Making your own Italian pasta sauce isn’t hard – in fact, it’s super easy! This Easy Pasta Sauce is quick to prep and ready to serve in about 30 minutes. Serve it with pasta for an easy weeknight meal.
This easy homemade pasta sauce is so simple and quick to make you won’t want to keep buying jars of sauce. I love jarred sauce, but when I learned how easy it is to make my own, I don’t buy it as much anymore. Making your own homemade pasta sauce means you know exactly what’s in it – I love that.
Plus, this is a great pantry recipe that calls for ingredients you might already have on hand! You don’t need anything fancy – just some basic ingredients that combine together to make a flavorful Italian pasta sauce you’ll want for all the pasta dinners. It’s a keeper!
Table of Contents
You Will Love this 30 Minute Sauce Recipe
With simple pantry ingredients plus 20 minutes of cooking time you will get a quick pasta sauce that tastes like it took much longer to make.
- The sauce is flavored with olive oil, yellow onion, garlic, Italian seasoning and some red pepper flakes for some heat.
- I use a combination of crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce for the base. The tomato sauce has a richer flavor so the sauce has that slow-cooked flavor without having to cook it for hours.
- You will also need some stock and you can use whichever kind you like. For a rich flavor use beef stock, if you want it a little lighter use chicken stock. Want to keep it vegetarian? Use vegetable stock instead.
- There’s also a touch of honey in the sauce – it adds just a hint of sweetness that balances out the acidity from the tomatoes.
Once you’ve diced the onion and minced the garlic all you have to do is combine them with the rest of the ingredients.
How do you make a simple pasta sauce from scratch?
You can cook your sauce in a large pan or a 3-quart saucepan. Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium-high heat.
Next, add the diced onions and cook them for a couple of minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook it for one minute with the onions.
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and stock. Give it a good stir to combine. Add the honey and all of the seasonings and stir again.
Bring the sauce to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce for 15 to 20 minutes. It will bubble and thicken while it cooks.
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Before you serve your sauce give it a taste-test and add more salt if needed.
How long does homemade pasta sauce keep?
This sauce will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days. Sometimes I make a batch on the weekend to have on hand during the week – it definitely saves time!
You can also freeze it for up to three months.
Can I use fresh tomatoes?
This recipe is specifically for canned tomatoes. In order to use fresh tomatoes, you would need to boil the tomatoes first (called blanching), and then peel them before making the sauce. Not really weeknight friendly!
The nice thing about making sauce with canned tomatoes is that the tomatoes are packaged at their peak freshness so they taste great.
Different Ways to Serve It
This easy pasta sauce is delicious served with hot pasta, but you can definitely add some other ingredients to dress it up:
- Add fresh chopped herbs before you serve it. Chopped parsley, basil, and thyme will add some color and flavor.
- For an extra tang, add a splash of balsamic vinegar before you serve the sauce.
- Combine the sauce with browned ground beef or ground turkey to make a simple meat sauce.
- Or add some shredded cooked chicken – make it really easy and use a rotisserie chicken.
- I love to simmer meatballs in the sauce for an easy spaghetti and meatballs dinner.
Super simple and so delicious – I think you will love this easy pasta sauce recipe. It’s our go-to whenever we get a pasta craving. Enjoy!
Other dinners you’ll enjoy:
Easy Pasta Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 can 8 ounce tomato sauce
- 1 cup stock vegetable, chicken or beef
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large frying pan (3 quart or larger saucepan can also be used). Heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and stock. Stir.
- Add the honey and spices to the sauce and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, lower the temperature to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pasta.
Recipe Nutrition
This Easy Pasta Sauce is perfect for your next weeknight meal. Homemade sauce can be intimidating, but it’s super simple to make!