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Home / Latest Posts / Recipes / Fresh Tomato Sauce

Fresh Tomato Sauce

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By: Leigh Anne WilkesPosted: 10/14/22Updated: 9/20/24

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white bowl full of tomato sauce

Delicious homemade tomato sauce that only requires 3 ingredients and you can use in any recipe that calls for canned tomato sauce.

white bowl full of tomato sauce

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Worth the effort! Making your own fresh tomato sauce has a few steps involved but it is not a difficult process. The end result is so good! You get tomato sauce that tastes like a fresh from the garden tomato!

Customize your sauce. I love that I can control the sugar and salt content when I make my own tomato sauce.

Only 3 ingredients. You only need tomatoes, a little sugar and salt.

When is the best time to make tomato sauce?

When that bumper crop of tomatoes hits, is the perfect time to make your own tomato sauce and then freeze it for the rest of the year.

What Kind of Tomatoes are Best for Fresh Tomato Sauce?

Using tomatoes that are at their peak of ripeness will yield the best tomato sauce. I tend to use roma tomatoes for my sauce but will also throw in whatever other tomatoes are ripe in the garden at the time (i.e. early girl, beefsteak etc.) The more watery pulp a tomato has the longer you will want to cook the sauce to thicken it up.

tomato sauce in a white bowl

Ingredients Needed

  • Tomatoes. I like to use roma tomatoes for my sauce but will also throw in whatever other tomatoes are ripe in the garden at the time (i.e. early girl, beefsteak etc.)
  • Sugar optional
  • Salt, optional

How much sauce does it make?

It does take a fair amount of tomatoes to make tomato sauce. To get 6-8 cups of tomato sauce I will use about 6-7 pounds of tomatoes. So about 1 pound per cup of sauce.

bowl of tomatoes

How to Peel Tomatoes

  • Remove the stems from the tomatoes. I use a sharp paring knife to remove it.
tomato with core cut out
  • Next, Boil a pot of water.
  • Fill another bowl with water and ice.
  • Grab two empty bowls, one for the skins and one for the peeled tomatoes.
peeling tomatoes in a bowl
  • Once water boils, place 4-5 tomatoes into the water. Leave them in the water for about 30 seconds or until the skin of the tomato begins to crack. Don’t leave them in too long or they will begin to turn to mush.
tomato with a cracked skin
  • Remove the tomatoes from the water and place them into the bowl with the ice water. This will stop the cooking process. Let them cool for a few seconds and then remove the skins. If the skin of the tomato does not crack it will probably still come off easily. You may need to just puncture it with the end of the knife and then the peel should come right off.
hand holding a peeled tomato
  • Place the skins in one bowl and the tomatoes in the other.

How to Make Fresh Tomato Sauce

  • Place peeled whole tomatoes in a blender. and puree. I like my sauce fairly smooth, not any chunks. If you want a chunkier sauce you can just dice up the tomatoes and then start cooking them. They will cook down more as they cook so allow for that.
peeled tomatoes in a blender
  • You can also use an immersion blender to puree your tomatoes.
tomato sauce in a blender
  • Pour your pureed tomatoes into a pan and heat on the stove. You can season the sauce with a little sugar and salt at this point if you would like. I usually add in 1-2 Tbsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp of salt.
tomato sauce in a sauce pan
  • The amount of time you cook the sauce will depend on how thick you want your sauce and how watery your tomatoes were. I cooked mine for about an hour and it reduced by one third. The shorter the cooking time, the fresher the taste and the thinner the sauce.
cooked tomato sauce in a pan

Your sauce is now ready to use!

Pair This with:

  • Chicken Spaghetti with Red Sauce
  • Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
  • Sausage Tortellini Soup
  • Hamburger Soup
  • You can use this in any recipe that calls for canned tomato sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you store fresh tomato sauce?

Fill quart size freezer bags and freeze for use during the winter. It will last in the freezer for up to six months.

tomato sauce in freezer bags

Check out these other delicious tomato recipes:

  • Fresh Tomato Soup
  • Tomato Chicken Pasta
  • Instant Pot Tomato Soup
  • Roasted Tomatoes
  • Tomato Bacon Cups

Be sure and follow me over on You Tube for weekly cooking demos.

5 from 4 votes
tomato sauce in a bowl

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Recipe From: Leigh Anne Wilkes
Delicious homemade tomato sauce that only requires 3 ingredients and you can use in any recipe that calls for canned tomato sauce.
serves: 6 cups
Prep:10 minutes minutes
Cook:20 hours hours
0 minutes minutes
Total:20 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
Rate Recipe

Ingredients

  • 7 pounds fresh tomatoes roma, early girl, beefsteak, etc
  • 2 Tbsp sugar optional
  • 1/2 tsp salt optional

Instructions

  • Remove stems of tomatoes.
  • Place 4-5 tomatoes at a time into a pan of boiling water for about 30 seconds until the skins begin to crack.
  • Remove tomatoes from pan and place them into a bowl of ice water.
  • After they have cooled for a few seconds remove the skin from the tomato.
  • Place tomatoes into a high power blender (1/2 at a time) and blend until desired smoothness.
  • If you’d like a chunkier sauce, just dice tomatoes before cooking.
  • Place tomatoes puree or chunks into a pan and heat on the stove. Cook at medium heat, at a low simmer until desired thickness is achieved.
  • 6-7 pounds will yield approx. 6-7 cups of sauce. How long your simmer the sauce for will affect the yield.

Tips & Notes:

It does take a fair amount of tomatoes to make tomato sauce. To get 6-8 cups of tomato sauce I will use about 6-7 pounds of tomatoes. So about 1 pound per cup of sauce.

Recommended Products

Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 55kcal (3%) Carbohydrates: 12g (4%) Protein: 2g (4%) Fat: 1g (2%) Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Sodium: 110mg (5%) Potassium: 627mg (18%) Fiber: 3g (13%) Sugar: 9g (10%) Vitamin A: 2204IU (44%) Vitamin C: 36mg (44%) Calcium: 27mg (3%) Iron: 1mg (6%)
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
Course:Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine:Italian
tomato sauce in a bowl
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5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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  1. Barb says

    Posted on 7/17 at 3:45 pm

    I tried added some spice it is good.

    Reply
  2. Ready Sauces and Tomato Purees says

    Posted on 10/29 at 5:44 am

    A classic recipe and easy to prepare, good recommendation! During summer, everybody should prepare this simple, but delicious sauce.

    Reply
  3. Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen says

    Posted on 10/14 at 5:59 pm

    I LOVED the picture tutorial! Just great! 🙂

    Reply
    • Leigh Anne says

      Posted on 10/29 at 6:57 am

      Thanks so much Elizabeth!

      Reply

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