Easy Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes

Name: Easy Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3 pounds of tomatoes, mixed (6-8 romas plus 3-4 vine ripened); 5 tablespoons salted butter; 1 large yellow onion, diced; 6 large garlic cloves, sliced; 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; Parmesan rind, plus grated, for serving; 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, optional

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Grab your pile of fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic and a stick of butter, and let's make the most delicious Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes. You'll never want to open the jarred stuff again!

bowl of spaghetti with red sauce garnished with fresh basil and parmesan.

This easy recipe is based on Marcella Hazan's internet-famous Tomato Sauce Recipe, which uses canned tomatoes to make an easy pasta sauce. I love making the sauce using fresh tomatoes, though. The flavor is full and bright and the butter and parmesan cheese add a fatty umami that is irresistible.

Serve it over your favorite pasta, as a dipping sauce or with Baked Flounder with Parmesan Crust for a seafood version of Chicken Parm!

Ingredients for this recipe:

ingredients for recipe laid out on table and labeled.

Before we get to the step by step directions, a few notes about the ingredients:

Tomatoes: I tried this recipe with a variety of fresh tomatoes and landed on a mix of Roma tomatoes and vine ripened tomatoes. But the recipe is flexible enough to use almost any tomato in the mix.

Onion: the recipe calls for a whole diced tomato. The sauce is put through a food mill or blended with an immersion blender, so most of the onion melts into the sauce. If you prefer not to have onion pieces in your sauce, just cut the onion in half and cook it in the sauce, then remove it before serving.

Butter: salted butter is my preference here, but use what you have and then taste and adjust the seasoning.

Full ingredient list and measurements included in the printable recipe card below.

Step by step instructions:

Step 1: Sauté aromatics

Heat butter in large pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sliced garlic, cooking gently while preparing tomatoes.

chopped onions and garlic in a large pan with butter

Step 2: Prep tomatoes

If you prefer skinless tomatoes, use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin on your large tomatoes. Alternately, you can cook the sauce first, then pass them through a food mill. If tomato skins don’t bother you, just skip the peeling and chop the tomatoes.

chopped tomatoes, salt, red pepper flakes and parmesan rind in a pan

Step 3: Simmer sauce

Add chopped raw tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes and parmesan rind to the pan and leave the pan to simmer slowly for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes by pressing them against the sides of the pot.

pot of sauce being stirred with a wooden spoon.

Step 4: Blend sauce (optional)

Depending on how you prefer your sauce, you have a few options, Leave the sauce as it is, with a creamy tomato base with tomatoey chunks. Use a food mill to pass everything through the sieve, creating a very smooth sauce. Or simply use an immersion blender to smooth the sauce to your preferred texture.

immersion blender in the pot of steaming tomato sauce.

This is my favorite way to go! (Remember to remove the parmesan rind before blending.)

wooden spoon covered in red sauce over a steaming pot.

Step 5: Finish the sauce

Just before serving with pasta, add a few tablespoons salted pasta water to the sauce. Taste the sauce for seasoning and add more salt, if needed.

bowl of homemade sauce garnished with fresh basil leaves.

If adding basil, stir in shredded leaves with the pasta. Serve sauce with parmesan and your favorite pasta or gnocchi.

finished recipe on a plate, garnished with fresh basil and parmesan.

Need more pasta in your life?

FAQ's and Serving Suggestions:

What type of tomatoes are best for homemade tomato sauce?

I prefer to use a mix of Roma tomatoes or plum tomatoes, along with some large, vine-ripened tomatoes. I find the mixture adds a pleasant, full flavor and rustic texture. But the mix of tomatoes is up to your personal preference, so use whatever fresh, juicy tomatoes you have available at your local farmers' market or grocery store.

Do you have to peel tomatoes for fresh spaghetti sauce?

You do not have to peel your tomatoes. I've tested it peeling the tomatoes, blanching and peeling the tomatoes, running them through a food mill and using an immersion blender. I almost always go with the immersion blender. It's the simplest method and gives me the rustic texture that I love. If you don't have an immersion blender, your food processor works just as well, if a little messier.

Should you remove seeds from tomatoes when making sauce?

No need to remove the seeds. Roma tomatoes carry fewer seeds, and if you're using a food mill or stick blender, the seeds just become part of the sauce.

What to serve with this homemade spaghetti sauce recipe?

For a vegetarian meal, toss this sauce with your favorite pasta shape, top with parmesan and basil and serve with Mediterranean Tossed Salad. Or serve with Baked Flounder with Parmesan Crust for a seafood version of Chicken Parmesan!

How to store leftover fresh tomato sauce recipe?

Transfer leftover sauce to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you want to keep the sauce longer, move to the freezer. To thaw, move to the refrigerator overnight or defrost in the microwave.