I’m a fan of using store bought pasta sauce for quick week night meals – Rao’s Homemade Marina Sauce is a favorite. Now having said that, there’s those times on the weekend where I want to make something a little more authentic, and that’s when I whip out this Easy Pasta Sauce Recipe.
What’s great about this pasta sauce recipe is that you can use it as a base and easily customize it. In the mood for a meat sauce? Simply add some Ground Italian Sausage, Ground Beef, or even Ground Turkey (as I’ve done here).
Want to whip up a quick dish of Pepper’s & Sausage, use this easy pasta sauce recipe as the base. I’ve used this sauce as a dip for homemade bread and it’s fantastic. How about meatball subs smothered in tomato sauce, or a sauce for lasagna. The possibilities are endless.
Easy Pasta Sauce Recipe
This is a super easy recipe to pull together, and you can have an authentic pasta sauce ready to go in under an hour. What do we need to get started?
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Onion
- Garlic
- Basil
- Oregano
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Salt & Pepper
- Sugar (optional)
- Olive Oil
That’s it. I’ve mentioned this in prior recipes, but I’ll say it again. Don’t cheap out on the tomatoes. Tomatoes are the star of this dish, so use a high-quality tomato for this sauce. I typically use a brand that features San Marzano tomatoes.
I would also avoid using whole tomatoes in this recipe. Crushed tomatoes are the key when making this pasta sauce, and they make this recipe so much easier. Unless you like a thinner sauce, do not add any additional water to this recipe. This will make a thicker sauce, but that’s what I prefer. If the sauce is too thick for you liking, you can thin it out, but I’d use something other than water. A splash of red wine is going to add a lot more flavor than diluting the sauce with water.
A word about the sugar in this recipe. It’s totally optional. I’ve made this recipe with sugar and without, and both ways are amazing. It’s really about what I’m feeling when I’m making this pasta sauce. The sugar will add just a touch of sweetness to the dish, and cuts some of the acidity that you’ll get from the tomatoes. You’re not adding a lot of sugar, so don’t shy away from giving it a shot.
Calories
A quick call out on the calories for this recipe. While the total calories per serving is estimated at only 115 calories, that assumes this is not using meat in the sauce. The sauce I’m showing in the images is using Ground Italian Sausage, which would increase the calorie intake. The estimated calories assumes the use of sugar, but that’s an insignificant amount.
The key contributor to the overall calories is the use of Olive Oil, which is roughly 60 calories per serving. While some oil is needed to saute the onion and garlic, you can limit the amount being used, and exclude the 1 tbsp addition to the sauce if you are counting calories.
Easy Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in medium sauce pan over low heat until hot. Saute onion for 5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic to onion and saute for an additional 2 – 3 minutes.
- Add crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and sugar if using. Add a splash of olive oil, about a tbsp, and stir to combine.
- Bring sauce to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Notes
- If making a meat sauce, brown meat. Add onion & garlic to meat and simmer for 5 minutes. Follow remaining steps of recipe.