Simple Tomato Sauce Recipe – No Peeling Required

Simple Tomato Sauce Recipe – No Peeling Required

Homemade Tomato Sauce: Fresh, Simple, Delicious

There’s just something about a pot of tomato sauce bubbling away on the stove. The smell of garlic, olive oil, and ripe tomatoes filling the kitchen? Pure comfort food. And with this recipe, you can skip the jar and make your own sauce with just five ingredients.

Everyone who grows tomatoes knows the problem with having way too many. My solution this year for my overstock of tomatoes was making homemade pasta sauce and canning it to save for later, or gift to friends!

Freshly picked tomatoes

What You’ll Need

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp dried herbs
  • 1 quart red tomatoes

How to Make It

sliced tomatoes in a hand

  1. Prep the tomatoes – Cut each tomato in half. And if a little bigger, quarters.
  2. Simmer low and slow – Put the tomatoes in a Dutch oven and cook over low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. This helps them break down naturally.
  3. Heat the oil – In a separate pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking just until the garlic is fragrant (about 1–2 minutes). Don’t let it burn.
  4. Combine and season – Pour the oil mixture into the tomatoes. Add salt, then blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Extra Tips

Want it thicker? Let it simmer uncovered a little longer after blending.

Dried herbs in crushed tomatoes

How to Use Your Sauce

This fresh tomato sauce is perfect for pasta night, homemade pizza, lasagna, or even as a dipping sauce for warm bread. It also freezes beautifully, so make extra and stash some away for later.

Homemade sauce is one of those little kitchen victories—it’s easy, it tastes amazing, and you know exactly what’s in it. Once you try this, you might never go back to store-bought again.

Simple Tomato Sauce Recipe – No Peeling Required

Lehman's

There’s just something about a pot of tomato sauce bubbling away on the stove. The smell of garlic, olive oil, and ripe tomatoes filling the kitchen? Pure comfort food. And with this recipe, you can skip the jar and make your own sauce with just f...

Simple Tomato Sauce Recipe – No Peeling Required

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil  
  • 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes  
  • 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt  
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
  • 1 tsp dried herbs  
  • 1 quart red tomatoes  

Instructions

  1. Prep the tomatoes – Cut each tomato in half. And if a little bigger, quarters.

  2. Simmer low and slow – Put the tomatoes in a Dutch oven and cook over low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. This helps them break down naturally.

  3. Heat the oil – In a separate pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking just until the garlic is fragrant (about 1–2 minutes). Don’t let it burn.

  4. Combine and season – Pour the oil mixture into the tomatoes. Add salt, then blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.

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Kayla Myers

Kayla Myers

Kayla is our Social Media Specialist at Lehman's and loves helping out on the marketing team. She grew up in Wooster, Ohio and married her high school sweetheart. Kayla also works as a local sports and wedding photographer and loves all things athletic. She and her husband look after their 2 cats and dog and love to travel, play video games, and explore new adventures, like gardening!

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