20-Minute Garlic and Herb Tomato Sauce

If you're looking for a simple, nutritious, and easy homemade marinara, then today's 20-Minute Garlic and Herb Tomato Sauce is just for you! 

Total Time: 25 minutes

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If you’re looking for a simple, nutritious, and easy homemade marinara, then today’s 20-Minute Garlic and Herb Tomato Sauce is just for you! With either fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes, it’s a delicious and versatile addition to just about any Italian-inspired meal!

Making Homemade Tomato Sauce

If you’ve ever grown tomatoes in a garden, then you can probably relate to the overwhelming feeling when your plants all ripen at exactly the same time.

While there’s nothing better than a sweet, juicy, bright-red homegrown tomato, the task of trying to enjoy buckets and buckets full of tomatoes before they all go bad can be daunting, at best.

For years I have been working on my own recipe for homemade tomato sauce, since I seem to encounter the same happy “problem” of too many ripe tomatoes each summer.

A jar of tomato sauce solves so many problems because it can be kept in the freezer for a few months, it can be used in a variety of dishes (like pizza, lasagna, and spaghetti), and it takes advantage of other garden fresh herbs as well. Win-win-win.

I have even given homemade jars of tomato sauce as Christmas gifts to friends and neighbors in the past! What a welcome surprise it is to open a jar bursting with wholesome summer goodness in the heart of cold, winter, cookie season!

Using The Best Tomatoes

But the reason that I love this particular tomato sauce recipe most of all is because it’s FAST and EASY. Heck, if you use a can of really good tomatoes (like San Marzano), it takes about 5 minutes of prep and the sauce tastes like it came from your garden…without having to peel the tomatoes.

It’s a quick way to get the sauce done in 25 minutes (or less), and your happy friends and family who are feasting on a delicious meal will never know your secret!

This recipe yields about 2 cups, which is enough for one family dinner, one casserole, or one large jar. If you’re like me and you’d rather have MORE to keep on hand, just double the ingredients and proceed with the same cooking instructions.

Preparing and Storing This Quick Tomato Sauce

You can save half of the sauce in your refrigerator for up to a week, or keep it in an airtight jar in the freezer for at least 3 months (and probably longer).

Once you try the easy homemade version of my favorite 20-Minute Garlic and Herb Tomato Sauce, you’ll never go back to the store-bought version again!

More Delicious Sauces To Try;

• 5-Ingredient Pasta Pomodoro Sauce
• Quick and Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce
• Linguine with Clam Sauce
• 3-Ingredient Cranberry Orange Sauce

Did you try this recipe? Don’t forget to rate it and leave me a comment below! You can follow me on Facebook, on Instagram, on Pinterest, and on Twitter!

5 from 1 vote

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20-Minute Garlic and Herb Tomato Sauce

If you're looking for a simple, nutritious, and easy homemade marinara, then today's 20-Minute Garlic and Herb Tomato Sauce is just for you! 

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Quick Tomato Sauce, Tomato Sauce

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 2 cups

Calories 107 kcal

Author The Seasoned Mom

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons about 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 lb. fresh tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped (OR 1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, drained and chopped)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for about 3-5 minutes (or until soft). Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 more minute.
2. Stir in the tomatoes and reduce heat to medium low. Add basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Simmer, partially covered, stirring regularly, until sauce is thickened (about 10-15 minutes).
4. Transfer sauce to a food processor or large blender to puree until smooth.
5. Taste the sauce, and add additional salt and pepper if desired. You might also want to add a teaspoon or so of sugar or honey to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. Just taste and adjust to suit your preferences.

Recipe Notes

This sauce can be prepared in advance and refrigerated for up to one week. You can also freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat over low heat in a covered saucepan on the stove just before serving.

Recipe adapted from The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook.

Nutrition Facts

20-Minute Garlic and Herb Tomato Sauce

Amount Per Serving (1 /2 cup)

Calories 107 Calories from Fat 52

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5.8g 9%

Saturated Fat 3.7g 19%

Cholesterol 15.5mg 5%

Sodium 77mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 11.6g 4%

Dietary Fiber 4.1g 16%

Sugars 7g

Protein 2.2g 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.