonings, along with a soffritto of finely chopped onions, carrots and celery.
If you’re feeling lazy or want to save time, you can use canned tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes.
Variations
- Pink Sauce – Add cream or sour-cream for a lighter rosé pasta sauce.
- Make it Spicy – Add some regular red pepper flakes, Korean chilli flakes or experiment with gochujang for something a little different!
Try these amazing recipes next:
- 10 Minute Creamy Gochujang Pasta
- Creamy Sausage Pasta
- No Knead Italian Pizza Dough Recipe
- Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake
- Classic Pasta al Forno – Italian Pasta Bake
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 kg ripe roma tomatoes whole, sub with canned tomatoes (crushed or diced)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 8-10 cloves garlic finely diced
- 1 onion finely ficed
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 handful basil leaves
Optional Spices
- 1 tsp hot paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground mace
Instructions
Prepare the tomatoes: (Note: If using canned tomatoes, you can skip this section.)
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add whole fresh tomatoes and ensure they are covered by the water. Bring back to the boil, then remove from heat and drain.1 kg ripe roma tomatoes
- Allow tomatoes to cool down enough so you can handle them, then peel the skin and dice into small pieces. Discard the stems.
Make the sauce:
- Heat the olive oil in the same large pot. Add garlic and onion and sauté until translucent.1/3 cup olive oil, 8-10 cloves garlic, 1 onion
- Add the prepared tomatoes (or canned tomatoes), red wine, basil leaves, bay leaves and optional spices (hot paprika, smoked paprika and mace). Stir well and bring to the boil once more, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for around 2 hours until sauce has thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.1/4 cup red wine, 4 bay leaves, 1 handful basil leaves, 1 tsp hot paprika, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp ground mace
- Carefully transfer sauce into airtight containers and allow to fully cool down before storing in the fridge or freezer.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Tomatoes – This recipe works great with most varieties of fresh tomatoes. Roma tomatoes are the best choice because they have a rich flavour, dense texture and less pulp and seeds. Look for tomatoes with a rich red colour and delicious aroma. You could even use cherry tomatoes, which would yield a sweeter sauce. Sub with canned roma or san marzano tomatoes to make it quicker and easier.
- Olive Oil – Use high quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavour.
- Red Wine – For depth of flavour choose a nice dry red wine. Otherwise if you prefer not to cook with alcohol, sub with red or white wine vinegar, cranberry juice, beef stock or chicken stock.
- Onion, Garlic and Herbs – Use finely chopped onion and garlic along with basil leaves and bay leaves. Use fresh herbs if you like, but high quality dried herbs will work just as well.
- Optional Spices – We love adding a little extra heat and flavour with hot paprika, smoked paprika and mace. Sub with nutmeg and cinnamon for a sweeter flavour profile.
- Keep Clean – You might like to wear an apron while chopping the boiled tomatoes, as this step can get a little messy!
- Even More Flavour – The riper the tomato, the better it will be flavour-wise for this dish. Avoid serving the finished sauce on the same day if you can. It will be even better if you store it in the fridge for a day or two to allow the flavours to fully develop before using.
- Consistency – This sauce is slightly chunky as that’s what we prefer. However if you want a super smooth sauce, you can dice the tomatoes extra small when prepping or use an immersion blender to puree the sauce once cooked.
- Storage – Homemade pasta sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for around 2-3 months.
- Pink Sauce – Add cream or sour-cream for a lighter rosé pasta sauce.
- Make it Spicy – Add some regular red pepper flakes, Korean chilli flakes or experiment with gochujang for something a little different!
Nutrition
14 Comments
Lucretia Borgia
27/01/2023 at 12:33 pmAdding the mace is a nice idea.
To boost the umami, I sometimes add a little soy sauce and have even added a little instant coffee powder, which I saw suggested somewhere!
Wandercooks
27/01/2023 at 1:27 pmOh wow! Love both of those ideas. Definitely testing them out. Thanks for these! 😀
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
18/04/2016 at 10:38 pmPasta sauce from scratch is awesome…especially during market season when those tomatoes are so nice and fresh.
Wandercooks
19/04/2016 at 12:42 pmThey’re irresistible aren’t they! Gotta love markets and fresh, seasonal produce.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
18/04/2016 at 8:34 pmYou can’t beat homemade tomato sauce. It makes the kitchen smell amazing too!
Wandercooks
18/04/2016 at 10:12 pmYes! Totally. A good perfume for a Sunday afternoon 😛
Sarah
18/04/2016 at 8:03 pmThere is seriously nothing better than fresh tomato sauce…thanks so much for this recipe!! Day. Made.
Wandercooks
18/04/2016 at 8:23 pmNo worries Sarah. Hope you have a ball in the kitchen when you give it a go! Do it on a Sunday afternoon when you have a bit of time, so therapeutic haha
Razena | Tantalisemytastebuds.com
18/04/2016 at 6:32 pmI love fresh ripe tomatoes in pasta sauce as it doesn’t have that tinny flavor of canned tomatoes. This looks very lush and I can imagine using it for a nice warming pasta dish with lamb.
Wandercooks
18/04/2016 at 8:21 pmWow, pairing that with lamb would be delicious! Thanks for the great idea Razena!
Just Jo
18/04/2016 at 5:23 pmOh my look at the colour of that sauce – utterly beautiful 😀
Wandercooks
18/04/2016 at 8:21 pmThanks Jo, it does have such a rich colour to it. Nothing beats homemade!
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
14/04/2016 at 8:27 pmWhen it comes to tomato based food I’m a magnet — yep I HAVE to wear an apron and even then I’m not immune from having red spots on my person. Your sauce sounds delicious. I think I’ll start purchasing red aprons — I have two already 🙂
Wandercooks
15/04/2016 at 6:02 pmThanks Marisa! And haha I hear you about the aprons, normally I’m a magnet for EVERYTHING when it comes to cooking, but for this batch I managed not to spill a drop (on me that is, the kitchen bench, tea towels, and floor on the other hand weren’t so lucky!). 😛