Do you love homemade tomato sauce but only have access to whole canned tomatoes ? Say goodbye to processed foods and mealy tomatoes and hello to pure italian sauce magic ! This simple recipe will show you how to upgrade your canned tomatoes to a flavorful and complex tomato sauce, all while staying budget-friendly and limiting the use of processed foods. Unlock the secret to irresistible homemade tomato sauce by transforming humble ingredients into a culinary masterpiece!

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Master the art of homemade tomato sauce as your go-to recipe base!

This easy tomato sauce recipe with canned tomatoes will be the perfect base for simple or complex dishes. Use it as a basic tomato sauce and it to a meat based or vegetarian lasagna, a butter chicken recipe or simply use it as pasta sauce! I even use it as a base for a pizza, even though it’s not smooth, as I love the texture. But you can always mix it if you want a smoother finish! If you have nice local fresh tomatoes, feel free to use them in this recipe. For a smoother result, I would recommend peeling the tomatoes first by blanching them in boiling water. But if like me your local tomatoes tend to be mealy or you don’t have access to fresh produce, this recipe will be perfect for you ! Let’s cook 🙂

My personal tips for the best homemade tomato sauce

For the whole peeled canned tomatoes, I recommend using the least processed ones you can find. I buy the plain ones with no additives or seasonings. It’s healthier, and it’s cheaper 😉

Keep a bowl next to your cutting board to add all of your food scrapes and trash. This helps you keeping your space organized and eases the cleaning process!

Regarding the seasonings used, don’t hesitate to add other ones and play around with new flavors ! I strongly recommend staying away from table salts and aiming for Himalayan salt in your everyday cooking.

Don’t be afraid to make big batches of this sauce to freeze for later use ! It always comes in handy when your fridge is empty or you are to lazy to cook. So, let’s make the best tomato sauce recipe ever together!

How to make tomato sauce from canned tomatoes

Homemade tomato sauce

Recipe by heartysoulandkitchenCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Total time

hours

Do you love homemade tomato sauce but only have access to whole canned tomatoes ? Do your local tomatoes tend to be mealy ? This simple recipe will show you how to upgrade your whole canned tomatoes to a flavorful and complex tomato sauce, all while staying mindful of your budget and limiting the use of processed foods. Impress your loved ones with the best homemade tomato sauce with canned tomatoes ever!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 big white onion
2 red onions
1 big carrot
4 garlic cloves
1 glass of wine (red or white)
1 small can of tomato paste (70g or 2.47oz)
2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes (2 400 g-circa 14 oz)
Optional
3 celery branches
1 hot pepper
Seasonings
Rosemary
Nutmeg
Parsley
Tarragon
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Basilicum

Directions

Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a heated pan.
In the pan, sweat 1 thinly sliced white onion and add salt and pepper when it becomes translucent.
If you wish to give your sauce a more complex flavor profile, add your sliced celery branches and hot pepper to your pan.
Add 1 thinly sliced carrot and let it cook on high heat for 4 minutes. The natural sugars of the carrot will balance the acidity of the sauce without the need to add sugar !
Add 2 thinly sliced onions and let them cook while you peel your garlic cloves and press them. Add them to the pan and let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
As the heat is still up, deglaze your pan with a glass of red or white wine, depending on your taste and what you want to use the sauce for. For an alcohol-free version, you can simply deglaze with a glass of water. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan !
When it has evaporated a bit, add your preferred seasonings as well as salt and pepper. I used freshly grated nutmeg, dried thyme and rosemary from my garden, fresh tarragon, paprika and lemon pepper.
Mix together and take the heat down. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add one small can of tomato paste as well as the water used to rinse the can.
Add both cans of whole peeled tomatoes, rinse the cans halfway through and add the water to your pan.
Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Mash the whole tomatoes with a potato masher and reseason to taste.
Let it simmer for a total duration of minimum an hour. You can let it simmer for up to 4 hours !
Serve over pasta, use in a lasagna, a shakshouka or freeze it for later use !

Notes

You will get a more complex flavor profile the longer you let your sauce simmer !