Quick Tomato Sauce Recipe

Some people snatch up their favorite brand of tomato sauce at the grocery just to save time. But believe it or not, making sauce doesn't have to be time-consuming or super-complicated. As the title suggests, this homemade tomato sauce recipe is quick and easy to make, and it requires just a handful of ingredients, making it affordable as well. We've steadfastly abide by the motto "homemade is better than store-bought," and that's precisely the case with this tomato sauce. And if you want to make it ahead of time? It lasts up to five days in the fridge, so it's really a no-brainer in terms of food prep, too.

Recipe developer Catherine Brookes came up with this quick and easy recipe that is great on pasta, as a bread dip, or anything in-between. "I love this recipe because it's simple, wholesome and so much more flavorful than store-bought tomato sauces," she raves. "It's ready in just 20 minutes and uses basic store cupboard ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen." 

This recipe only requires a few ingredients, making your shopping trip a breeze. Pick up olive oil, garlic cloves, peeled plum tomatoes, vegetable stock cube (you'll only need half of it), dried basil, sugar, salt, and pepper.

To whip up this sauce, you will need a large saucepan. Place it on your stove and drizzle in the olive oil. Then, turn the heat to medium and let the oil get nice and hot.

Once you hear the olive oil sizzle or see it's getting hot, add in the minced garlic. Fry the two together for about a minute, stirring constantly. "Be careful not to burn the garlic as it can happen quickly. It only needs a minute of frying before you add the other ingredients," Brookes says. 

Go ahead and toss in the remaining ingredients, including the peeled plum tomatoes, vegetable stock cube, dried basil, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. "Adding half a stock cube to the sauce gives it a little more of that delicious savory flavor," Brookes notes. 

Now, turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Once you see bubbles reach the top of the surface, bring the heat back down to a simmer and let the ingredients cook for 10 minutes.

Once the 10 minutes are up, transfer the sauce to a food processor or blender and blend and pulse until you achieve your desired texture. Whether you want it smooth or lumpy, there is no "wrong" answer here.

Now, you can serve the tomato sauce as you wish. Of course, this would be a great addition to your favorite pasta, but it also goes well with plenty of other items as well! "You could also use it in chili or lasagna, or to serve with meatballs," Brookes suggests. 

If you have leftovers or made this sauce ahead of time, you can store it for up to five days in the fridge. Be sure to keep the sauce in an airtight container!