Homemade Tomato Sauce: A Quick, Adaptable Midweek Sauce

1 Introduction

I’ve been meaning to write an article on the 10 things every non-cook should learn to cook. The great Delia Smith wrote a whole cookbook called How to Cook, and it started with a recipe on how to boil an egg, which is a genius idea. For me, cooking basic egg recipes is one of life’s essential skills; once you have mastered a poached egg and an omelette, you are set for life. I’m not going to give away all my suggestions here, but a homemade tomato sauce is one of the easiest sauces to make and probably the most adaptable and will be in my article if I everget around to writing it.. Always keep a good tin of tomatoes in the cupboard with a few basic seasonings, and you are there.

My sauce leans towards a ragu. It has real depth of flavour and can be eaten on its own, run through pasta or, as I did recently, served with gnocchi. Leave out the soffritto (onion, celery and carrot) and you have a perfectly good plain tomato sauce.

Best of all, it’s easy to cook and virtually indestructible. The basic sauce takes 30–45 minutes on the hob to thicken and develop depth, but when I make my beef cheek ragu, I often use this sauce in place of the passata; it cooks for over three hours and only gets better. So please give it a go. The good people at Michelin might not be knocking on your door with a gleaming star, but you will have a useful sauce up your sleeve, and one you’ll use for lots of different dishes and occasions.

2 Why This Homemade Tomato Sauce Works

A meat ragu needs hours of slow cooking so the meat breaks down into the sauce. This homemade tomato sauce gives you a lot of that depth in under an hour, which makes it a proper midweek sauce. Make it as it is for a quick supper, or use it as the base for something slower, like a beef cheek ragu, when you have the time.

The flavour comes from a few simple additions. A soffritto of carrot, onion and celery adds sweetness. Celery salt, Worcestershire sauce and a pinch of chilli flakes give it a gentle kick. A teaspoon of soy sauce stands in for plain salt, adding savoury depth, which is a trick plenty of chefs now use. A splash of sherry vinegar at the end freshens the whole sauce.

3 Ingredient Notes

Tinned tomatoes: buy the best you can afford, as they are the backbone of the sauce. Good Italian plum tomatoes are sweeter and less watery than budget tins. I blend one tin and leave the other chunky, so the sauce is half smooth and half textured.

The soffritto: chop the carrot, onion and celery finely so they melt into the sauce. Cook them gently on a medium heat; you want them soft and sweet, not coloured.

Soy sauce, celery salt and Worcestershire sauce: together these do the seasoning, which is why there is no added salt. Taste at the end before adding any more.

Sherry vinegar: added once the cooking is done, it lifts the sauce and stops it tasting heavy. Red wine vinegar works if that is what you have.

Red wine (optional): for a special occasion, add a glass after the vegetables have softened and let it bubble for a couple of minutes before the tomatoes go in.

4 Ways to Use Your Homemade Tomato Sauce

This is a deliberately adaptable sauce. Make the full batch, use what you need and freeze the rest for another busy evening. A few ideas:

• With gnocchi: warm the sauce, stir in cooked gnocchi and finish with Parmesan.
• Tossed through any pasta, from spaghetti to rigatoni.
• With sliced chicken: brown the chicken, then simmer it in the sauce until cooked through.
• As a base for meatballs, sausages or leftover roast meat.
• With eggs: make wells in the hot sauce, crack in eggs, cover and cook until the whites are set.
• As a pizza topping or the tomato layer in a pasta bake or lasagne.

5 Variations

Plain tomato sauce: leave out the carrot, onion and celery, soften the garlic in the oil, then carry on with the recipe.

Spicier: double the chilli flakes, or add a finely chopped fresh red chilli with the garlic.

Smooth sauce: blend both tins before they go in, or blitz the finished sauce with a stick blender. The flavour is the same either way.

Vegetarian or vegan: standard Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies, so swap in a vegetarian Worcestershire sauce.

6 Storing and Freezing

Let the sauce cool completely. It keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days. To freeze, divide it into meal-sized portions in freezer bags or tubs and freeze for up to 3 months; bags frozen flat take up less room and defrost faster. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently in a pan until piping hot.

7 Homemade Tomato Sauce FAQs

Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of tinned?

Yes. Use about 1kg of ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped, in place of the two tins. Fresh tomatoes are best in late summer; for the rest of the year, good tinned tomatoes give a more reliable result.

Why add soy sauce to tomato sauce?

It adds savoury depth (umami) and seasons the sauce in place of plain salt.

Is this tomato sauce vegetarian?

Not as written, because standard Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. Use a vegetarian Worcestershire sauce to make it vegetarian and vegan.

Is this tomato sauce gluten-free?

Soy sauce and some Worcestershire sauces contain wheat. Use tamari and a gluten-free Worcestershire sauce, and check the labels.

How do I thicken homemade tomato sauce?

Take the lid off for the last 10–15 minutes and let it simmer gently so the excess liquid cooks off.

My sauce tastes too acidic. How do I fix it?

Give it a little longer on a low heat, as cooking mellows the sharpness. The carrots also add natural sweetness. If it is still sharp, add a small pinch of sugar, or do what I often do and add a squeeze of tomato ketchup for sweetness.

Can I make this homemade tomato sauce smooth?

Yes. Blend both tins before cooking, or blitz the finished sauce. The flavour stays the same.

Can I freeze homemade tomato sauce?

Yes, for up to 3 months. Freeze it in meal-sized portions so it’s easy to use midweek.

How long does homemade tomato sauce keep in the fridge?

3–4 days in an airtight container. Reheat until piping hot before serving.

What is the difference between a tomato sauce and a ragu?

A ragu is a slow-cooked sauce built around meat, while a tomato sauce is built around tomatoes and cooks much faster. This sauce sits between the two: it has some of a ragu’s depth, and it makes a good base for one.