Perfect Pizza Sauce Recipe
If you’ve already made my super amazing sourdough pizza crust, you’ll probably want an equally awesome sauce to put on top. And here it is, rich, tomato-y and full of fresh herb flavour, this also doubles up as a great marinara sauce too!
Pizza is welcome at any time of the year and almost – almost – for any occasion. We love to have pizza parties where everyone chooses their own toppings (not everyone is plant-based) and decorate their own pizzas! It’s fun and inclusive.
Serve this on top of my sourdough pizza crust or serve with my vegan meatballs! This sauce is simple to make, just two steps: sauté the onions then add everything else and simmer for an hour! Make a double batch and freeze some! I also love to dip my Hasselback potatoes in it!
Straight from the family cookbook, it’s a pizza sauce recipe from my mom away from mom back in the old days, Virginia Yamata. It brings back childhood memories of pizza party night with a bunch of friends. Gin’s sauce, my mom’s pizza dough, and a platter full of toppings were followed by Trivial Pursuit and maybe a corny rented comedy on VHS.
This recipe is good if you want a quick and easy sauce without a lot of preparation.
Ingredients
- onions and garlic, very finely chopped. I use a knife but feel free to use an electric chopper to make this job easier and quicker
- tinned tomatoes. I use chopped.
- fresh basil. Rather than dried oregano, this adds a deliciously fresh herby taste to the sauce
- vinegar. I have stated malt vinegar in the recipe card but I sometimes use balsamic if I don’t have any other vinegar, it doesn’t matter.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, 10 minutes or so, then add the rest of the ingredients.
Simmer for an hour until reduced, thick and unctuous. Taste for seasoning,
Hint: I add a little salt to the onion and garlic at the beginning but then I don’t test for seasoning until the sauce is ready, then I adjust. You may need to add a little sugar, depending on the tomatoes or vinegar used.
Substitutions
- basil – use a teaspoon of dried oregano if you prefer
- vinegar – use whatever vinegar you have
Variations
- Spicy – add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish, or banana peppers
Storage
This sauce stores for about a week in the fridge.
This sauce freezes great! Leave to cool then pour into a ziplock bag or airtight container and freeze for upto 6 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.
Top tip
All tomato sauces benefit from being cooked the day before they are needed and always taste better the next day!
I like to keep my sauce a little chunky but feel free to blend it up if you prefer it smoother!
The Best Pizza Sauce Recipe Ever
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- ¼ cup tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
- ⅔ cup onion finely chopped
- 2 14.5oz tomatoes canned
- small bunch of fresh basil roughly torn
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon malt vinegar
Instructions
- Over low heat saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add remaining ingredients, crushing tomatoes with back of spoon. Simmer over low heat for a minimum of 50 minutes.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
