The Best Homemade Italian Pasta Sauce From Scratch

Fresh, homemade pasta sauce over pasta is hard to beat!  Learn how to make the best homemade Italian pasta sauce from scratch using simple ingredients.

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I love Italian food.  My Granny, when she was alive, used to visit Italy often on coach holiday tours then would come back and cook Italian meals family-style for the big Sunday dinner we had as a family.  I often reminisce about eating Tuscan bean soup, Ribollita (a Tuscan bread soup), or a simple pasta dish with my family and these are recipes I still make and enjoy today!

A great pasta sauce will take your mid-week dinner to a whole new level and growing your own tomatoes means that you can totally make this pasta sauce your own!  We have certain tomato varieties that we love in our pasta sauce that are not Italian varieties of tomato but you can make it your own with your favorite tomatoes too!

How To Make Tomato Pasta Sauce

This pasta sauce recipe is our go-to now and the only one we make!  To make this sauce you will need:

• 12 ripe Roma, plum, or paste-type tomatoes
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 fresh basil leaves
• Salt (we like coarse sea salt)

You will also need:

• A food mill
• A medium to large saucepan with a lid
• Large bowl

Make Simple Spaghetti Sauce From Scratch

Crush each tomato into a saucepan.  Use your hands or a potato masher to crush the tomatoes.  Bring the tomatoes to a simmer on the stove and cover with a lid.  Simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes until the tomatoes have softened.

Set up the food mill with a medium-coarse plate. Place the food mill over a large bowl.  Work in small batches and pour a ladle of the hot tomatoes and work them through the food mill.  Make sure to catch the milled tomatoes in a bowl or another saucepan! 

TIP: not got time to make from scratch with fresh tomatoes?  Use passata or strained tomatoes.  Check this post to learn how to make your own and can it for later!

Next, transfer the milled tomatoes to a saucepan.  Add the peeled garlic to the tomatoes.  TIP: crush the garlic with the flat side of a knife if you like a more garlic flavor before adding it to the tomatoes.  Then add the olive oil, whole basil leaves, and a generous pinch of salt.

Bring these to a simmer on the stove.  Partially cover your saucepan and cook until the sauce has thickened.  This takes around 20-30 minutes depending on how juicy the tomatoes were.

Once thickened, ladle over your favorite pasta or use it to make lasagna or eggplant parmesan!

Learn More

Read on to learn more about canning and start stocking your homestead pantry:

Or, dig in and learn more about growing a homestead garden and see how you can grow your own pasta sauce ingredients:

I want to hear from you!  Let me know what recipes you love to use strained tomatoes in!  Let me know in the comments or over in the Facebook Group!

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