This homemade, easy Italian Pizza Sauce is an authentic Italian family recipe that's as quick as it is delicious! It's the best alternative to jarred sauce and uses simple ingredients to build a ton of great flavor.
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Why This Is The Best Pizza Sauce
In addition to her other amazing recipes (check out Chicken Cacciatore and Italian Rainbow Cookies!) my Grandma Rose also had a killer and super easy pizza sauce recipe. I can think of many occasions that we'd head over to Grandma's house and upon walking in, we'd be immediately greeted by the glorious aroma of pizza, fresh from the oven.
Rosie's pizza was always made on a baking sheet and ended up thick with a gloriously chewy crust. While I normally prefer a thin, crispy crust, I will forever miss Grandma's pizza. It was full of fantastic flavor and was always a real treat!
Here’s why I love this homemade pizza sauce recipe:
- Made with simple, real-food ingredients
- While up in less than an hour (most of which is letting it simmer!)
- Incredible flavor
- Super easy to make
- Perfect to make ahead and freezes well
Ingredient Information And Substitutions:
- Canned crushed tomatoes: I use one 28 ounce can- my favorite is Tuttorosso. If you want pizza sauce from fresh tomatoes, you can also use a little more that 2 cups of fresh tomatoes like aroma or San Marzano, just be sure to crush them up well.
- Olive oil: is my preference for this recipe, as it adds great flavor but if you don’t have any on hand, any other neutral flavored oil will work.
- Fresh veggies: this recipe calls for diced onion, diced green bell pepper and minced or pressed garlic. You can totally use any color sweet bell pepper.
- Herbs: I always measure the herbs with my heart. While fresh chopped basil and oregano are preferable, you can also use dried. For dried, start with a teaspoon of each, taste and add more in you’d like. Expert tip: for dried herbs, rub them between your palms over the pan to break them up and release more flavor.
How To Make Quick Pizza Sauce
Step 1: Sauté the veggies
Heat oil over medium high and add the onions and peppers. Sauté for a couple minutes to soften and then add the garlic and sauté a moment more.
Step 2: Add tomatoes and herbs
Stir in the crushed tomatoes and herbs until well combined.
Step 3: Simmer the sauce
Reduce heat and simmer the pizza sauce for around 45 minutes stirring periodically.
Step 4: Puree sauce
Purée the sauce until smooth if you prefer. Spread on pizza dough with your favorite toppings and bake or cool, cover and freeze.
Frequently Asked Questions
For me this is a matter of personal preference. In my family, oregano is only for pizza sauce, never for the sauce we put on pasta. The same goes for bell pepper. Additionally, we tend to enjoy a thicker pizza sauce.
Yes- this can be made up to 6 days in advance of using.
Yes- this can be made up to 6 days in advance of using.
Yup! Place into an airtight container with a little space at the top (it will expand slightly as it freezes) and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
No- that will be much too thick. But you can substitute tomato puree if you’d like.
1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees with the pizza stone or pan inside of the oven to heat along with it (if using a stone preheat for at least 30 minutes- a metal pan takes less time).
2. Grease parchment paper with olive oil and gently stretch your raw dough into the shape you want on the parchment. Fold over the edges if you prefer a bigger crust.
3. Once heated, transfer the parchment with the dough onto the pan or stone and bake for 7 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and increase the heat to 500 degrees. Spread sauce onto the dough and add your favorite toppings.
5. Bake for another 5-8 minutes and enjoy!
Yes, this is a bit on the thicker side but if you prefer a sauce that is less thick, add a little water until it’s how you like it.
Tips For Making The Best Homemade Pizza Sauce
- Don’t worry about getting the perfect cuts on your veggies- it won’t hurt them to be less than perfect, especially if you’ll be pureeing the sauce. Just chop them small.
- It’s ok to keep the sauce chunky- this is more a personal preference thing. My grandma always kept it chunky, I just like it better pureed. You do you!
- Don’t worry about salt and pepper- I never add salt and pepper to this, as I don’t think it’s necessary- my pizza toppings add plenty of them and the sauce still has a ton of flavor. But if you feel it needs it, taste and then add what you think it needs. And if you want a more spicy pizza sauce, you could always add some crushed red pepper flakes.
- Freeze in smaller amounts- if you’re not sure you’ll need all of it at once. This also makes a killer pizza dipping sauce!
- Leftovers and storage- this lasts for up to 7 days covered in the refrigerator and freezes well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Make it a meal!
I love to serve this alongside:
Other tomato sauce recipes to try:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down. Check out my Amazon Store for all my favorite tools, including those used in this recipe. And follow @thelifejolie on Instagram and TikTok!
Italian Pizza Sauce Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1-2 large cloves garlic minced or pressed (measure with your heart!)
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomato you can also sauce or puree if you prefer
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Oregano (can use 1 teaspoon dried Oregano)
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Basil (can use 1 teaspoon dried Basil)
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium heat in a medium size pot.
- Add the onions and peppers and sauté for 5-7 minutes to soften. If they start to fry add a little water as you don't want to brown them, only to steam them.
- Add garlic and sauté for 1 more minute until aromatic.
- Add the crushed tomato, oregano and basil and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for around 45 minutes, stirring periodically.
- Puree the sauce or leave it chunky and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Don’t worry about getting the perfect cuts on your veggies- it won’t hurt them to be less than perfect, especially if you’ll be pureeing the sauce. Just chop them small.
- It’s ok to keep the sauce chunky- this is more a personal preference thing. My grandma always kept it chunky, I just like it better pureed. You do you!
- Don’t worry about salt and pepper- I never add salt and pepper to this, as I don’t think it’s necessary- my pizza toppings add plenty of them and the sauce still has a ton of flavor. But if you feel it needs it, taste and then add what you think it needs. And if you want a more spicy pizza sauce, you could always add some crushed red pepper flakes.
- Freeze in smaller amounts- if you’re not sure you’ll need all of it at once. This also makes a killer pizza dipping sauce!
- Leftovers and storage- this lasts for up to 7 days covered in the refrigerator and freezes well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
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