Back to Pizza
Pizza Sauce
Serves 600 Prep 15 min Cook 3 min Total 18 min Type Meal Origin Italian

Pizza Sauce

Italy's plain pizza sauce: tinned San Marzano tomatoes crushed by hand with salt, olive oil and a small leaf of basil.

Serves 600 ml Prep 15 minutes Cook 3 minutes Units Rate

Overview

Pizza sauce is deceptively simple yet entirely dependent on quality ingredients and proper technique. San Marzano tomatoes are preferred for their low acidity and sweet flavor. The sauce is briefly cooked, never long-simmered, to preserve the fresh tomato character. Garlic, oregano, and basil are the only seasonings; they should enhance, never dominate. This is the classic sauce of Naples and New York, used for Margherita and simple cheese pizzas.

Ingredients

Base Tomatoes

  • 1 (400g) can whole San Marzano tomatoes

Aromatics & Oil

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion (peeled and grated)
  • 3 cloves garlic (pressed or minced)

Dry Herbs & Spices

  • ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to heat preference)

Balance & Seasoning

  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Method

Stage 1 - Prepare Tomatoes

  1. Pour the canned tomatoes into a large bowl.
  2. Using your hands or a blender, break the tomatoes down so they're chunky but not completely liquid. (You want a slightly textured sauce, not a smooth puree; hand-crushing is preferred for authenticity)

Stage 2 - Cook Aromatics

  1. In a medium saucepan placed over medium heat, heat the olive oil.
  2. Add the grated onion, dried oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes.
  3. Allow them to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently so nothing sticks or burns.
  4. Add the pressed garlic and continue to cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. (The aromatics should be fragrant and infused into the oil; don't let them brown)

Stage 3 - Simmer & Develop Flavor

  1. Add the prepared tomatoes along with the sugar and salt to the aromatic oil.
  2. Stir to combine.
  3. Let the sauce reach a simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low.
  4. Allow the sauce to simmer gently for 30 minutes.
  5. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking on the bottom.

Stage 4 - Taste & Adjust

  1. Taste the sauce and adjust with additional seasonings as desired.
  2. Too acidic? Add a pinch more sugar.
  3. Not enough tomato flavor? Continue to simmer for up to 15 more minutes (but no longer; overcooked sauce loses its fresh character).
  4. Not enough garlic or oregano? Add a small pinch of either.

Stage 5 - Cool & Store

  1. Use the sauce for pizzas immediately while warm.
  2. Alternatively, allow the sauce to come to room temperature before storing in containers.

Notes

  • San Marzano Tomatoes: These are lower in acidity and sweeter than standard canned tomatoes; they make a significant difference in the final sauce.
  • Hand-Crush vs. Blender: Hand-crushing preserves chunky texture and authenticity; blending creates a smoother puree (which works but is less traditional).
  • Fresh Garlic: If possible, use fresh pressed garlic rather than powder; it's livelier and more authentic.
  • Brief Cooking: 30 minutes is the ideal simmering time; longer cooking dulls the fresh tomato character.
  • Oil Quality: Extra virgin olive oil adds depth; use good quality.
  • Sugar Balance: The small amount of sugar balances acidity and enhances tomato flavor; don't omit it.
  • Oregano & Basil: These are the essential seasonings; dried versions are more concentrated than fresh in this application.

Variations

Fresh Basil: Reserve 1 tablespoon fresh torn basil to stir in at the end for brighter, fresher flavor (don't cook it). Spicier Heat: Increase red pepper flakes to ½ teaspoon or add a pinch of cayenne. Garlic Emphasis: Use 4-5 cloves garlic for more pronounced garlic character. With Tomato Paste: Stir in 1 tablespoon tomato paste for deeper, more concentrated tomato flavor. Mediterranean: Add ¼ teaspoon fennel seed or a small pinch of ground fennel for subtle licorice notes.

Serving

Serve on: Pizza bases, focaccia, bruschetta, pasta Amount per pizza: 3-4 tablespoons for a 10-inch pizza Consistency: Slightly chunky, spreadable but not runny Temperature: Warm (fresh from cooking) or room temperature

Storage

  • Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days
  • Freeze in portions (ice cube trays work well) for up to 3 months
  • Thaw at room temperature or reheat gently in a saucepan
  • Fresh sauce (within 1-2 days) tastes better than stored sauce; make fresh when possible

This is authentic Italian pizza sauce: simple, raw, and fresh. High-quality tomatoes briefly cooked with aromatics create a vibrant, slightly chunky sauce that's the foundation for perfect pizza.

More like this

1 / 4
Panzanella

Panzanella

Day-old crusty bread is torn into rough pieces and briefly moistened with water-and-vinegar, just enough to soften without making mush. Ripe tomatoes are deseeded and cubed; juice is reserved for the dressing. Cucumber is peeled in stripes, deseeded and sliced. Red onion slices soak briefly in cold water to mellow. A dressing of red wine vinegar, good olive oil, the tomato juice, garlic and salt is whisked. Everything tosses together in a wide bowl; rests for 30 minutes at room temperature so the bread drinks in the juices; finished with torn basil and a final glug of olive oil at serving.

Sides 20 minutes Serves4
Pebre

Pebre

Chile's table salsa, the fresh chunky relish that turns up in a small bowl next to bread before any meal and stays on the table until everything is gone. You chop tomato, onion and coriander fine (smaller than a chopped salad, almost a relish), then combine with crushed garlic, ají chilli (or red chilli if ají isn't around), olive oil, vinegar or lemon, salt and pepper. Fold gently and let sit for ten minutes so the flavours mingle. Eaten with fresh bread before a meal, spooned over grilled meat, alongside empanadas, with chorrillana, with cazuela. Basically with anything savoury that comes out of a Chilean kitchen.

Sides 12 minutes Serves6