A classic Italian homemade tomato sauce for so many amazing Italian dishes, from pasta to pizza, to chicken parmigiana.

This authentic Italian tomato sauce (also known as marinara sauce) is so simple to make! Once you’ve tried this once, you’ll never want to go back to store-bought sauces.

While I’d like to call this my own recipe, It’s actually a recipe that millions of people use to make authentic Italian tomato sauce.

How I Make Classic Homemade Tomato Sauce

This healthy, fresh tomato sauce is the perfect addition for all your Italian recipes. The tomato sauce recipe is so easy and full of punchy flavours to enjoy.

Start the recipe for a classic tomato sauce by making the soffritto, including onions, carrots, and celery cooked in a little olive oil. Once the soffritto is cooked to a soft consistency, you add the garlic, and tomatoes, followed by the herbs towards the end of the cooking process.

Classic Italian Tomato Sauce

Renae Diggles

This authentic Italian tomato sauce is so easy and full of flavour. With minimal prep time, this is a great base for so many Italian recipes, and it's really healthy too.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Course Sauce

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8

Calories 59 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Large Pot
• 1 Stirring Spoon
• 1 Sharp knife
• 1 Garlic crusher
• 1 Chopping Board

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 med Onion finely diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves crushed
• 1 large Carrot finely diced
• 1½ stalks Celery finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Basil diced
• 2 tbsp Italian Parsley diced
• 1 kg Roma Tomatoes diced
• 400 g Canned Italian Tomatoes crushed

Instructions

• Gently cook the diced onion in a pan with extra virgin olive oil until the onion is caramelized.
• Next, add the diced carrots and celery, and cook on a low-medium heat until the ingredients are tender and the onion is translucent. Then, add the crushed garlic and stir through or approximately one minute
• Add the diced tomatoes, stirring frequently to avoid the mixture sticking to the pot. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the ingredients to break down over approximately 1 to 2 hours (depending on desired thickness.)
• Once the ingredients have broken down and the mixture is a textured sauce, turn off the heat and allow the sauce to cool.
• For a sauce with a smooth texture, use a stick blender to puree the ingredients thoroughly.

Notes

Notes:

At our house, we use this flavorful sauce in so many recipes. Whether we're making homemade pizza or seafood marinara, this is our base sauce. I even add this sauce to Indian curries that have a tomato base. Here are just some of the recipes that I use this sauce in:

• Beef Stew
• Pizza
• Lasagne
• Bolognese
• Seafood marinara
• Tikka Masala
• Rogan Josh
• Vindaloo
• Soups
• Casseroles
• Chicken parmigiana

For storing the classic Italian tomato sauce there are few options. You can use it immediately in your recipes. But, if you create a large batch and have leftovers, it will last in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. In the rare case that you'll have leftovers , you can freeze the sauce for up to 8 weeks.

Nutrition

Calories: 59kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 91mgPotassium: 472mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 2748IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 1mg

Keyword authentic italian sauce, classic tomato sauce, homemade tomato sauce, marinara sauce

Tips for Italian Tomato Sauce

Firstly, make sure that you use very ripened Roma tomatoes that are really red in colour. If you can’t get a hold of these in your fresh produce, you could always use whole, canned Roma tomatoes instead.

Many recipes recommend that you peel and core the tomatoes first for a greater flavour. You can do this if you choose to, but we are all about quick and easy here. I haven’t noticed a great change in flavour by adding the peel into the sauce. I do remove the core though.

Furthermore, don’t be afraid to alter the recipe to suit your taste. We usually add a generous splash of red wine to our sauce. It not only makes the colours bolder, but it just gives the sauce that extra kick too.

Finally, you can enjoy this sauce with so many Italian recipes. See the links below to some of the recipes that we use this beautiful sauce with.

Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. Nutrient values are an estimate and may vary slightly.