From scratch · Stocks and sauces
Marinara and pizza sauce
A 20-minute sauce from a can of crushed tomatoes, garlic and herbs, about a jar’s worth.
✋ 10 min hands-on
⏱ 1 hr start to finish
🍽 About 3 cups (a 24-oz jar holds about 2¾).
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 clove garlic, minced
- ½ yellow onion, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 3 g table salt
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Time
Hands-on time is when you’re busy; the rest is rising, simmering, chilling or cooling, when you can do something else.
| Step | Hands-on | Waiting |
|---|---|---|
| Soften the garlic and onion | 8 min | – |
| Simmer the sauce | 2 min | 20 min |
| Cool | – | 30 min |
| In all | 10 min | 50 min |
How long it keeps
- Refrigerator: 3 to 5 days (NDSU’s figure for tomato-based sauce).
- Freezer: 2 to 3 months for best quality (FoodSafety.gov’s time for soups and stews, the closest entry). Frozen food kept at 0°F stays safe longer; it just loses quality.
Nutrition
Estimated from the ingredients’ USDA FoodData Central numbers.
Steps
You’ll need: medium saucepan.
- Warm the oil in a saucepan over medium-low. Cook the onion, if using, until soft, about 5 minutes; add the garlic and cook 1 minute without letting it brown.
- Stir in the tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper flakes. Simmer, partly covered and stirring now and then, 20 minutes. Taste for salt.
- Pizza sauce: skip the onion and the simmering. Stir the crushed tomatoes with the oil, garlic, herbs and salt and spread it on the raw dough; it cooks on the pizza.
⚖️ ScalingScale by cans of tomatoes. A double batch takes a few minutes longer to simmer down.
Good to knowFrom the garden: about 3 lb of fresh, ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, can replace the can; simmer 30 to 40 minutes longer.
Sources
- Food Storage Guide (FN579), NDSU Extension, reviewed January 2023. Accessed 2026-10-25.
- Cold Food Storage Chart, FoodSafety.gov (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Accessed 2026-10-25.