This easy tomato and basil pasta sauce is a basic tomato sauce that I have been cooking for years. It's made using a few simple ingredients and makes a great tomato pasta sauce to serve with your favourite pasta along with a grating of fresh Parmesan cheese.
For the best flavour I use fresh basil leaves in this best tomato and basil pasta sauce. However, for ease, I always use good quality canned plum tomatoes which I always have in my stores at home.
For a quick and easy mid week dinner, serve the sauce with your favourite pasta, I've opted for penne but any pasta shape will work. Then add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and and extra crack of black pepper.
This is a versatile tomato basil sauce which you can use to add to other dishes, like my layered Mediterranean Vegetable Bake.
Why you'll love this recipe
- A budget friendly pasta sauce that uses simple ingredients most of your will have in your stores at home.
- This easy pasta sauce requires very little hands on preparation and can be cooked and ready to serve in just 30 minutes.
- A great sauce for batch cooking as this easy pasta sauce recipe can be doubled and freezes really well.
- Healthy homemade tomato pasta sauce does not contain excessive salt, nor any sugar or added preservatives.
Recipe ingredients
- Oil - for the best flavour I use extra virgin olive oil for sauteeing the onion when making the sauce.
- Onion - I've used both red onions and regular brown onions for the sauce and both work equally well.
- Garlic – I recommend using fresh garlic but frozen garlic or garlic puree would work too.
- Tomatoes – I've used 2 x 400g (14oz) cans of plum tomatoes as the base of the sauce. You could also use chopped tomatoes, or passatta if you prefer a smoother sauce.
- Herbs – I use both dried oregano and fresh basil leaves in the tomato sauce.
- Seasoning – the sauce is seasoned with sea salt and black pepper.
How to make tomato basil pasta sauce
- Pour the olive oil into a medium sized pan and place over a medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, until softened, but do not allow the onions to colour.
- Add the garlic to the onions and continue to cook for a further minute.
- Now add the remaining ingredients into the pan and season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer the sauce for 20-30 minutes to reduce the sauce, removing most of the excess liquid.
- Remove from heat and serve with your favourite pasta, or add to any dish requiring a fresh tomato sauce.
Recipe variations
- Make a creamy tomato sauce or tomato mascarpone sauce by adding a splash of cream or a tablespoons or two of mascarpone cheese.
- Add fresh sliced red chilli or red pepper flakes to make a tomato and chilli pasta sauce.
- Parsley and thyme would also work in the sauce too.
- You can add other vegetables to the sauce like diced courgette, aubergine or bell peppers.
- I like to serve the sauce with a rough texture, but you can blitz to smooth using a stick blender if you prefer.
- If you like to sweeten the tomatoes, add a teaspoon of caster sugar.
Serving suggestions
I've served this sauce with penne pasta but you can use any shape of pasta with this sauce.
You can also use the sauce to layer into other dishes like a vegetable lasagne or try layering it with roasted vegetables in my Mediterranean Vegetable Bake.
If you cook the sauce a little longer and reduce it right down, this easy tomato sauce also makes a great pizza sauce for spooning over the base of your pizza.
Useful hints and tips
- Seasoning - tomatoes need salt, so take time to taste and properly season the sauce with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, it will make a difference to the finished sauce.
- Batch cook - this recipe is easily doubled up making it perfect for batching cooking. Enjoy some now and freeze the rest for a quick and easy dinner another day.
- Gluten free - this sauce contains no gluten, serve with a gluten free pasta and it's suitable for coeliacs of anyone following a gluten free diet.
- Dairy free - containing no dairy this side dish is suitable for dairy free and vegan diners.
- Allergy advice: gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.
FAQs
Yes, tomato basil sauce contains the same basic ingredients as a marinara sauce.
It all comes down to the tomatoes, some will contain more liquid than others. The easiest way to thicken the sauce is to cook it a little longer, this will reduce any excess liquid and thicken the sauce without the need for flour based thickeners.
Yes, absolutely. Once cooked and cooled, store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat in a saucepan to piping hot when ready to enjoy.
Once cooked and cooled, place the sauce into a Ziploc bag or airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. This sauce can be cooked from frozen by placing it into a saucepan over a medium, low heat.
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Additional recipe suggestions
If you like this recipe then try some of my other favourite pasta and sauce recipes for feeding your family:
- Courgette Lemon Pasta
- Ham & Broccoli Pasta Bake
- Smoked Salmon Pasta
- Creamy Chicken & Bacon Tomato Pasta
- Spaghetti Bolognese
- Creamy Sausage Pasta
- Pumpkin Pasta
Looking for inspiration for feeding the family mid week, then take a look at my Ultimate Guide to Family Dinners post which is full of useful hints, tips and recipes.
Easy Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce
Equipment
- chopping board
- Sharp knife
- medium saucepan
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 800 g can plum tomatoes (2 x 400g cans)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 30 g fresh basil leaves (shredded or torn)
- salt & black pepper
Instructions
- Pour the olive oil into a medium sized pan and place over a medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, until softened, but do not allow the onions to colour.
- Add the garlic to the onions and continue to cook for a further minute.
- Now add the remaining ingredients into the pan and season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer the sauce for 20-30 minutes to reduce the sauce, removing most of the excess liquid.
- Remove from heat and serve with your favourite pasta, or add to any dish requiring a fresh tomato sauce.
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
Dan says
I just cooked this and it was delicious. Red onion is definitely what makes this recipe superb. Looks wise, cooked basil gave me seaweed feeling but it tasted delicious so next time I'm going to chop it extra fine.
Lesley says
Thank you Dan, glad you enjoyed the sauce, it's one I make regularly myself. You can chop the basil as fine as you want, it's just added for flavour.
Samantha Gilbert says
Can you eat it cold for kids lunch box the next day?
Lesley says
Hi Samantha, yes I see no reason not to eat this as a cold salad for lunch next day. There should be enough olive oil in the pasta sauce to keep the pasta from drying out.
Chloe says
You really can't beat a simple tomato sauce and this was perfectly balanced!
Lesley says
Thank you Chloe, this simple sauce is so versatile, great on it's own and used as a base sauce for other dishes.
Anna says
This recipe is really tasty and is great for meal prep
Lesley says
Thank you Anna, yes, this is a great meal prep pasta sauce.
Cat says
Homemade sauces are always better than shop bought and this one was a big hit!
Lesley says
Thank you Cat, I really don't think you can beat an easy tomato pasta sauce, so much better than a jar.
Janice says
This is so delicious and so much better than anything from a jar!
Lesley says
Thank you Janice, I could not agree more.