Pomodoro Sauce is a classic Italian sauce made with a handful of ingredients: juicy tomatoes, fragrant garlic, fresh basil, and a touch of salt. Use this vibrant sauce to elevate pasta, polenta, pizza, and beyond. Despite its simplicity, it has a deep satisfying flavor that develops in just 20 minutes!
This authentic sugo di pomodoro is perfect for adding flavor to quick weeknight meals like our pomodoro pasta, parmesan polenta, or eggplant parmigiana. Whenever we make it, we make enough for the whole week for multiple meals. This classic cucina povera sauce adds big flavor to simple dishes.
If you are looking for other tasty sauce recipes, try our classic basil pesto, bolognese, or healthy vodka sauce.
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Why You'll Love this Pomodoro Sauce
- Taste - The mixture of freshly crushed tomatoes, garlic, and basil leaves creates a classic bright sauce.
- Texture - The sauce is smooth and light.
- Effort - All you need to do is cook the garlic then mix it with the tomatoes and other ingredients.
- Time - It takes just 25 minutes to whip up.
Key Ingredients
- Olive oil - Olive oil is a tasty fat to cook the garlic in.
- Garlic cloves - Garlic cloves add the quintessential aroma.
- San Marzano tomatoes - San Marzano tomatoes are preferred because they have the best flavor. Alternatively, whole peel tomatoes are a great option.
- Fresh basil - Basil adds an herby freshness to the sauce.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Pasta - We love this sauce with a short pasta like penne, ziti, rigatoni, orecchiette, or shell pasta.
- Fresh tomatoes - Use fresh tomatoes instead of San Marzano. If you use fresh whole tomatoes, just cook them down then puree them in a blender or immersion blender.
- Spicy - Add red pepper flakes to make the pasta spicy.
- Basil - If you don't have fresh basil, you can use dried sweet basil.
How to Make Pomodoro Sauce
- Crush tomatoes - Add the tomatoes to a bowl and crush by hand until smooth. Then set aside. (Photo 1 and 2)
- Cook sauce - In a large skillet or pot, add olive oil and warm over medium heat. Once warm, add garlic cloves. When the garlic turns golden, add the tomatoes and basil, and season with salt. (Photo 3 and 4)
- Simmer - Then stir and cook covered with the lid ajar for 20 minutes. (Photo 5)
- Enjoy - Remove the basil leaves and garlic cloves, then use the sauce for pasta, lasagna, pizza, eggplant parmigiana, and more. (Photo 6)
Pro tip - Since pomodoro is such a simple sauce, be sure to use high quality ingredients. The olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, and basil should all be of the highest quality for the best flavor.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover pomodoro sauce in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze pomodoro sauce in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. When you are ready to enjoy it, let it thaw, then enjoy!
Top Tips
- Cook low and slow - Simmering the sauce for 15-20 minutes allows the flavors to develop a richer, deeper taste.
- You can use a food mill instead of hand crushing the tomatoes to save time. Remember the sauce will be as smooth as the tomatoes are crushed.
FAQs
Pomodoro is a type of tomato sauce. Classic pomodoro usually features tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, and basil. Other tomato sauces, like marinara sauce, include ingredients like onions or other herbs and spices.
We prefer our pomodoro sauce smooth and light with little chunks of tomato, but you can change it based on your personal preference. If you use a food mill to crush the tomatoes, the sauce will be very smooth with minimal tomato chunks. If you use your hands it will have chunks.
We prefer to use canned San Marzano tomatoes which are already peeled. If you are using fresh tomatoes, you can just puree them with the skin on.
Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Pomodoro Sauce
Equipment
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 28 oz whole peeled san marzano tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 peeled garlic cloves
- 4-5 basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Crush tomatoes - Add the tomatoes to a bowl and crush by hand until smooth. Set aside.28 oz whole peeled san marzano tomatoes
- Cook sauce - In a large skillet or pot, add olive oil and warm over medium heat. Once warm, add garlic cloves. When the garlic turns golden, add the tomatoes and basil, and season with salt. Stir and cook covered with the lid ajar for 20 minutes. Remove the basil leaves and garlic cloves, then use the sauce for pasta, lasagna, pizza, eggplant parmigiana, and more.1 tablespoon olive oil, 3 peeled garlic cloves, 4-5 basil leaves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
Video
Notes
- Refrigerate leftover pomodoro sauce in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the pomodoro in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. When you are ready to enjoy it, let it thaw then enjoy!
- Use high quality ingredients for the best flavor. Since pomodoro sauce is such a simple sauce, using high quality ingredients is important.
- Simmer the sauce low and slow for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to develop a rich, deep taste.
- Use a food mill instead of hand crushing the tomatoes to save time. The sauce will be as smooth as the tomatoes are crushed.
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