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This Homemade Spaghetti Sauce is rich and hearty, packed with fresh tomatoes and savory spices. One bite and you’ll be hooked!
Featured with this recipe
- Ingredients in Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
- What Tomatoes are Best for Spaghetti Sauce?
- Additions to this Sauce
- Soy Sauce in Spaghetti Sauce?
- More Garden Fresh Ingredients
- Roasting Fresh Tomatoes
- No Fresh Tomatoes? No Problem!
- Low and Slow for Thick Sauce
- Freeze for Later
- Frequently Asked Questions about Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
- More Homemade Pasta Sauce Recipes
- How to Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
- Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes Recipe
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce is savory, fresh and beats the canned stuff from the pantry any day! I’ve been making my own spaghetti sauce for years now and I love it. It’s so easy to make, and the flavor is so much better than the store-bought kind. I love making this sauce with diced tomatoes from my garden, fresh herbs like fresh basil and fresh parsley. You can’t beat the flavor of homegrown produce in a dish like this one!
Ingredients in Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
This homemade spaghetti sauce recipe is a staple at our house, and will be at yours too! Top your spaghetti noodles with this fragrant, fresh pasta sauce and your family will love it! Here’s what you need:
- Tomatoes – fresh, garden tomatoes work best. I start with about a dozen or so, depending on how large they are. If you can’t find good, fresh tomatoes, you can use a couple of cans of crushed tomatoes.
- Olive oil – two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or whatever you have on hand.
- Onion – One large onion, diced or chopped with a food processor.
- Mushrooms – I love using fresh, chopped mushrooms for this marinara sauce. Homegrown vegetables give a nice bulk to this sauce.
- Soy sauce – I know it sounds weird, but soy sauce gives the mushrooms a wonderful meaty flavor that can’t be beat!
- Garlic – six large cloves
- Fresh basil leaves – Garden grown, or you can find fresh basil leaves in the produce section of your grocery store. Dried basil works in a pinch, just use half the amount.
- Oregano – dried or fresh, finely chopped
- Brown sugar – just a couple of tablespoons adds much needed sweetness to the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
What Tomatoes are Best for Spaghetti Sauce?
When making spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes, choose tomatoes that have a rich flavor and are less watery. Roma tomatoes, also known as plum tomatoes, are a popular choice because of their meaty texture and fewer seeds. San Marzano tomatoes, often considered the gold standard for sauces, have a sweet, low-acid flesh that adds depth to your sauce. Heirloom tomatoes can also be a great choice, offering unique and complex flavors. If you have an abundance of cherry or grape tomatoes, they can contribute a sweet twist to your sauce. Keep in mind that the type of tomato you choose will impact the sauce’s flavor, so consider the balance of sweetness and acidity that you desire and taste as you go!
Additions to this Sauce
Once you have a sauce simmering on the stove, you can add all kinds of meat to create a luscious meat sauce. Here are some ideas:
- Meatballs
- Beef Short Ribs
- Chicken
- Ground turkey
- Ground beef
- Italian sausage
Soy Sauce in Spaghetti Sauce?
You may notice that soy sauce is a key ingredient in this recipe. Trust me on this. Adding soy sauce to chopped mushrooms is an old trick that a chef in Utah taught me. When you add soy sauce to mushrooms while they are cooking, it gives them a rich, meaty flavor that is unparalleled. I ALWAYS add a splash of soy sauce when I sauté mushrooms. And I promise, it doesn’t make it taste weird or soy sauce-y at all. It just brings out the flavor SO much more. You have GOT to try this trick. It takes the flavor to the next level!
More Garden Fresh Ingredients
If you like a “chunky” homemade garden spaghetti sauce, just chop up any veggies you like and stir them in while sautéing the onions.
- Red bell pepper
- Green bell pepper
- Carrots, shredded or finely chopped.
- Red pepper flakes
- Zucchini
Roasting Fresh Tomatoes
Another suggestion for Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes comes from one of our readers, Diana. She says, “I have a suggestion for those who don’t mind the extra time it might take. I started roasting my fresh tomatoes last year for canning and wow! what a difference that made! The natural sugars come out and it also concentrates the tomato flavor.” Here are her suggestions:
- Cut tomatoes in half, remove as much of the seeds/gel as possible into a strainer with a bowl to catch the juices and then place the halves cut side down on a large cookie pan covered with parchment paper.
- Even though you remove a lot of the seeds/tomato get before roasting, you will get a lot of liquid from roasting. Save it all and strain it.
- Roast the tomatoes at 350-400 degrees until the skins start turning color. When the skins are browned, remove the tray from the oven and drain the liquid into the strainer with the seeds/gel. Let the tomatoes cool somewhat and remove the skin.
- You can then add the tomatoes and the strained liquid/gel to the pot and process them the way you would for sauce or canning. The roasting concentrates the tomato flavor remarkably.
- Roasted Sun Golds are like candy after halving and roasting. Cut them in half, add chopped onion and garlic, red bell pepper, and some olive oil. Roast at about 325 since they are small and the skins are thin. No need to remove seeds or skins…just blend in the food processor.
No Fresh Tomatoes? No Problem!
Home-grown tomatoes are delicious in this recipe but fresh, garden tomatoes can be hard to come by year-round. Whenever we can’t use fresh tomatoes, we always use DOP San Marzano Tomatoes. They are THE best alternative to homegrown tomatoes. We even use San Marzano tomatoes before resorting to store-bought tomatoes. For this recipe we use two 28oz. cans of tomatoes. We prefer using whole tomatoes as opposed to crushed tomatoes (most DOP tomato brands only come with whole tomatoes) and simply mash them with a potato masher as the sauce cooks down.
Low and Slow for Thick Sauce
To thicken your sauce, slow and steady is your ticket. Last time I made this, I had it simmering for eight hours (uncovered, stirring occasionally). Trust me, the longer you can let it simmer, the better! If you are finding that the water isn’t evaporating as quickly as you would like or it isn’t thickening up how you want it to, there is an easy fix. Just add some tomato paste, about a tablespoon at a time, until you reach the consistency you are looking for. You can also blend chunks of tomatoes in an immersion blender and add to the sauce for extra thickness.
Freeze for Later
Make a double batch of this glorious sauce and freeze it in a freezer safe Tupperware-type container, a large freezer-safe Ziploc bag, or a glass jar. If you do go the glass jar route, make sure to leave an inch or two of space at the top of the jar so the sauce doesn’t expand and break the jar. When freezing, make sure to cool the sauce completely in the fridge before freezing. The sauce will stay nice and fresh in the freezer for up to six months. Low on freezer space or prefer to can your sauce? Try our homemade canned spaghetti sauce!
Frequently Asked Questions about Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes will stay good in the refrigerator for about three to four days. Any longer than that, you may just want to freeze it for later.
Yes, you can make much more sauce for what you can buy bottled sauce for. A 24-ounce jar of name brand marinara sauce costs $3.69 or 15 cents per ounce.
Add garlic and onions, simmer in olive oil, then add the rest of the ingredients. And of course, let it simmer as long as you can, so the ingredients blend together beautifully.
READ MORE: Easy Ground Beef Recipes
More Homemade Pasta Sauce Recipes
Looking for more delicious pasta sauces you can pair with your spaghetti? Try one of our other homemade savory pasta sauce recipes! If you are looking for more of an authentic Italian tomato sauce, try our Pomodoro sauce recipe (Sugo di Pomodoro). This recipe comes directly from Italy and pairs perfectly with spaghetti. If you have lots of tomatoes and are looking for more long-term storage for your spaghetti sauce, try our homemade canned spaghetti sauce. Then you can enjoy your sauce all-year round! For Ravioli, try our Homemade Ravioli Sauce.
How to Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
Video
Ingredients
- 12-14 tomatoes (fresh, garden tomatoes work best- appx. 6-8 lbs. You can also use two 28oz. cans of San Marzano tomatoes)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms fresh, chopped
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce (see notes above)
- 6 cloves garlic
- 10-12 basil leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon oregano finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place tomatoes a few at a time in the water and remove after 10-15 seconds.
- Immediately place tomatoes in an ice-water bath and remove skins and stems. Cut tomatoes into fourths and place in a food processor or blender.
- Process tomatoes a few times, you want them to be the consistency of crushed tomatoes (don’t over process). Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and sauté until they become soft and transparent.
- Add mushrooms and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce and garlic and continue to cook until mushrooms become soft.
- Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally for at least one hour. The longer the better! Ideally 2+ hours.
- Serve over cooked pasta.
Notes
- Make a double batch of this glorious sauce and freeze it in a freezer safe Tupperware-type container, a large freezer-safe Ziploc bag, or a glass jar. If you do go the glass jar route, make sure to leave an inch or two of space at the top of the jar so the sauce doesn’t expand and break the jar. When freezing, make sure to cool the sauce completely in the fridge before freezing. The sauce will stay nice and fresh in the freezer for up to six months.
- You may notice that soy sauce is a key ingredient in this recipe. Trust me on this. Adding soy sauce to chopped mushrooms is an old trick that a chef in Utah taught me. When you add soy sauce to mushrooms while they are cooking, it gives them a rich, meaty flavor that is unparalleled. I ALWAYS add a splash of soy sauce when I sauté mushrooms. And I promise, it doesn’t make it taste weird or soy sauce-y at all. It just brings out the flavor SO much more. You have GOT to try this trick. It takes the flavor to the next level!
- If you like a “chunky” homemade garden spaghetti sauce, just chop up any veggies you like and stir them in while sautéing the onions.
Love, love, love this sauce! My family is spoiled now because they do not want the jar kind anymore!
I thrown tomatoes in a ziplock bag into the freezer. when frozen drop in hot water for about 10 seconds and the skin comes right off. Then thaw in bowl, core and boil seeds and all.
Why does everyone peel and deseed tomatoes that is where the excellent taste of tomatoes is incased in….to me that is like skining and deboneing a chicken
Not me I like all that stuff
I have a ton of small romas. Have you ever tried not blanching and peeling them? Seems like a ton of work for the smaller tomatoes but I’d love to try this recipe.
I haven’t tried that specifically, but let us know how it goes if you try it!
Tried recipes using 2 tbsp of brown sugar, we find it too sweet. Is there a way to fix it please.
If you don’t like it as sweet, you can leave out the sugar!
We find lemon juice enhances the tomatoes. Alternatively, a bit of balsamic vinegar.
I pick my tomatoes, wash and cut each end off, then dry them off and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze a few hours or overnight. Take them out and thaw. They will be soft. Put tomatoes in a food mill and squish them thru it. They will have no skins nor seeds. Make what you want out of the fresh sauce. This takes planning ahead but at least you don’t have to blanch and peel them and as an added feature… no seeds.
I haven’t made this yet but definitely will–such rave reviews! I’m wondering if this would freeze well. I have lots of tomatoes (hooray!) and would like to make several batches but don’t want to can it for a variety of reasons. Freezing would be my preference. Has anybody tried that?
Yes you can freeze it! We have done it before and it works great!
Brilliant xx
This is an amazing sauce. I eliminated mushrooms and soy sauce, but that is just personal preference. We love it and will be making it again!
Oh yum!!! I’ve been simmering this recipe for an hour and a half now and just snuck a taste… this is delicious!!! Made it exactly like the recipe calls for! Will be making a bigger batch for canning!!!
how can this recipe have 1292 mg sodium
The serving size is for a full jar, so that’s why it is a little higher. It isn’t just one individual serving.
I will never buy spaghetti sauce again! This recipe is a winner! The sauce is so tasty and I love that it’s made with fresh tomatoes. Thank you!
So fresh and delicious! I will definitely make this again!
This spaghettie sauce had so much flavor we loved it!! Everyone loved the sauce, it was the star of the dinner!!
Made a batch earlier in the week and making my second today. Absolutely delicious. I made it was roasted fresh tomatoes from the garden. Great because very little sugar is needed and my hubby is diabetic. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your comment and 5-star rating! I’m so happy you like this recipe!
I’m making sauce today and want to roast the tomatoes. Did you peel tomatoes before roasting?
Made this yesterday with our garden tomatoes. It is wonderful. I can never leave a recipe allow so I did make a few changes. I roasted the tomatoes as some suggested but did it on the bbq since our temp today is 110 so don’t need the oven on. Also added extra mushrooms since I had them and love mushrooms, added one can tomato paste for my doubled recipe. Best sauce I’ve ever had. Meat not needed. We froze extra in ziplock bags rather than canned the sauce. Hope we have more tomatoes for this season so I can make more.
Made this with roasted Cherokee Purples and volunteer Kamuela (I live in Hawaii) tomatoes, and I have never tasted a better tomato pasta sauce in my life! Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Liz I’m in Michigan and my husband grows an over abundance of tomatoes every year. This is the first year he grew Cherokee purples while they grew they grew terribly! Every single one was severely cracked and split even though the tops were still green. What we managed to salvage which wasn’t much but were very tasty. Any suggestions on what he can do to make them better for next season?
I haven’t grown Cherokee purple tomatoes, but from what I know about them, the tops are supposed to be green. Most people pick theirs when the tomato is half green and let them ripen the rest of the way on the counter to prevent splitting. I hope this helps!
Don’t be afraid of that soy sauce addition…it’s delicious
I made this homemade spaghetti sauce and it was absolutely delicious. Taste way better than the jar spaghetti sauce. The directions was easy to follow. I roasted my tomatoes first.
I definitely want to try the roasted tomato next time
Do you have to saute green peppers and onion first? Can.t they
simmer with the tomatoes raw?
I think sautéing them brings out the flavors more, but you could just put them in with the sauce too.
Hi Vicky, I pureed my green pepper and onion instead of sauteing.
This recipe, and the tip on roasting the tomatoes first, led to the most delicious sauce that I have ever tasted! This was my first attempt at spaghetti sauce from scratch. Thx so much!
I made this sauce with some Roma tomatoes I froze whole this summer. It was awesome. My husband lived it.
I made this sauce tonight. It tastes great. I let it simmer down for about 4 hours. Nice thick consistency. Can’t wait to have it over pasta tomorrow.
Lovely recipe as it is. Second time around, I halved the sugar, added finely chopped carrots and celery, and cooked and chopped some hot Italian sausage with a bit of dried fennel seed, but only added the meat to half of the sauce, to please different tastes. But, the basic sauce is genius. Freezing it in small batches for later use as well.
I’d like to add some sausage also. Do you just use it as a spaghetti sauce that way over pasta? Or make lasagna? Trying to figure out what to do with it after I make it!
This was my first time attempting to make fresh tomato sauce. I followed the recipe, except I omitted the mushrooms and had to take out the seeds because of a medical issue, and used less brown sugar. I also added tomato paste to thicken the sauce. It was delicious, my husband loved it. In fact I’m back to making another batch for my lasagna. After tweaking to my taste this sauce is the bomb!
Love the recipes Thanks