Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce
Have you ever heard your friends rave about the homemade pizzas that they make? And you struggle to even know where to begin? Honestly, making your own pizza sauce is so easy to do! Well in this blog post you will learn how to make your own pizza sauce and just how easy it can be! With this pizza sauce recipe, you will be having a delicious pizza tonight.
In this post, you will learn how to make an easy, homemade pizza sauce.
Why Make My Own Pizza Sauce?
While buying pizza sauce is incredibly convenient, sometimes that can be the one thing that you forget at the store! Who wants to drive back to town to get it? Or perhaps you do not want all the extra additives that pizza sauce can have in it. Whatever your reasons, this incredibly easy pizza sauce will be your go to once you taste how good and easy it is.
Are Canned Tomatoes Just as Good for my Pizza Sauce?
Canned tomatoes are a convenient and often preferred way to make pizza sauce. The tomatoes are picked and processed at peak ripeness ensuring good flavour and consistency.
Canned chopped tomatoes are preferred for this recipe, but you can also use whole peeled tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, or diced tomatoes. Using high quality tomatoes can result in a better flavour in your pizza sauce. Finally, it really is what type of tomato you prefer to use.
Using canned tomatoes can save you time while still resulting in a delicious, homemade pizza sauce.
Do I Have to Blend the Canned Tomatoes?
No, you do not. Your sauce is determined by your preferences. If you like pieces of chunky tomatoes on your pizza, then skip Step 1 and start the recipe directly at Step 2. Using the chunky tomatoes on your pizza is an easy way to change things up!
Can I Use Fresh Tomatoes Instead of Canned Tomatoes?
If you want to make your pizza sauce from fresh tomatoes, that is no issue. Make sure that the weight of the fresh tomatoes is roughly 400g to make it comparable to this pizza sauce recipe.
How to Make Your Pizza Sauce from Fresh Tomatoes
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Select and Prepare the Tomatoes
- Choose Ripe Tomatoes: use either Roma or plum tomatoes for their meatiness and lower water content.
- Blanch and Peel:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl.
- Score a small “X” on the bottom of each tomato.
- Place tomatoes in boiling water for 30-60 seconds, until the skins starts to peel back.
- Transfer tomatoes to the ice water bath to cool quickly.
- Peel the skins off the tomatoes.
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Remove Seeds (optional)
- Cut the tomatoes in half and use either a spoon or your fingers to scoop out the seeds. This step can be skipped if you do not mind the seeds in your sauce.
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Cook the Tomatoes
- Chop the Tomatoes: roughly chop the peeled (and seeded, if you chose to) tomatoes.
- Sauté Aromatics:
- In a large pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
- Add minced garlic (2-3 cloves) and finely chopped onion (small) and saute until fragrant and translucent.
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Simmer the Sauce
- Season: add a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar (if needed).
- Simmer: allow the mixture to simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reduces to a thick sauce. Break up large tomato pieces with a spoon as it cooks.
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Blend (optional)
- For a smoother sauce, you can use a blender or food processor to puree the mixture. Alternatively, use a food mill to remove any remaining seeds and skins while pureeing.
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Final Adjustments
- Now that the tomatoes are chopped and ready to use, continue with step 2 in the pizza sauce recipe below.
Can I Freeze Any Pizza Sauce Leftovers?
Yes, you can. Make sure that it is completely cool before storing. Put your leftover pizza sauce in a freezer safe container and store in the freezer for up to six months. You can also store the leftover pizza sauce in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.
Ingredients
Chopped Tomatoes: chopped tomatoes are fresh tomatoes that have been peeled, seeded (optional), and cut into small pieces. They form the base of the sauce, providing texture and a fresh, tangy flavour.
Tomato Puree: tomato puree is a thick liquid made from cooked and strained tomatoes. It has a smooth consistency and a concentrated tomato flavour. Additionally, it is used to thicken the sauce and intensify the tomato flavour. Because of this it helps achieve a consistent texture when combined with chopped tomatoes.
Spices
Oregano: oregano is a Mediterranean herb with small, green leaves and a robust, aromatic flavour that’s slightly bitter and peppery. It’s a classic herb in Italian cooking, adding a warm, slightly pungent taste that complements tomatoes well. Lastly, either fresh or dried oregano can be used.
Paprika: paprika is a ground spice made from dried red peppers. It ranges in flavour from sweet and mild to hot and smoky, depending on the type of peppers used. This recipe uses sweet paprika, but smoky can be used interchangeably for this specific recipe.
Onion Powder: onion powder is a seasoning made from dehydrated ground onions. It has a fine, powdery texture and a concentrated, pungent onion flavour. Therefore, it is used to impart a deep, savoury onion taste to dishes without the need for fresh onions. It is convenient for seasoning sauces, soups, marinades, and various other recipes where a smooth texture is desired without onion pieces.
Garlic Powder: garlic powder is a seasoning made from dehydrated garlic cloves that have been ground into a fine powder. This gives it a strong, intense garlic flavour. Also, it is used to add a rich, savoury garlic flavour to dishes making garlic powder ideal for seasoning sauces, soups, dressings, marinades, and dry rubs. Consequently, offering the flavour of garlic without the texture of fresh garlic pieces.
BBQ Sauce (optional): BBQ sauce is a condiment with a base of tomatoes, vinegar, sweeteners, and various spices. It can be sweet, tangy, spicy, or smoky, depending on the recipe. Furthermore, adding BBQ sauce to pizza sauce can introduce a smoky, sweet flavour, giving the sauce a unique twist. However, it is optional and can be used if you want to create a BBQ-flavoured pizza sauce.
Tips
- I prefer my pizza sauce to have a BBQ flavour to it. However, if you do not like your pizza to have a BBQ sauce flavour, omit the BBQ sauce in the pizza sauce.
- This recipe makes 2 cups of pizza sauce, and you need about ¼ c. for each pizza base which equals about 8 pizzas. Consequently, if you are not making 8 pizzas, I would highly recommend freezing the sauce for future pizzas!
- If you like chunky tomatoes on your pizza, omit the blending the canned tomatoes step (Step 1) and continue with Step 2.
Best Pizza Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes blended (400g full weight)
- 1 can of tomato puree or tomato paste 140g
- 2 tbsp. oregano
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tbsp. BBQ sauce Optional
Instructions
- Place your can of chopped tomatoes into a bowl and blend it with a hand blender.
- Mix in the tomato puree.
- Once fully blended, add oregano and mix.
- Add in onion powder, garlic powder, and BBQ sauce.
- Your pizza sauce is now ready to go onto your pizza!