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Basic Italian Tomato Sauce

Author:

Vincenzo

Updated:

13th Jun, 2025

16 Comments

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How to Make Basic Italian Tomato Sauce

Experience the authentic taste of Italian cuisine with a classic homemade Italian Tomato Sauce, made just like how my family does it. With only two essential ingredients – good quality passata and fresh basil – this sauce is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Additionally, the secret to creating the perfect Sauce is in the quality of the ingredients. Opt for a passata made from ripe and juicy Italian tomatoes, and add in fresh basil to impart an aromatic and herbaceous flavor. As the sauce simmers on the stove, the fragrant scent of basil and tomato will fill your kitchen, tempting you to sneak a taste before it’s ready.

Making Basic Sauce is simple, yet yields rich and flavorful results. Lastly, enjoy the taste of Italy in the comfort of your own home with this easy-to-follow recipe.

Watch Basic tomato sauce video recipe:

How to Make Basic Italian Tomato Sauce

Vincenzo’s Top Tips To Make Basic Italian Tomato Sauce

Keep your extra in the freezer

It’s always good to make a little extra and if you have any left over, you can keep this in the freezer until you wish to use it again, remembering you can add other vegetables and ingredients later as this is just a basic sauce.

 

Basic Italian Tomato Sauce

Print Recipe
4.75 from 4 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 1 hour hr
Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Servings: 6

Equipment

  • Medium saucepan
  • Sharp knife
  • Chopping-board

Ingredients

  • ¼ Onion, Chopped finely
  • 2 Carrots, Peeled and cut in half
  • 2 Branches of celery
  • Fresh Italian basil, A generous portion
  • Fresh Italian parsley, A generous portion
  • 2 bottles Italian passata, for tomato sauce
  • A handful of dry mixed herbs
  • 2 pinches Rock salt
  • 1 glass Water
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Get a medium size saucepan and put it onto the stove at a medium heat, adding 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the finely chopped onions.
  • Stir regularly until they brown (normally this takes a couple of minutes). Chop the parsely and basil (you can also break the basil with your hands to save some of the flavour).
  • Now add the passata and stir it in with the onions.remembering you can add other vegetables and ingredients later as this is just a basic sauce.
  • It’s now time to help strengthen the flavour of your sauce by adding fresh herbs and vegetables.
  • Add parsley and basil, then the carrots.
  • Now, get your two branches of celery and break off the heads. Then break the celery in half using your hands if you like, and put them into your tomato sauce as well.
  • It is important that you add the celery so don’t leave it out. The flavour it adds to your pasta sauce cannot be replaced!
  • Add 2 ½ pinches of rock salt for added flavour, and stir.
  • My secret ingredient is now the dried mixed herbs. Add 2 pinches to the sauce and continue to stir. The smell will be mouth-watering!
  • Lastly, add a glass of water to the tomato sauce and stir it once again.
  • The sauce needs to simmer on a medium high heat for around 40 minutes with the lid on. Remember to check on and stir the sauce every 5-8 minutes so the tomato does not stick to the bottom.
  • Once it is ready, remove it from your stove and add it to your favourite pasta or dish!
  • E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!
Author: Vincenzo’s Plate

How to serve Basic Tomato Sauce

This is a versatile condiment that can be served in a variety of ways. It can be used as a base for pasta dishes, as a topping for pizza, or as a dipping sauce for bread or vegetables. Simply heat it up in a pan or in the microwave and pour it over your desired dish.

You can also add some fresh basil or grated Parmesan cheese on top for extra flavor. Enjoy!

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Recipe Rating




16 responses

  1. Jean Kinney
    October 7, 2022

    What is your preferred passata sauce?

    (I love your videos!)

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      April 29, 2023

      Mutti

      Reply
  2. Lervik
    April 8, 2024

    Do you have a recipe for preparing the soffritto?

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      April 9, 2024

      Absolutely! I’ve got a detailed recipe on how to prepare the perfect soffritto on my YouTube channel. Check it out and let me know what you think! Here’s the link: https://youtu.be/XS4zojyuzvI?t=52

      Reply
  3. Romeo
    August 25, 2024

    5 stars
    Dear Vincenzo,

    I discovered your channel thanks to your pizza recipes. Your channel sparked my interest in studying Italian cuisine more deeply. (My name is Italian but I am not.) I love how you handle food with such humility and respect, yet with simplicity.

    I’ve tried several of your recipes, but this one… this is the one that comes up almost every month. My wife loves it.

    Thank you. Please keep sharing your secrets with us!

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      August 26, 2024

      Ciao Romeo! Thank you so much for your kind words. Your support means the world to us! It’s truly heartwarming to know that this Italian Tomato sauce recipe has become a favorite in your home—especially with your wife!

      Please stay tuned, we will keep sharing more delicious secrets and tips with you. Grazie mille!

      Reply
  4. Pamela
    February 17, 2025

    I wonder what is the secret dry mx herbs… I always ruin the sauce by adding approximate herbs 🥲

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      February 17, 2025

      Ciao Pamela! I use 2 pinches of dried mixed herbs, which usually includes oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, marjoram, and sage. To avoid overpowering the sauce, stir, and taste as it simmers—you can always add more later!

      Reply
  5. efebe
    August 30, 2025

    In my country we have tomatoes all year long. Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of passata?

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      September 1, 2025

      Yes, absolutely! 🍅 If you have fresh, ripe tomatoes available, you can use them instead of passata. Just peel and blend them first, then cook them down a little longer to get that rich, smooth sauce. The key is always using the ripest, freshest tomatoes you can find!

      Reply
  6. Raelee Mathews
    October 25, 2025

    5 stars
    Thanks Vincenzo – I made this today to serve with pasta. I fried a little bacon to add to the Soffritto before adding the tinned Italian tomatoes. Absolutely magic!!! Keep the good stuff coming, please!

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      October 28, 2025

      Ciao Raelee! That sounds fantastic! I’m so glad you enjoyed this tomato sauce recipe, bravo! I’ll definitely keep the good stuff coming so please stay tuned.

      Reply
  7. Peter B
    December 21, 2025

    4 stars
    Nice recipe, thanks for the video.

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      December 22, 2025

      You’re very welcome, Peter 😊
      Out of curiosity, what’s your favourite pasta to pair with this sauce?

      Reply
  8. Greg
    April 27, 2026

    5 stars
    While I love the recipe, the video and the written instructions are completely different.

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      April 27, 2026

      Ciao Greg! Thank you so much for the heads up, I really appreciate it!
      I’ll review and update this on my end. If you don’t mind, could you please let me know what the main differences are so I can double-check everything properly?
      Grazie again for pointing it out!

      Reply

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