Quick & Easy Spaghetti Sauce
Make this simple spaghetti sauce as smooth or chunky as you like. Italian seasoning usually contains dried thyme leaves, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, and basil. - Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 28-ounce can whole peeled plum tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (try my seasoning mix)
- 2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons fresh sliced basil leaves
Instructions:
- Puree tomatoes (with their juice) in a food processor or blender about 15 seconds to your desired thickness. Set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté garlic in oil for one minute, watching so it doesn’t burn.
- Add remaining ingredients, except fresh basil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in fresh basil.
When |I had a house full of teenagers and my youngest with his friend and very low on money, I would make this sauce with whatever ingredients I had in the fridge. Always mega garlic and onions. (Don’t over do it with the onions) Sometimes those were the only ingredients. Sometimes, green peppers, celery and different spices that go in spaghetti sauce. Chunks of fried chicken breasts when I had it.
I just made this recipe and of course I had to add extra spices and 1/2 of red pepper chopped, that needed to be used just because I had it. Of course a couple of bay leaves, and for the 1st time, hot peppers.
I have hot chili sauce and was thinking of adding some but didn’t think it was a good idea. (not making chili right.)
I will let you know how it turns out later.
P.S. Only one of the teenagers was mine.
That’s all. Lol.
Jenny, this was a lifesaver. The store didn’t have tomato paste and only bought tomatoes (supply chain issues, inflation). Keeping this recipe on file. Easy and an easy meal with pasta.
You can add a teaspoon of baking soda to tomato sauces if you want to neutralize some of the acid. It will foam a bit when you stir it in. The result is a sweeter tasting sauce, but you lose that acid tang that I love. I do this when I make anything Italian for my mother in law who has become sensitive to high acid foods.
I made this recipe with the sugar, and it was delicious. Bright and clean flavors.
Mine didn’t freeze well. Separated when thawed. Will just make as I need it
Freezing causes cell walls to break in vegetables releasing water. You can still freeze this sauce, just be sure to simmer it for awhile to let that water evaporate and the sauce will thicken at the same time.
I would like to freeze the sauce. Can I put basil leaves in jars and freeze? I would love having fresh leaves when I eat the sauce but I won’t have leaves in winter, hence this question.
Yummy, I finished it off with a bit of olive oil. When the oil turns red, it’s done. Only takes a few more minutes.
I was just wondering it this could be used as a pizza sauce as well?
if you’re making pizza sauce you dont have to blend the tomatoes, just squish them with a fork or with your hand, add a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, that’s it. This should take 30seconds. I dont use too much of the water in the can, it makes it too runny. If you’re feeling fancy you can add the garlic & the herbs.
Can’t find your pizza dough recipe
It’s under “Main Dishes.” https://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/20-minute-pizza-dough/
Lol. Sorry you had to waste a reply on a stupid question. ?
I just assume someone is either older, challenged in some way, or just overwhelmed with life right now. I don’t mind…
Good for you, Jenny!! You are a kind person.
I always try to remember to be kind no matter what because everyone has a story. I thank you for your kind reply.
Just love your recipes!!!
OK again have no food processor so I guess ill squeeze the tomatoes with my hands to make your delicious very easy spaghetti meatball sauce. Thanks!! ill be trying out many of your recipes. First one will be your apple pie!!! Wish me luck!!!
Connie, you can just buy a large can of crushed tomatoes. Continue with the balance of the recipe. Hope this helps……..Sandra
This was such a money saver. I thought you had to use tamatoe paste!
If you want to cook your meatballs in the sauce, do you need to make a double batch of sauce or is one batch enough volume?
Instead of sugar I Finely grate 1 carrot. It takes away any bitterness and the carrot cooks down that you don’t even know it’s in there.
How can I can this recipe making a larger amount.?
You can *
On my iPad, it let me change the number of servings, then it refigured the recipe for my 8 servings. I love it when I can do that ? Thanks Jenny!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was great. Everyone was very pleased.
Thanks Jenny.
Left out sugar and it was still fantastic to me! Go to sauce now!
Jenny,
I was wondering if I made a large batch could the sauce not used can I store it in canning jars.
I make this sauce a lot during the year. I put in canning jars, use boiling bath and boil for
25 to 35 minutes,
I also have put them directly into sterilized jars, (no boil bath) cooled them and put in Ref. over night, then in the freezer. They kept for a good 6 months or more.
I meat is in sauce, you must use the boiling bath system.
If you use meat in anything you want to keep in jars (that you aren’t freezing), you must PRESSURE CAN the product. Water bath canning will not kill the botulism and other dangerous bacteria.
Water bath canning is sufficient to kill the botulism in high acid and high sugar fruits & vegetables, such as fruit jams and pickles. But adding meats, onions & other vegetables to a tomato sauce dilutes the acidity ratio to an unsafe level.
Instead of can tomatoes can I use fresh tomatoes?? Does it make a difference?? Plz sumbody help..
It will definitely change the recipe because I count on the liquid in the canned tomatoes. I suggest looking for a different recipe that’s already proven to work with fresh tomatoes.
I did it! Just boil 6 tomatoes blend it with with two fresh ones (add a small amount of water) and follow recipe. I added a can of tomato paste to get the consistency dat I liked..
Thanks for sharing that with all of us. I’m glad it turned out.
I used this as a sauce for breadsticks and it was delicious!
I was wondering if I could use another type of canned tomatoes. I can’t seem to find whole peeled plum!!
Plum tomatoes really do make a better sauce but you can use regular canned tomatoes. If you have a Whole Foods in your area they carry Muir Glen organic plum tomatoes, which are really good.
Do you know if this could be canned?
I wish I could say but I know nothing about canning.
yes it can be–I had 4 gallon containers of tomato, and pureed them, added seasoning mix, great!
Thanks for helping out, Butch.
I made this tonight and did not read the title closely and ended up making this sauce for pizza instead of pasta! Anyway, I put lots of sauce on top of my pizza and it was delicious! Then I tasted some on a spoon while cleaning up dinner and thought – This would be great on pasta! Finally i came back to add this to my pinterest collection and noticed that this is “Quick & Easy SPAGHETTI Sauce”!!!! (Bump my head against wall). Still I recommend this sauce for either pizza or pasta. It’s fantastic!
Thanks Jackie! I was hoping this could be used as both. Making today.
I made the spaghetti sauce tonight and it was delicious. Quick and easy just like the recipe said and had an authentic Italian taste. I’m trying the granola next. Thank you.