No-Cook Tomato Sauce for Pizza
In the comments recently, Karen asked:
What kind of tomato sauce do you buy for your pizza?
And once I shared that I use a no-cook sauce, Becca asked:
Do you drain the tomatoes before blending or do you keep the liquid in? Is there a certain brand that works best or one that’s cheapest? Do you ever need to add anything to thicken the sauce? Have you ever tried it with fresh tomatoes?
I almost answered this in Monday's Q&A post, but then I thought that it would be a pain to find and link to in the future. So, I'm giving it its own post, even though this will be short.
I got this idea from a Cook's Country recipe for grilled pizza, and it's been my go-to for a fresh-tasting pizza sauce ever since. I've modified it a little, but the basic idea is the same.
It's super easy, uses pantry ingredients, costs almost nothing, and takes about 5 minutes to blend up. Lots of good features there!
Do you drain the canned tomatoes first?
Yep, I do drain the tomatoes first and that usually turns out a sauce that is not too watery.
Does the brand of tomatoes matter?
Not in my experience! I've made this plenty of times with store-brand diced tomatoes (usually from Aldi!) and it's been just fine.
Can you use fresh tomatoes?
I have never used fresh tomatoes for this sauce because that would definitely change the 5-minute time frame. It's way quicker to open a can of tomatoes than it is to prep fresh tomatoes.
Also, using canned tomatoes means that you can make this sauce any time of year.
Can you freeze this sauce?
I have tried freezing it before*, and the sauce got more watery once it thawed. So, I don't recommend freezing.
*this is an example of the low-stakes "try it and see" method I recommend!
This sauce is so fast to make, though, it's not a big deal to make a batch every time you need it.
Also, it doesn't make a ton, so you probably won't have tons of leftovers to worry about preserving.
Scroll down for the printable recipe!
No-Cook Tomato Sauce for Pizza
Blend canned tomatoes with a handful of other ingredients, and you've got a fresh sauce for pizza!
Ingredients
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
Notes
This is usually enough for two of my homemade pizzas.
The amount of salt you need will vary depending on the brand of tomatoes you buy; definitely do a taste test and adjust as necessary!
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 6Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 82mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 0g
Brilliant!!! Thanks so much!
This is great! I like to make pizza with my kids, but the sauce I’ve purchased has a lot of lousy ingredients and leaves us all feeling super thirsty, for some reason. I’m glad to have a simpler option!
My husband and I took a pizza class in Florence, Italy, and for the sauce the instructor - surprise! -opened a big can of pureed tomatoes, almost the same as your recipe. The whole pizza process was surprisingly very simple, using basic ingredients to turn out a delicious finished product.
It's kinda wild how something so simple tastes so good!
I have made pizza sauce with fresh tomatoes and it turns out awesome. I grew over 200lbs of tomatoes in my tiny suburban backyard and was able to can a years worth of pizza sauce (I make pizza once a week). That being said I’m not sure it would be worth the time to make it from fresh tomatoes each time you want pizza because it is a process between peeling the tomatoes and cooking them down into a thick sauce.
I've tried this before, and discovered I am definitely a cooked tomatoes kind of person. Too acidic for me. But! Another pizza sauce tip that I just discovered myself after 20 years of wrecking my stove with sputtering tomato sauce . . .
You can use regular tomato sauce (I use the excess commodities "spaghetti sauce" because we get a ton of it from our neighbors) and instead of trying to thicken it on the stove where it will create a wretched mess, just spread it on the pizza crust about five minutes into the first part of the baking, before the toppings are on there. It will dry out on the crust in the next five minutes, and then you can add your toppings. No mess! Yay!
I usually just use a high quality pasta sauce but I could make this with tomatoes from my garden or the ones in my freezer (I diced about 10 freezer bags for my daughter to use when she makes that tiktok pasta with the feta cheese). Thanks, Kristen!
Thanks for the recipe! I'm definitely going to use this for future pizzas. I'm going to try using my immersion blender instead of the food processor.
I make this same sauce and use an immersion blender instead of the food processor. It makes for faster cleanup for me. It’s a super recipe!
FG, Happy Solstice! The days only get longer from here.
@WilliamB, I thought of Kristen when I heard a DJ talking about the solstice this morning. 🙂 I love winter and early nights, but I know so many who do not!
We do
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 can water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp garlic powder
Splash of chili powder
Tabasco if wanted
I usually make a double batch for three pizzas (it keeps well in the fridge).
@Hp, this sound delish, do you just blend everything and use sauce without cooking?
@Hp, I do similar to this. I just never measure the seasonings. Any combo of oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, garlic, onion, salt, and bit of sweetener with a can of tomato paste and a bit of water.
Kristen, I seriously think you and your girls would love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Cookbook: https://www.amazon.com/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Cookbook/dp/1608878317 I actually discovered it in the comments of a cooking blog, where people recommended it to each other constantly.
Even if you didn’t grow up with the Turtles like I did, the recipes aren’t gimmicky but completely amazing and practical—I’m a better cook because of this book. There are several sauce recipes, including one similar to yours, as well as white pizza sauce and others. Ralph’s Rude Shrooms (mushrooms, caramelized onions, ALL the garlic, NYC tomato sauce, rosemary), For Cheese Four Bros (almost a dessert pizza thanks to ricotta), and Pepperoni and Pickles (which is better than it has any right to be) are household favorites… and I’ve not even made all the recipes yet!
@N, Four Cheese Four Bros, darn it autocorrect!
@N, thank you for this idea!! I needed a last min gift idea and this is perfect for our turtle loving 2 year old who loves pizza, being in the kitchen and two 80’s parents who love reliving our childhood favorites! Merry Christmas!!
@Haley, Aaaaah, how awesome!!! I neglected to mention that in addition to more involved/out there recipes (parsnips or butternut squash pizza, anyone?), the back of the cookbook has easy recipes for kids to help with and/or make on their own. Your little ninja should have a blast, and the 80s parents definitely will. 😉 Merry Christmas to you, too!
@N, Blast, I only just caught that autocorrect turned Raph into Ralph in my first comment. Autocorrect is obviously not a TMNT fan! 😛
@N, oh, I can’t wait!! All of our kids will be excited to help more in the kitchen!
I need to learn to make a gluten free pizza at home since there will be no frozen ones from Costco. I will try this. Basil instead of oregano for me.
@Tiana,
This is my family's go-to recipe. I serve it to non-GF guests and they love it.
I mix it in my kitchenaid artisan mixer. I believe I got it off Linda Etherton's blog 1o years ago and I have modified it to using 2 flours instead of 4, since I live in the boonies. Best to you and your pizza endeavors in the New Year!
1 C Bob’s Redmill 1 for 1 GF blend
1 1/4 C Tapioca Starch
1/2 tsp Guar Gum or xanthum gum
½ tsp salt
2 tsp brown sugar
1 scant Tbsp instant yeast
2 Tbsp oil
2 egg whites
3/4 C warm milk
Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Stir on low to combine. Add egg whites and oil, mixing on low. Add Milk and yeast. Mix on high for 2 minutes.
Spray pizza pan with pan spray. Pour dough and pat into corners with dampened hands. Let dough rise for 20 minutes. ( I place on top of the toaster oven - set to warm).
Half way thru the rise, set oven to convection roast 400 *F. After 20 minute rise, bake for 8 minutes on lowest rack. Now you add sauce, toppings and cheese.
Bake for another 8 minutes on the top rack. Slice while warm.
This recipe also makes delicious bread brushed with oil, sprinkled with italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Bake 15 minutes. Similar to foccacia bread.
I also use it to make calzones.
@Blue Gate Farmgirl, Thanks! I will save this and give it a try.
I used to can my own tomato sauce and if it separated after a while in storage, I poured off the watery liquid, making it easier to thicken. But like Hp, I added a small can of tomato paste, and that thickened it without long simmering. If I had no home canned sauce, I used commercially canned tomato sauce and tomato paste. I always dumped some Italian seasoning blend in my sauce, put in fresh basil shreds if basil was growing and I never added sugar (that's a habit after decades with a diabetic - leave out the sugar when you can). Either way - home canned or store bought ingredients, it made a quick sauce that the family enjoyed.
Another way to thicken sauce is to bake it in an open pan, stirring occasionally, but that is not even remotely like a short-cut.
Such a good idea! We used leftover pasta sauce, but sometimes we don't have any and it's a pain to make just for pizza.
For anyone working outside the home, I strongly recommend smittenkitchen's pizza dough. You assemble it the night before and it rises slowly at room temperature. I use bread flour, and it comes out great with very little effort--I do knead it briefly by hand in the bowl, but there's no other kneading; no flouring the countertop, just knead everything together by hand for 90 seconds, and have pizza for dinner tomorrow! It's the only way I can make pizza on a weeknight.
This is very similar to how I make pizza sauce. I find it even easier to use crushed tomatoes, no draining or blender required this way. I like to use an Italian herb mix plus a bit of onion and garlic powder to taste. So simple my non-cooking husband can whip it up. 🙂
@Rachel, I was going to suggest the same thing. I think America's Test Kitchen suggests crushed tomatoes. Since I have a large family opening a large can works well for me.
Easy enought!
I myself like to use plain tomato paste. If I feel really fancy I might add basilic, oregano and garlic powder to it. But plain works just fine too.