This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
This Homemade Spaghetti Sauce is rich and hearty, packed with fresh tomatoes and savory spices. One bite and you’ll be hooked!
This homemade spaghetti sauce is savory, fresh and beats the canned stuff from the pantry any day! I’ve been making my own spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes for years now and I love it. It’s so easy to make, and the flavor is so much better than the store-bought kind. I love making this sauce with diced tomatoes from my garden, fresh herbs like fresh basil and fresh parsley. You can’t beat the flavor of homegrown produce in a dish like this one!
Ingredients in Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
This homemade spaghetti sauce recipe is a staple at our house, and will be at yours too! Top your spaghetti noodles with this fragrant, fresh pasta sauce and your family will love it! Here’s what you need:
- Tomatoes – fresh, garden tomatoes work best. I start with about a dozen or so, depending on how large they are. If you can’t find good, fresh tomatoes, you can use a couple of cans of crushed tomatoes.
- Onion – One large onion, diced or chopped with a food processor.
- Mushrooms – I love using fresh, chopped mushrooms for this marinara sauce. Homegrown vegetables give a nice bulk to this sauce.
- Soy sauce – I know it sounds weird, but soy sauce gives the mushrooms a wonderful meaty flavor that can’t be beat! Whenever I make sautéed mushrooms I always add a splash of soy sauce.
- Additional Seasonings – garlic, fresh basil and oregano, a little brown sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
What Tomatoes are Best for Spaghetti Sauce?
Garden tomatoes are the way to go, in my opinion (check out our awesome guide for growing tomatoes, trust me, we have some amazing tips). As far as tomato varieties go, choose tomatoes that have a rich flavor and are less watery. Roma tomatoes, also known as plum tomatoes, are a popular choice because of their meaty texture and fewer seeds. San Marzano tomatoes, often considered the gold standard for sauces, have a sweet, low-acid flesh that adds depth to your sauce. You can get them at the grocery or online for under $5. Heirloom tomatoes can also be a great choice, offering unique and complex flavors. If you have an abundance of cherry or grape tomatoes, they can contribute a sweet twist to your sauce. Keep in mind that the type of tomato you choose will impact the sauce’s flavor, so consider the balance of sweetness and acidity that you desire and taste as you go!
Additions to this Sauce
Once you have a sauce simmering on the stove, you can add all kinds of meat to create a luscious meat sauce. I will often do a mixture of ground beef and ground pork but Italian sausage, ground turkey, ground chicken, beef short ribs, or even meatballs can be added for more protein.
More Garden Fresh Ingredients
If you like a “chunky” homemade garden spaghetti sauce, just chop up any veggies you like and stir them in while sautéing the onions.
- Red bell pepper
- Green bell pepper
- Carrots, shredded or finely chopped.
- Red pepper flakes
- Zucchini
Soy Sauce in Spaghetti Sauce?
You may notice that soy sauce is a key ingredient in this recipe. All the Italians are dying inside right now but hear me out. Adding soy sauce to chopped mushrooms is an old trick that a chef in Utah taught me. When you add soy sauce to mushrooms while they are cooking, it gives them a rich, meaty flavor that is unparalleled. I ALWAYS add a splash of soy sauce when I sauté mushrooms. And I promise, it doesn’t make it taste weird or soy sauce-y at all. It just brings out the flavor SO much more. You have GOT to try this trick. It takes the flavor to the next level!
Roasting Fresh Tomatoes
Another suggestion for Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes comes from one of our readers, Diana. She says, “I have a suggestion for those who don’t mind the extra time it might take. I started roasting my fresh tomatoes last year for canning and wow! what a difference that made! The natural sugars come out and it also concentrates the tomato flavor.” Here are her suggestions:
- Cut tomatoes in half, remove as much of the seeds/gel as possible into a strainer with a bowl to catch the juices and then place the halves cut side down on a large cookie pan covered with parchment paper.
- Even though you remove a lot of the seeds/tomato get before roasting, you will get a lot of liquid from roasting. Save it all and strain it.
- Roast the tomatoes at 350-400 degrees until the skins start turning color. When the skins are browned, remove the tray from the oven and drain the liquid into the strainer with the seeds/gel. Let the tomatoes cool somewhat and remove the skin.
- You can then add the tomatoes and the strained liquid/gel to the pot and process them the way you would for sauce or canning. The roasting concentrates the tomato flavor remarkably.
- Roasted Sun Golds are like candy after halving and roasting. Cut them in half, add chopped onion and garlic, red bell pepper, and some olive oil. Roast at about 325 since they are small and the skins are thin. No need to remove seeds or skins…just blend in the food processor.
No Fresh Tomatoes? No Problem!
Home-grown tomatoes are delicious in this recipe but fresh, garden tomatoes can be hard to come by year-round. Whenever we can’t use fresh tomatoes, we always use DOP San Marzano Tomatoes. They are THE best alternative to homegrown tomatoes. We even use San Marzano tomatoes before resorting to store-bought tomatoes. For this recipe we use two 28oz. cans of tomatoes. We prefer using whole tomatoes as opposed to crushed tomatoes (most DOP tomato brands only come with whole tomatoes) and simply mash them with a potato masher as the sauce cooks down.
Low and Slow for Thick Sauce
To thicken your sauce, slow and steady is your ticket. Last time I made this, I had it simmering for eight hours (uncovered, stirring occasionally). Trust me, the longer you can let it simmer, the better! If you are finding that the water isn’t evaporating as quickly as you would like or it isn’t thickening up how you want it to, there is an easy fix. Just add some tomato paste, about a tablespoon at a time, until you reach the consistency you are looking for. You can also blend chunks of tomatoes in an immersion blender and add to the sauce for extra thickness.
Freeze for Later
Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes will stay good in the refrigerator for about three to four days. Any longer than that, you may just want to freeze it for later.Make a double batch of this glorious sauce and freeze it in a freezer safe Tupperware-type container, a large freezer-safe Ziploc bag, or a glass jar. If you do go the glass jar route, make sure to leave an inch or two of space at the top of the jar so the sauce doesn’t expand and break the jar. When freezing, make sure to cool the sauce completely in the fridge before freezing. The sauce will stay nice and fresh in the freezer for up to six months. Low on freezer space or prefer to can your sauce? Try our homemade canned spaghetti sauce!
More Homemade Pasta Sauce Recipes
Looking for more delicious pasta sauces you can pair with your spaghetti? Try one of our other homemade savory pasta sauce recipes! If you are looking for more of an authentic Italian tomato sauce, try our Pomodoro sauce recipe (Sugo di Pomodoro). This recipe comes directly from Italy and pairs perfectly with spaghetti. If you have lots of tomatoes and are looking for more long-term storage for your spaghetti sauce, try our homemade canned spaghetti sauce. Then you can enjoy your sauce all-year round! For Ravioli, try our Homemade Ravioli Sauce.
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
Video
Ingredients
- 12-14 tomatoes (fresh, garden tomatoes work best- appx. 6-8 lbs. You can also use two 28oz. cans of San Marzano tomatoes)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms fresh, chopped
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce (see notes above)
- 6 cloves garlic
- 10-12 basil leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon oregano finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place tomatoes a few at a time in the water and remove after 10-15 seconds.
- Immediately place tomatoes in an ice-water bath and remove skins and stems. Cut tomatoes into fourths and place in a food processor or blender.
- Process tomatoes a few times, you want them to be the consistency of crushed tomatoes (don’t over process). Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and sauté until they become soft and transparent.
- Add mushrooms and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce and garlic and continue to cook until mushrooms become soft.
- Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally for at least one hour. The longer the better! Ideally 2+ hours.
- Serve over cooked pasta.
OMG! I had tons of cherry tomatoes, very ripe. I used my onions I grew, yellow bell pepper and mushrooms all sliced cooking in sunflower seed oil. I then added my tomatoes, whole, and then crushed a little right with a potato masher on top of the previous mentioned vegetables not worrying about whether they were crused completely. Seeds remained along with skins. Added garlic, fresh basil, salt and pepper. Then I looked at this recipe and added a little soy sauce and dark brown sugar (this would be about half the recipe listed for all ingredients). Only cooked 45 minutes on low heat until it was thick enough for sauce. Added extra virgin olive oil and served over spaghetti. Adding brown sugar was the key. No need to cook for 8 hours. So good…
So glad it turned out well!
Delicious sauce made with a few changes to recipe. 1) I roasted tomatoes but left skin on, and added the tomato seed and liquid to the sause rather than straining out; 2) Substituted cayenne pepper and added some Thai peppers (diced and sauted with the onion, mushroom, garlic and spices); 3) Added 1# ground beef . Added a can of diced tomatoes (didn’t have crushed) and can of tomato paste.
Complemented with garlic bread, using local bakery’s Italian (or French) bread with butter and garlic powder (or roasted garlic). Excellent!
Some great ideas, glad it turned out well!
Very tasty and easy to make! Reminds me of my Moms homemade spaghetti sauce.
It
Differs a bit by having a few more garlic cloves and Mom used Worcestershire sauce
In stead of soy sauce. I decided to compromise ad use 1 tsp. Soy sauce and 1tsp. Worcestershire sauce…..tastes good and I’ll keep making this recipe with garden tomatoes. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
This is easily the best spaghetti sauce I have ever made! I added some hamburger for protein. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow.
How much does it make?
It should make enough to cover 1 pound of spaghetti noodles!
This is the first time I’ve loved how a homemade spaghetti sauce turned out. I had a really good “crop” of tomatoes and wanted to try making sauce again and this recipe really hit the ball out of the park! I was skeptical of the mushrooms…never liked in sauce before but it in this recipe it just works! Simmered for 1 hour and it was awesome but looking forward to giving more simmer time to see how it thickens. Sooo good!!!
So glad you liked it! The longer you simmer the better it gets. Also glad the mushrooms worked out for you! My husband doesn’t like mushrooms either but he loves them with this sauce, it just makes it more meaty tasting!
Delicious, I substituted the sugar with one carrot. Thank you, I will make this again and again.
LOVE LOVE LOVE!
This beautiful recipe deserves each one of its five star ratings and then 1 million more. The flavors are so perfectly balanced. I’m sure it will be unforgettable for anyone who tastes it.
I want to try this recipe, but I’m also interested in canning some and I’m wondering why the difference in this recipe and your canning recipe? Why can’t I make this recipe and can it?
We have not tested this recipe for canning safety.
Can you do this with frozen tomatoes. My tomatoes are ripening very staggered so I want to freeze them before making a batch?
Is there anything different I should do.
While we have not tried this, I have seen other people freeze the tomatoes before canning. I would recommend still boiling and peeling them before freezing to make it easier!
I just started to simmer it and it already tastes amazing! I’m so excited to eat this.
I added red bell peppers with the onion, zuchini with the mushrooms, and cooked ground beef and a splash of worcestershire sauce at the end. I didn’t remove the skins due to lack of time. I had a ton of romas I needed to use from my garden so I rushed this batch, next time I’m going to try the roasting method.
Thank you!
Do you leave the garlic cloves whole? Do you slice or mince them?
We mince them!
Amazing! Best Sauce Ever!
Easy and worth the wait.
Amazing! Best Sauce Ever!
Easy to do! Roasting the tomatoes made it so much sweeter and tastier. Added all ingredients except mushrooms (allergies). I used my crock pot for slow cooking and it turned out amazing! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank-you for this recipe. I’ve been looking for a good spaghetti sauce recipe, I believe I’ve found it. I will give this one a try.
I haven’t made my own spaghetti sauce in years. When I bought a box of tomatoes from Costco that didn’t meet my slice/eat standards I found your recipe. I had forgotten the difference in taste of a scratch sauce verses bottled. I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes!! I have never posted a comment before for recipes I have found online but felt the need to say thanks:)
So glad you loved this recipe!
I made this sauce. It was so simple and very tasty.
I did add about 1 TBsp. of Fennel seed while it was cooking down, and 1 TBsp. of homemade brown sugar.
I will be using this one for all my to go favorites.
Hello, I’m very excited to try this recipe. I’m planning on making it tomorrow with 4 28oz cans of DOP Marzano tomatoes. Do you think 1lb of ground Italian sausage and 2lbs of ground beef would be a good amount of meat for the sauce? My man doesn’t like sweet, so I’m planning to substitute some red wine for the sugar. Fingers crossed. I also have a little tomato paste left over from a previous recipe. Sometimes I get a lot of ideas in my head but don’t want to do too much and ruin the recipe. Do you think it would be good to add some? Or omit? Thanks!
Yes, you can totally use 1 lb go Italian sausage and 2 lbs of ground beef. It will be very meaty but delicious! Also red wine is a great substitute for sugar. Add it when you are cooking the beef and before you add the tomatoes. Tomato paste I would just add a little at a time for thickening. Hope this all helps!
Never before had I ever put brown sugar nor soy Sauce in a recipe for spaghetti sauce. After adding Calabrian peppers to this recipe, which I followed exactly, I was not disappointed. I would rather put a little bit of brown sugar, for example, half of what it calls for if you wish, than put in wine that I would rather drink. The intensity of flavors highlights, the tomatoes, garlic, Mushrooms (Fantastic )and onions and herbs intensely. To hide the mushrooms from my teenager I simply blend them up till they’re unrecognizable. After eating spaghetti with this sauce, he highly approved and said he appreciated, not having to deal with the rubbery bits of mushroom since they were so small.
Thank you for this fantastic recipe.
I’m making it again today with 15 pounds of our own homegrown heirloom white tomatoes, and can’t wait to see how it turns out.
My auntie was Italian (Reggio Calabria) and she never put sugar in her sauce. My mum lived in Ostuni for quite a while, and no one there put sugar in their sauces, either, brown or any other kind. Around 1/2 a cup of wine did the job: Sangiovese, Chianti or Merlot in the cooler months; Verdicchio or Sauvignon blanc for warmer times.
As it heats, the acidity in wine will break down to let the sugars of the alcohol take over, and in turn soften the acidity of the tomatoes, while adding tons of umami. You get the same effect with Coq au Vin or Boeuf Burgundie.