Easy homemade pasta sauce is a quick tomato sauce recipe made with San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and herbs. Fresh, flavorful, and simple to prepare, it's perfect for pasta, pizza, lasagna, and other homemade meals.
Updated April 2026: I've refreshed this post with a full how-to walkthrough, expert tips, more serving ideas, expanded FAQs, and detailed storage guidance based on your questions and feedback. Same 20-minute San Marzano tomato sauce recipe, even more helpful! Originally posted October 2, 2019.
There's a jar of store-bought pasta sauce sitting in almost every pantry in America, including mine, for a long time. Then one Sunday afternoon I grabbed a can of San Marzano tomatoes on a whim, threw together whatever herbs I had in the cabinet, and let it all simmer while I set the table. My family scraped the pot clean. That was the last time I bought a jar.
I've been making this San Marzano tomato sauce recipe ever since, and after dozens of batches I've dialed it in to exactly what I want: deeply flavored, slightly herby, ready in 20 minutes, and versatile enough to use on pasta night, pizza night, lasagna, or just warm bread dunked straight in the pot. It's one of those recipes that makes you feel like you really cooked something, because you did. Let's get started!
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Why You'll Love This Sauce
- Ready in 20 Minutes - This comes together faster than a drive-through run, and it tastes a hundred times better.
- Pantry-Friendly Ingredients - Just a can of tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and a handful of herbs you probably already have.
- Freezes Beautifully - Make a double batch and freeze half for the nights when you need dinner on the table fast.
- Goes on Everything - Pasta, pizza, lasagna, dipping bread. This sauce does it all without skipping a beat.
Ingredients You'll Need
- San Marzano Crushed Tomatoes are the star of the show here, and they're worth seeking out. San Marzano tomatoes are grown in volcanic soil near Naples, Italy, and they're naturally sweeter, less acidic, and meatier than standard canned tomatoes. Look for a can labeled DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta: Protected Designation of Origin), which guarantees the tomatoes are authentically grown in the designated San Marzano region. Without DOP on the label, you may just be buying regular plum tomatoes labeled to look the part.
- Garlic is used minced here for maximum flavor infusion. Fresh minced garlic beats jarred every time in a sauce this simple, with so few ingredients, each one matters.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil should be the best quality you can reasonably afford. A good olive oil adds body and a slight fruitiness that rounds out the tomatoes beautifully.
- Dried Herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary) form the classic Italian flavor base. Dried work perfectly in a sauce that simmers long enough to bloom them. If you have fresh basil on hand, stir it in at the very end for a brighter finish.
- Bay Leaf adds a quiet, almost floral depth to the sauce. It's easy to overlook but noticeable when it's missing. Don't skip it, and don't forget to fish it out before serving.
- A Pinch of Sugar is optional but worth having on hand. If your tomatoes taste slightly sharp or acidic, just a pinch balances everything out without making the sauce taste sweet.
👉🏾 See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
How to Make San Marzano Tomato Sauce
Step 1: Combine Everything in the Pan
Add your crushed San Marzano tomatoes, minced garlic, olive oil, dried herbs, bay leaf, salt, and pepper directly into a medium saucepan. No pre-sautéing required, this is the beauty of a 20-minute sauce. Give everything a good stir so the herbs and garlic are evenly distributed throughout the tomatoes.
Step 2: Bring to a Low Boil
Set the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a low boil, stirring occasionally. You'll start to see the sauce bubble around the edges, that's your cue. This usually takes 3-5 minutes. Watch the heat so it doesn't scorch on the bottom.
Step 3: Simmer and Develop Flavor
Once the sauce reaches a boil, cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. This is where the magic happens, the garlic mellows, the herbs bloom, and everything comes together into a cohesive, deeply flavored sauce. Stir once or twice during this time. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
LaKita's Expert Tips
- Don't skip the DOP check. Not all cans labeled "San Marzano" are the real thing. Look for DOP certification on the label, it's the only guarantee you're getting authentic Italian San Marzano tomatoes.
- Simmer covered, not uncovered. Covering the pot keeps the sauce from reducing too quickly and drying out. If you want a thicker sauce, uncover for the last 5 minutes and let some steam escape.
- Taste before adding sugar. Every can of tomatoes is slightly different. Taste the sauce after it's simmered and only add a pinch of sugar if it tastes sharp, some cans are naturally sweet enough.
- Add fresh basil at the very end. If you're using fresh basil, stir it in right after you take the pan off the heat. Heat kills fresh basil's brightness quickly, so post-heat is the move.
- A parmesan rind is a secret weapon. If you have a parmesan rind in the freezer, drop it in while the sauce simmers. It adds a subtle salty, umami richness that takes the sauce from good to incredible. Remove before serving.
- Don't rush the simmer. Twenty minutes might feel short, but it's enough time if your heat is truly low. The slow simmer is what mellows the garlic and marries all the flavors together.
- Double it. This sauce freezes so well that I almost always make a double batch. The extra 2 minutes of effort saves future-you an entire dinner.
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Variations & Substitutions
- Add sautéed onion - If you have an extra 5 minutes, dice half a yellow onion and sauté it in the olive oil until soft before adding everything else. It adds sweetness and body.
- Make it spicy - Add ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes when you add the herbs for a gentle kick. More if you really want the heat.
- Use fresh tomatoes - You can substitute fresh Roma or plum tomatoes (about 2 pounds), but you'll need to peel, seed, and cook them significantly longer. For ease and consistency, canned wins every time.
- Add a splash of red wine - Pour in ¼ cup of dry red wine with the tomatoes for added depth and richness. Let it cook down with everything.
- Make it a meat sauce - Brown ½ pound of Italian sausage or ground beef in the pan first, drain the fat, then add all the sauce ingredients and proceed as directed.
- Go smoother - For a velvety, restaurant-style texture, use an immersion blender directly in the pot (off the heat) after simmering, or transfer to a blender and pulse to your preferred consistency.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Make-Ahead
This sauce is an ideal meal-prep recipe. Make a full batch (or double batch) up to 5 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The flavor actually deepens overnight as the herbs continue to infuse, it's genuinely better on day two.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Freezer: Let the sauce cool completely, then transfer to freezer-safe containers or zip-top freezer bags (lay flat to save space). Freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of water or broth if the sauce has thickened during storage. Avoid high heat, which can scorch the bottom of the pan.
What to Serve with San Marzano Tomato Sauce
- Classic pasta night - Toss with spaghetti and top with Spaghetti and Meatballs for the full comfort food experience.
- Layered into lasagna - This sauce is perfect for Easy Lasagna Recipe or Ravioli Lasagna, the depth of flavor holds up beautifully between layers.
- Spread on pizza dough - Use it as the base for homemade pizza or Easy Pizza Bowls for a weeknight dinner the whole family will love.
- Alongside crusty bread - Serve warm with Cheddar Herb Biscuits for dipping, trust me on this one.
- Over baked chicken - Spoon it over Roasted Chicken Thighs for an easy weeknight dinner with serious flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
San Marzano tomatoes are a specific variety of plum tomato grown in volcanic soil near Naples, Italy. They're naturally sweeter, less acidic, and have fewer seeds than standard canned tomatoes, which makes them ideal for sauce. The flavor difference is noticeable, regular canned tomatoes tend to be sharper and more one-dimensional by comparison.
Absolutely. Whole San Marzano tomatoes are actually what many traditional Italian recipes call for. Just crush them by hand as you add them to the pot, or use the back of a wooden spoon to break them up as the sauce simmers. You can also blend the sauce after cooking if you prefer a smoother texture.
You can, but it requires more work. You'll need to blanch, peel, and seed about 2 pounds of fresh Roma or plum tomatoes, then cook the sauce longer, closer to 45 minutes, to break them down properly. For a quick 20-minute sauce, canned is the better choice and produces more consistent results.
A few things can cause this, the brand of tomatoes, your water, or just the natural variation between cans. The fix is easy: add a pinch of sugar and let it dissolve into the sauce during the last few minutes of simmering. You can also add a small knob of butter off the heat, which softens the sharpness without sweetening.
Simmer it uncovered for the last 5-10 minutes to let some of the liquid evaporate. Alternatively, add a small amount of tomato paste (1-2 tablespoons) when you add the other ingredients, it adds body and intensifies the tomato flavor without changing the overall character of the sauce.
Yes to both. For a slow cooker, combine all ingredients and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. For the Instant Pot, use the sauté function to bloom the garlic in olive oil first (optional), add the remaining ingredients, seal, and pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes with a natural release. The stovetop method is fastest, but both alternatives work great.
Stored in an airtight container, this sauce keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I recommend glass jars or containers, they don't absorb the tomato color or smell the way plastic can.
Yes, and it freezes beautifully. Let it cool completely first, then transfer to airtight containers or freezer bags. If using bags, lay them flat in the freezer so they freeze in an even layer, it saves space and makes them easy to stack. Freeze for up to 4 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Technically yes, but home canning tomato-based sauces requires careful attention to acidity levels and proper water bath canning techniques to ensure food safety. If you're new to canning, I'd recommend freezing instead, it's simpler and produces the same result. If you're experienced with canning, this sauce works well for it.
DOP stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta, which translates to Protected Designation of Origin. It's a certification regulated by the European Union that guarantees the tomatoes were grown in the specific San Marzano region of Italy under strict agricultural standards. Look for DOP on the label when you're shopping, without it, you may just be buying regular plum tomatoes that are labeled to look like the real thing.
📖 Recipe
San Marzano Tomato Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
- 28 ounce can of crushed san marzano tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and black pepper to taste
- pinch of sugar
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil on medium-high heat.
- Then cover, turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes to allow all of those wonderful flavors to come together. Remove the bay leaf.
- Use immediately in your favorite recipe or store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for 5 to 7 days or in the freezer up to 4 months.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you give this San Marzano tomato sauce a try, I'd love to know what you think! Leave a comment below, share a photo on Instagram and tag @SimplyLaKita, or save it on Pinterest for later. And if you have a question about the sauce, texture, substitutions, what to do with the leftovers, drop it in the comments. I read every single one.
Chelle {Everyday Polish} says
This looks delicious! Will definitely be trying it out next time I make pasta, although your homemade pizza looks so yummy that now I'm tempted to experiment with that as well.
admin says
Thank you so much! Please do experiment away and let me know how it turns out. I was also going to make pasta with the sauce, but decided to try something different instead.