This simple spaghetti sauce recipe was created while on vacation in Costa Rica. All you need is four fresh ingredients and the time it takes to boil pasta. Such an easy recipe and a great way to save money! Pairs wonderfully with 15-minute Italian meatballs and garlic cheese bread.
Have you ever been totally out of your element – have no clue what to do, where to go, or even how to ask for help – yet still had to function like a normal person?
That’s how I felt one year when my family and I went on a vacation we had spent SIX years saving for. We went to Costa Rica where my four years of Spanish (10+ years rusty) were put to the ultimate reality test. They don’t teach you how to grocery shop in Spanish class!
Grocery shopping (and converting currency!) was half the battle. Knowing how to cook it was another. There were no cookbooks, no recipes, no nothing showing me how to cook the food we just bought.
My typical kitchen appliances were also limited. No mixer, no rolling pin, no high-powered blender. Everything we made was from memory, or made up on the spot, with the spoons and spatulas we had on hand.
You can’t just reach for a jar of spaghetti sauce and call it a day, you have to make your own homemade spaghetti sauce…. from scratch!
I was VERY fortunate that my recipe for homemade tortillas is burned in my brain, as is the one for roasting a whole chicken, making crispy potato wedges, and sauteing vegetables. However, making homemade spaghetti sauce from scratch (without a crockpot) isn’t something I remember so easily!
That’s how this TOTALLY EASY homemade spaghetti sauce was born.
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
Now, you might be wondering what makes this fresh tomato sauce so good, and yet different from all the other spaghetti sauces in the world, and why you should make this EASY spaghetti sauce instead of your typical favorite sauce.
- It’s simple (only 4 ingredients, minus salt & pepper)
- Healthy
- Perfect for a busy weeknight meal
- Fast (ready in the time it takes to make the pasta)
- It’s DELICIOUS
- No cooking skills are required
- Super frugal
- Easy to double (or triple) for company (or school lunches)
It also uses fresh tomatoes, whereas many other homemade spaghetti sauce recipes use jarred or cooked sauces. It’s perfect for the end of summer when you are picking tomatoes off your plants 50 or so at a time and they keep showing up in your CSA box too.
I kinda feel silly posting this SIMPLE recipe, but I know that many readers struggle in the kitchen and need recipes, no matter how simple they may be. So here I am, typing it up while trying to reassure you that this is quite possibly the easiest homemade sauce recipe you’ll ever make.
You just might swear off the jarred marinara sauce during the summer, it’s that good!
Ingredients for Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce
How to Make Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
The instructions are SIMPLE and QUICK! Your prep time is 5 minutes, cook time is 10 minutes, so you’re looking at a total time of less than 30 minutes!
Step 1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
Step 2. Meanwhile, using a cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and allow vegetables to cook for about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3. Using a wooden spoon, squish any large pieces of tomatoes so that the sauce is slightly chunky, but without any significantly large pieces.
Note: If you want your homemade spaghetti sauce more of a paste, you can blend or crush tomatoes more.
Step 4. Drain pasta when it’s done. Add to sauce and toss with tongs until well coated.
Step 5. Serve hot, adding additional salt and pepper as desired.
FAQs for Homemade Pasta Sauce
Can you freeze fresh tomatoes for sauce?
Fresh tomatoes can be frozen. They do not need to be blanched before freezing. They are best used in recipes such as sauces and soups.
Do you have to peel tomatoes before making tomato sauce?
Tomatoes should be peeled before making fresh tomato sauce. This will create a smooth sauce.
How do you freeze tomatoes in plastic containers?
You can slice or halve or chop up the tomatoes (or leave them whole) and put them in an airtight container. Leave 1-inch headspace. Tomatoes can be left in the freezer for up to 10 months.
Recipe Tips for Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
- Since the flavor of this dish relies heavily on quality fresh tomatoes, I don’t recommend using tomatoes in the off-season or canned tomatoes unless you’ve canned them yourself. It just wouldn’t be the same.
- As for the garlic and onion, I haven’t tried using granulated versions of either. You can certainly increase the quantity of both though, if you like more onion and more garlic in your pasta.
- For meaty spaghetti sauce, brown some ground beef and add it to the sauce, and mix. Or try this classic Italian meat sauce recipe.
- If you have fresh herbs on hand, adding a handful of fresh basil really brings this spaghetti sauce over the top!
More Simple Italian Recipes
- Homemade Italian Sausage
- Giant Italian Easy Meatballs
- Easy Italian Pasta Salad
- Zesty Italian Dressing
- 15-Minute Italian Meatballs
Dinner on a Dime
Subscribe to my newsletter and get instant access to “Dinner on a Dime”: 15+ family-friendly and kid-approved recipes that are quick, cheap and healthy!15-Minute Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
This simple spaghetti sauce recipe was created while on vacation in Costa Rica. All you need is four fresh ingredients and the time it takes to boil pasta. Such an easy recipe and a great way to save money! Pairs wonderfully with 15-minute Italian meatballs and garlic cheese bread.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main meals
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and allow vegetables to cook for about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Using a wooden spoon, squish any large pieces of tomatoes so that the sauce is slightly chunky, but without any significantly large pieces. If you want your homemade spaghetti sauce more of a paste, you can blend or mash tomatoes more.
- Drain pasta when it’s done. Add to sauce and toss with tongs until well coated.
- Serve hot, adding additional salt and pepper as desired.
Notes
- Since the flavor of this dish relies heavily on quality fresh tomatoes, I don’t recommend using tomatoes in the off-season or canned tomatoes unless you’ve canned them yourself. It just wouldn’t be the same.
- As for the garlic and onion, I haven’t tried using granulated versions of either. You can certainly increase the quantity of both though, if you like more onion and more garlic in your pasta.
Nutrition
- Calories: 200
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Very easy and delicious, I used my first tomatoes from my garden this year to make this recipe. I saved some pasta water to toss in with everything because it helps make a silky smooth sauce and then I tossed in some chopped fresh basil at the end. My 1 and 3 year old loved it, will be making it again for sure. Thanks for the recipe.
Is nice to hear that you visit my native country of Costa Rica, i remember my mom cooking very simple spaghetti sauce, I try yours! Love it thanks
I hope you enjoy it!
I throw my extra tomatoes into a plastic freezer bag freeze them whole for winter. Skins slip off under hot tap water and they are easy to chop while still frozen. Great for anything using cooked tomatoes. Also – if you ever again find yourself without a rolling pin – any bottle, jar or can works great.
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What a great story! Thank you so much for sharing, and I can only imagine the fun and excitement of traveling around the globe! Cooking and eating is a trial for sure, but it looks like you’re already getting the hang of it. Way to go! And if you have links to share for those recipes, I’d love to check them out!
What kind of tomatoes should I use?
Any kind you want Jamie – I used what was growing on my plants 🙂
Thank you for posting this recipe! I find if you want a slightly thicker sauce just add a small quantity of the pasta cooking water before you drain the pasta. The starch in it helps a bit. My italian mother-in law taught me to always do this.
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I’ve heard of that trick but haven’t tried it myself – thanks for sharing Lillian!
Hi Tiffany! Thanks so much for this recipe! We planted tomatoes LAST year, and they sprung up again THIS year. Needless to say, I had no idea what to do with them, and then I found this great tomato sauce recipe. I was afraid that my family would think that the sauce wasn’t thick enough, but I had no complaints, and my pickiest eater said this was the best tomato sauce she’s ever had. Thanks again! 🙂
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Ooh, we love surprise plants!! So glad you’re family liked the sauce Tess, including the picky one!! 🙂
Tiffany, I just tried making this the other day and it’s delicious! It’s so simple and easy… not to mention it’s a great way to use up all those extra garden tomatoes!
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Thanks so much Mary Katherine!
Jake – thanks for the great comment. What a great father looking out for his kids! So glad you loved it!
This is great. One of the few healthy things my kids eat. There is no reason to buy sauce in the store. This is by far the easiest spaghetti sauce in the world to make.
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