Great tomato sauce is so easy with this simple technique. The recipe may be doubled or halved based on the amount of tomatoes you have. Simply blend larger quantities in batches and choose a pot that accommodates. Freezes well!
It never fails. Every summer I anxiously await the first of the red, ripe tomatoes from our backyard garden. Then just as we’re packing for vacation, the plants begin to bear fruit in earnest.
I thought of this speedy solution a few years ago and have repeated it many times in order to deal with an over-abundance of tomatoes and to provide a tasty and versatile sauce throughout the winter months.
Much of what I freeze throughout the summer gets stored in an extra freezer in our basement. One day towards the end of last winter, my husband noticed that the door had been left ajar. Everything—including five or six containers of this flavorful sauce—had thawed.
Sadly, I had to pitch a lot, but the sauce was cold enough to salvage. I kept what I could use in a week’s time and gave the rest away.
My original intention wasn’t to create a fancy sauce. I just wanted to avoid tomato spoilage and, in the process, create a convenient, flavorful option to basic canned tomato sauce. So I was thrilled when one grateful recipient requested the recipe because her daughter enjoyed eating it as soup!
The very first time I made this, I had already given away a good portion of our tomato bounty in advance of our departure, but I still ended up with six pounds of tomatoes in my pot. The harvest from a few prolific plants can be impressive!
Six pounds of tomatoes cooks down into approximately two quarts of sauce, and I like to freeze the sauce in a variety of container sizes. Having some 8-ounce containers on hand when a recipe calls for a mere cup of sauce is a welcome convenience.
The real beauty of this recipe is that it eliminates the time-consuming, tedious task of peeling and seeding the tomatoes. The blender creates a smooth base that cooks down to a velvety sauce, and no one will notice a single seed or piece of skin. I actually think the skins enhance the flavor.
Because we plant a variety of tomatoes, I use a variety in my sauce. Though plum tomatoes or a mix of varieties work especially well, use what you have, and simply simmer until thick.
If you prefer more oregano, a hint of basil, some black pepper, or even the flavor of bell pepper, add it. It’s hard to go wrong when you start with fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes. And you absolutely don’t have to be going on vacation to justify making this savory shortcut sauce!
UPDATE: I just made a batch using 6 pounds of grape tomatoes. (You should see the monster plant in my garden!) It worked beautifully and the yield was greater–most likely because there is a lower overall water content. I got exactly 2 quarts and 3 cups of sauce from this batch.
Helpful guide if you don’t have a scale:
- One small tomato weighs 3 to 4 ounces.
- One medium tomato weighs 5 to 6 ounces.
- Large tomatoes can weigh 7 ounces or more.
- One pint of grape tomatoes weighs approximately 14 ounces.
After blending, the tomato mixture looks pink and frothy. No worries..
…it will cook down to a gorgeous, delicious, thick, red sauce.
Yields approximately 2 quarts (8 cups).
- 6 pounds tomatoes (no need to remove the skin or seeds; see notes)
- 1 yellow onion
- 6-8 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano (may substitute 2 tablespoons fresh, minced)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
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Remove the tomato stems and any bruised areas or white core, and then cut into chunks. Peel the onion and the garlic, and roughly chop.
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Place the tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a blender (in batches, if necessary), and blend until smooth. The mixture may remind you of a pink milkshake at this point.
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Transfer to a large, heavy-bottomed pot, bring to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to the point where the sauce maintains a slow simmer (uncovered). Stir in the olive oil, salt, oregano, and sugar, and let simmer for 60-90 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sauce has thickened nicely.
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Serve immediately or allow to cool thoroughly. Once cool, refrigerate or freeze for later use. When freezing, consider using an assortment of container sizes to match a variety of future recipe needs.
- Any variety of vine-ripened tomatoes will work. I typically use a combination of regular, plum, and cherry tomatoes–and a few yellow when I have them. Total simmering time will vary based on the variety of tomatoes used, as plum tomatoes tend to have less liquid and regular, round varieties are usually more watery.
- If you happen to have a piece of Parmesan rind on hand, add it to the pot. It’s delicious!  Leftover Parmesan rind can be stored in the freezer for convenient use in soups and sauces such as this one.
- This recipe may be made without the olive oil, but it does enhance the flavor while providing heart-healthy fats.
- The last time I made this sauce, I used two teaspoons of sugar instead of one to see how that affected the taste. I thought it was a little too much, so I added a teaspoon of white wine vinegar to offset it. My husband was particularly complimentary of that batch and asked if I included meat. You may try this variation if you like, but I stuck with my original recipe above–it has the official family stamp of approval.
If you toss the halved tomatoes, (small ones left whole), quartered onions, and garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil, then roast them on a shallow pan in the oven for 30 min at 400, you can just dump that into the blender and eat it right away, deep rich red. Really good with feta cheese on top. Cuts the time way down with the same delicious results. Cook then blend, rather than blend then cook.
Thanks so much for mentioning, Diana. Coincidently, I just did something similar with larger tomatoes, roasting for 45 minutes at 350. It was divine!
Can this recipes be safely canned ( without the oil)?
The pH of tomatoes puts them on the borderline in terms of safety with regular processing. My grandmother always added a little lemon juice to her tomatoes and tomato sauces…and then offset it later with an extra pinch of sugar.
Can this be processed in a boiling water bath as for canning?
Hi Kellie, You could can this but food safety guidelines do recommend acidifying tomatoes prior to canning because of their natural pH level. Olive oil is considered acidic, but I’m not sure if the given amount would be enough to guarantee safety. Following is an excerpt from The National Center for Home Food Preservation, which might provide a little more insight. I hope this helps!
Acidification: To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes, add two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use one tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid. Acid can be added directly to the jars before filling with product. Add sugar to offset acid taste, if desired. Four tablespoons of a 5 percent acidity vinegar per quart may be used instead of lemon juice or citric acid. However, vinegar may cause undesirable flavor changes.
I really love this recipe! So much easier than putting all those tomatoes through the strainer. I believe you should stick to freezing though. I too really wanted to water bath can this sauce. However, after reading more in the USDA guide, I do not believe adding a small amount of acid makes it safe. Adding other low acid ingredients like onion and garlic changes the PH. Also, all of the official recipes call for removing the skins in the preparation step. The processing times were all tested without skins in the sauce. Removing the skins reduces the amount of pathogens. You can read more here: http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html.
I appreciate the ease of this method, too, Martha, and am delighted you enjoyed! Thanks also for taking the time to share the added details regarding the USDA canning guidelines. I stick to freezing to be on the safe side, too.
I’ve made this and used Roma and cherry tomatoes and some organic tomato paste. Put Rosemary oregano thyme basil and sage and chili flakes. And a dash of ground marjoran. Very good. Thanks
I like this sauce with the smaller tomato varieties, too, and all those fresh herbs sound perfect. Thanks so much for your feedback, Mat!
I just made a triple batch of this (made a smaller batch last week) and filled a dutch oven-sized pot. Just needed to cook on low for quite a long time–thickens after it’s ready! I grabbed a handful of basil, rosemary, tarragon, oregano and sage from the garden. Not sure how much–a handful worked. Stuffed that into three for four blender-fulls with the onion and garlic, and then added four beef bouillon cubes, a third cup of balsamic vinegar, the minimum of sugar, and plenty of salt and pepper and a touch of paprika. Instead of olive oil, I added about a third cup of Italian dressing–and its really delicious. So much easier than peeling and seeding–and now the tomato sauce will be frozen in flat packages and we will use the entire bounty. As is it’s wonderful soup. Add a half cup of low fat half and half, and you have cream of tomato. Yum.
Thank you so much for taking the time to send this message, Ann. I’m delighted you made several batches—how great it will be to pull them out of the freezer this winter. I love your idea of adding cream to make soup. Sounds wonderful!
I doubled the batch and cooked in the crockpot . It was very watery after about 8 hours. I added a tube of tomato paste , took off the lid, and let it simmer for a few more hours. Seems to be good now- water cooked off and evaporated. This was an easy recipe!
Hi Michele, Thanks for your comment and I’m so glad it worked out. The reason your sauce would’ve been watery is that the recipe calls for cooking the sauce uncovered on the stovetop so the excess moisture can cook out. A slow cooker retains the moisture, so what you did in terms of thickening it and removing the lid was perfect!
This worked really well. My sainted Italian great-grandfather would approve!
That is awesome feedback. Thank you!
Do you freeze in glass jars??
I usually freeze in plastic freezer containers, Judy, but do use Mason jars from time to time. If freezing in glass, make sure it’s freezer safe and that you leave sufficient head space to allow for expansion.
I used honey instead of sugar
Perfect!
I made this tonight with tomatoes from my garden! Delicious tomato sauce and I felt like I wasn’t wasting time getting rid of the skins. Thanks! It was a great base to add some ground beef, some other veggies and spices, and mostly importantly, the family loved it!
I’m thrilled this was easy and well-liked. Thanks for letting me know, Tracey!
My six year old son helped me make this sauce from fresh garden tomatoes. He’s a picky eater but loved this sauce. I have a batch simmering right now for dinner. Excellent!
So nice to read, Samantha. Thank you for the wonderful feedback and glad your son is a fan!
Ann my sauce has a bitter taste to it. Any suggestions on how I can remedy?
I’m wondering if you had bad garlic or any of the other ingredients were somehow off, Elaine. Try adding a little extra sugar…and maybe even a glug of balsamic vinegar.
The balsamic did the trick! Thanks very much.
I’m not a big fan of cooking so this recipe is awesome. I used the blender last year and I liked it 🙂
So glad it was an easy success!
I’m so excited to have found your yummy and easy recipe! I have a garden that just produced 5 different kinds of tomatoes today and I wanted to use them up. I had about 5 pounds which was pretty close. I also added my sweet peppers. I loved using our good blender for the two batches, so easy! It’s cooking on the stove now and smells delicious. Thanks for the recipe! I shared it on fb too!
Yay! I’m delighted that you made it and love your addition of sweet peppers, Kat. Thanks for sharing the recipe, too!
This is a very good recipe for tomato sauce,and an easy one to make. Thanks.
So glad you like, Kirti!
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Just made this and wanted to thank you! It is delicious! My only regret is that I didn’t double or triple the recipe! I will definetly be making a lot more. Again thank you and I’ll be waiting for more great recipes
Great feedback, PJ. Thanks for taking the time to share it!
Saw this in the local Sunday paper. Was wondering could you do a double batch and let it simmer in the crock pot on low for several hours?
I haven’t made this in the crock pot but I think you could do it, Donnie. If it doesn’t cook down/thicken enough, I would eventually remove the lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s as thick as you like. If you try, I’d love to know how you make out!
I was actually going to ask if this could be made in the crock pot! Just got fresh tomatoes and basil from my CSA and will be trying it this weekend!
Donnie (who asked a previous question about this) actually posted pictures of her crock pot success on my Facebook page. She had excellent results and posted photos of 2 gallons of sauce! She didn’t mention if she used my suggestion to remove the lid towards the end if wanting to thicken the sauce. You could do this if needed. Feel free to share your feedback here if you try!
Does using the crockpot eliminate the need to stir?
Hi Maria, It’s important to cook this uncovered so that the excess moisture cooks off and the sauce thickens. A slow cooker will hold the moisture in, so I don’t recommend for this recipe.
My husband made this yesterday with some tomatoes from his parents’ garden. It was fabulous & so easy!!! What a Great basic sauce! We added capers, kalamata olives & some red pepper flakes & had a wonderful Puttanesca sauce for dinner tonight!! This recipe is a keeper! Thanks!!
Thanks so much for the great feedback, Jeannette. I’m so glad you enjoyed and think your additions sound perfect!
great idea and how lucky to have an abundance right in your own back garden. I like this because summers are meant to be spent out doors enjoying the day not stuck in the kitchen xoxo
I so agree, Beverley, and we’ve been lucky to have had a delightful stretch of sunny but not-too-hot weather. Perfect for outside fun!