How to Make Basic Red Pizza Sauce

We like to make a large batch of pizza sauce at once. Storing the pizza sauce in plastic baggies (about a cup’s worth of sauce per baggie) and freezing them is a great time-saver. There are many different ways to make basic red pizza sauce, here is my favorite. I strongly suggest you use San Marzano tomatoes, for the extra few dollars per tin, the upgrade in flavor is well worth it.

Red Pizza Sauce Ingredients

• 2 28 ounce tins of whole plum tomatoes (San Marzano preferably)
• 1 Small onion
• 4 Cloves of garlic
• 3 Tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• ½ Tablespoon of dried oregano
• ½ Tablespoon of dried thyme
• 1 Cup of chicken stock or white wine or red wine
• 2 Tablespoons of sherry vinegar
• Fresh Basil and/or Fresh Oregano (optional)
• Salt to taste

Red pizza sauce step-by-step

1. Preheat a large sauce pan or dutch-oven on medium-high.
2. Pour the contents of the tomato tins into a large bowl.
3. Using your hands (time to roll up your sleeves) crush the tomatoes as finely as possible.
4. Peel an onion and remove the top and bottom.
5. Peel the garlic. Puree both in a blender.
6. Add olive oil to sauce pan until shimmering.
7. Pour onion/garlic mixture into pan.
8. Sauté until mixture just starts to turn golden (about 3 minutes).
9. Add the dried herbs and pepper flakes and cook for one more minute.
10. Deglaze the pan with either the chicken stock or wine and let reduce by half.
11. Add the sherry vinegar (it really makes the flavors come alive) and carefully pour in
    the tomatoes.
12. If you have fresh basil or oregano, take a few fronds or stems and place them in the sauce.
13. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes.
14. Remove the fresh basil or oregano.
15. Salt to taste.

That’s it…you’re done! Let cool before using on pizza or storing for future use.