We all know that homemade goodies are so much better than store bought. I believe this holds true to pasta sauce. I’ve grown to hate pasta sauce in a jar. It’s just so watered down and flavorless and I always find myself adding my own seasonings to it and tweaking it to give it more flavor. That’s when I decided — forget that, I’m making my own! I went to Costco and bought that huge can of crushed tomatoes and made my own pasta sauce. They’re great to make in a big batch because you can jar them and then freeze them while storing a few in the fridge. Oh, not to mention, this sauce would be great to use for the chicken parmesan paninis ;)
I know this is a really easy post and it’s probably something you already know how to do, but you know, there are still people out there who buy jarred tomato sauce and I want to be that inspiration (or force) to push them to make their own! It’s seriously a world of difference. I can’t go back to jarred. It’s just so tasteless! Get off your tush and make some :)
This is a very basic pasta sauce, basically marinara. You can add heat to this later or whatever else you want to go with your specific dish. This pasta sauce is more like a “base” to your dish.
Homemade Pasta Sauce
Yield: 4 24 oz. jars
Ingredients:
Large can of crushed tomatoes, preferably a bulk amount from Costco or wherever you buy bulk. You can also use half crushed tomatoes and half tomato paste if you want a less chunky sauce.
3 large onions, diced
6 cloves of garlic
4 tbsp. dried basil leaves
1 tbsp. granulated sugar (optional, I added this because it cuts down the acidity)
2 tbsp. salt
Couple shakes of pepper
Instructions:
- In a large stockpot, throw in your onions and garlic and saute until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Dump in all the crushed tomatoes and stir in the basil, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Let simmer for 30 minutes to incorporate all the flavors, stirring occasionally.
- Let the tomato sauce cool before jarring them.
- Keep in fridge or freezer. Make sure you write dates on them :)
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I always have little tubs of this on hand, so much better than store-bought stuff!
I don’t know why but I always feel like if I am going to jar sauce myself, I need to start from fresh tomatoes (which are expensive). This is totally genius (I know, little things excite me!). Thanks for the inspiration :)
Just seeing a jar of Prego or Ragu makes my skin itch. Growing up in an Italian family with homemade sauce and macaroni + meatballs every Sunday, I will fully admit I’m a sauce snob. Jarred stuff is gross and I don’t think people realize how easy it is to make your own!
my boyfriend is Italian too so I know what you mean by the sauce snob — haha sometimes it’s intimidating to make Italian dishes for him cause i know he’s totally judging on the inside ;)
This is the ticket, make up a hugh pot, freeze em and when you are in the pasta mood, (which for me is frequently) you are ready to go. Lovely post.
Lovely pasta sauce, Julie! I love that it makes so much. I like making large recipes like this and then freezing to have on hand all the time. Well-done!
I have never made a homemade pasta sauce before, but this is seriously inspirational! I love it :)
Can you freeze glass jars? Do you jar the sauce as though you’re “canning,” such as, boiling the jars, lids, etc., and going through that process? If not, why freeze in jars instead of freezer containers?
Thanks,
Phyllis
Yes, you can freeze glass jars, or at least I have before. I don’t jar the sauce as though I’m canning. It’s up to preference how you want to freeze. You can freeze in a jar or container.
How long would you say these could stay in the freezer, and how long could you keep a jar in the fridge?
I’d say they could stay in the freezer for up to 6 months. I’ve kept my jars in the fridge for up to 2-3 months at times.
Do you think I could half this recipe?