Pizza lovers will know that a pizza sauce can make or break a pizza. Some sauces don’t have enough flavor while others can be too spicy. Some are too watery while others are pasty thick. What I aimed for when I developed this Pizza Sauce recipe was to land somewhere in the middle!
This pizza sauce is made from scratch with garden-fresh ripe tomatoes which are then roasted in the oven to deepen the flavor. While, no contest, the Italian plum tomatoes known as San Marzanos are the best for making this sauce, any tomatoes can be used. The long, slender plum tomatoes are the best option if you can get them since they are mostly all flesh and have fewer seeds and are less watery than many other types of tomatoes. I had some San Marzanos available for the sauce but I had to top up the amount needed with the Early Girl variety of which I had lots.
I roast the cut-up tomatoes at a high temperature (425°F) until they are soft. Its quite okay if there is some light charring on them. This can take anywhere from 20-25 minutes plus, depending on the variety of tomatoes and the size of the chunks. If the tomatoes are small, cut them in half; if they are large, cut them into quarters. Toss them in a bowl with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and some seasonings and place them on a tinfoil-lined rimmed baking sheet. The tin foil will make clean-up a lot easier!
Let the tomatoes cool for about 20-30 minutes and, in the meantime, sauté the onion and garlic. Working in batches, combine the tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a blender along with the tomato paste and seasonings and purée until smooth. While I have listed the amounts of the seasonings in dried form, certainly fresh herbs are always preferable. However, I recognize that not everyone might have the fresh versions of the herbs so I have opted to give the amount requirements in dried form. If you wish to use fresh herbs, a general rule of thumb is that 1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs equals 1 teaspoon dried.
If you want a perfectly smooth sauce, run it through a fine-mesh sieve after it has been puréed, Since it has been puréed in batches, give the sauce a good stir to ensure all ingredients are well mixed. If desired, stir in about 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese at the end. The sauce is then ready to be used on pizzas or, if desired, may be frozen in airtight freezer container(s) for later use.
Homemade pizza sauce is tasty and a great way to use up excess ripe tomatoes from the garden.
[Printable recipe follows at end of post]
Pizza Sauce
Ingredients:
1½ lbs ripe tomatoes
1 – 1½ tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Italian seasoning
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp fine sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Sprinkle of garlic salt
1 – 1½ tbsp olive oil
½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup tomato paste
1¼ tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp dried parsley
¼ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp dried Rosemary, crushed
1/16 tsp ground dried fennel
¼ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp paprika
1½ tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Method:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with tin foil for easy clean-up.
Wash and dry the tomatoes. Cut off blossom and stem ends. If the tomatoes are small, cut each in half; if the tomatoes are large, cut them into quarters.
Place cut-up tomatoes in bowl and toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, nutmeg, sea salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Arrange tomatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast tomatoes for approximately 25 minutes or until very soft. Let cool 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. As soon as the oil starts to shimmer, add the onion. Sauté the onion until transparent, about 4-6 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the onion from burning. Add the minced garlic and cook just until it is fragrant, about 15-20 seconds. Do not let garlic scorch.
Working in batches, combine the slightly cooled tomatoes and their juice in a blender along with the sautéed onion and garlic, tomato paste, and the seasonings. Purée until mixture is very smooth. Once puréed, give the entire sauce a good stir to ensure all ingredients are well mixed and blended. Pass the puréed mixture through a fine mesh sieve for a smoother sauce. If desired, stir in 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese. Use on pizzas immediately or freeze in airtight freezer container(s) for longer storage.
NOTE: If you prefer to use fresh chopped herbs instead of dried, a general rule of thumb is that 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs equals 1 teaspoon dried. This, however, is just a “general” guideline. The amount of seasonings added should be according to personal taste preference.
Yield: Approximately 1 2/3 cups
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Bistro Style Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs ripe tomatoes
- 1 – 1½ tbsp olive oil
- ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Sprinkle of garlic salt
- 1 – 1½ tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1¼ tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp dried Rosemary, crushed
- 1/16 tsp ground dried fennel
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp paprika
- 1½ tbsp brown sugar
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with tin foil for easy clean-up.
-
Wash and dry the tomatoes. Cut off blossom and stem ends. If the tomatoes are small, cut each in half; if the tomatoes are large, cut them into quarters.
-
Place cut-up tomatoes in bowl and toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, nutmeg, sea salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Arrange tomatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast tomatoes for approximately 25 minutes or until very soft. Let cool 20-30 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. As soon as the oil starts to shimmer, add the onion. Sauté the onion until transparent, about 4-6 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the onion from burning. Add the minced garlic and cook just until it is fragrant, about 15-20 seconds. Do not let garlic scorch.
-
Working in batches, combine the slightly cooled tomatoes and their juice in a blender along with the sautéed onion and garlic, tomato paste, and the seasonings. Purée until mixture is very smooth. Once puréed, give the entire sauce a good stir to ensure all ingredients are well mixed and blended. Pass the puréed mixture through a fine mesh sieve for a smoother sauce. If desired, stir in 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese. Use on pizzas immediately or freeze in airtight freezer container(s) for longer storage.
-
NOTE: If you prefer to use fresh chopped herbs instead of dried, a general rule of thumb is that 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs equals 1 teaspoon dried. This, however, is just a “general” guideline. The amount of seasonings added should be according to personal taste preference.
Recipe Notes
NOTE: If you prefer to use fresh chopped herbs instead of dried, a general rule of thumb is that 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs equals 1 teaspoon dried. This, however, is just a “general” guideline. The amount of seasonings added should be according to personal taste preference.
Yield: Approximately 1 2/3 cups
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