Our Very Favorite Homemade Pizza Sauce

We all know a great pizza must have a perfect crust. Chewy with a few crispy bits here and there; delicious flavor all its own.

But an amazing “pie” is just as much about the pizza sauce, too.

(I remember as a kid, making those English muffin pizzas [totally a legit quick dinner!] with – yes – ketchup in place of the sauce. Red sauce is red sauce, right?! Uh, no. Not even close. So gross.)

In my opinion, a great classic pizza sauce has a pronounced tomato flavor (with a pinch of sugar to both highlight tomatoes’ sweetness and also balance the acidity), a good amount of garlic, a nice hit of earthy oregano, a slight bit of heat, and, well, not much else. Simple is better.

This homemade pizza sauce recipe, slightly adapted from Sunset magazine, calls for either fresh or diced tomatoes – fresh can be better, but diced are still absolutely terrific. Just start with good tomatoes and your sauce will be all the better for it. (And, of course, canned whole tomatoes will work too).

The key to the recipe, other than the simple list of meaningful ingredients, is the time it takes to simmer uncovered. It cooks for an hour and a half, allowing the flavors to mellow and meld and the sauce to thicken to the perfect consistency. And then I like to hit it with the immersion blender to make it nice and smooth.

Making it kid-friendly

Making this sauce for kids? Consider leaving out the red pepper flakes, or only adding a small pinch. I like to make two separate batches – one with more heat for the adults, and no heat for the kiddos. If you end up with leftover sauce, try freezing it for easy homemade pizza-makin’ later on.

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Yield: 4 cups

Our Very Favorite Homemade Pizza Sauce

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total: 1 hour 35 minutes

This easy classic homemade pizza sauce simmers for a good long time to allow the tomatoes, garlic, and oregano to mingle and meld. Freeze the leftovers so you have pizza sauce at hand whenever you have a hankering for good homemade pizza.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about two or three large cloves)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano (if using fresh, add at the end of the cooking time)
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes (undrained) or 2 pounds diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, honey, or agave nectar
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this makes for a lot of heat, which we love, but I recommend you start out with 1/4 teaspoon or even just a generous pinch if you’re unsure)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the olive oil.
2. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute. If you’re using dried oregano, add that along with the garlic. If you’re using fresh, add it to the sauce at the end of the cooking time.
3. Increase the heat to medium. Add the tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
4. Leave over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until boiling. Reduce heat to low for a nice simmer.
5. Simmer uncovered for 90 minutes.
6. Stir in fresh oregano, if using.
7. Allow the sauce to cool to a safe temperature and then, using an immersion blender or working in batches with a blender,
8. If using fresh oregano, stir that in after the hour and a half cooking time.

Refined sugar-free option:

Replace the granulated sugar with honey (if not vegan) or agave syrup. Try not to leave this little bit of sweetener out entirely, though. It really helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes.

Adapted from Sunset Magazine

// All images and text ©Kare for Kitchen Treaty.

Kare

Kare is a vegetarian home cook living among carnivores. She loves creating irresistible and flexible recipes that help multi-vore families like hers keep the peace - deliciously.