Homemade Pizza Sauce

 

I'm not a snob when it comes to pizza. I have been happily enjoying greasy pizza for years, and I'm not really sure whether I will ever grow out of it. After all, when you want pizza at 2am you have to make some sacrifices. You may regret those sacrifices in the morning, but quality is never an overriding factor when the pizza craving hits right as you're heading in for the night. I also make homemade pizza a decent amount, and I'll admit that I'm not remotely above using jarred sauce. 

All that said, nothing beats great pizza with fresh ingredients. Using a homemade sauce makes a noticeable difference. The same thing goes for using homemade dough (even if you purchased that homemade dough from the bakery counter or a local pizza place). This sauce has a bold tomato flavor mixed with the perfect blend of spices. It's slightly sweetened with a teaspoon of sugar, and has a little kick from the red pepper flakes. It's well worth the time if you have it. I've also found that eating pizza with homemade sauce and homemade dough reduces the guilt factor you get from eating it by at least half.

I realize I'm talking about pizza and my pictures only show a jar of sauce, which is only part of the equation. You'll have to imagine the sauce on a delicious, cheesy slice of pizza because I didn't take pictures of the one I devoured shortly after making the sauce. But it was good. This recipe makes enough for more than one pizza, and if you keep it stored tightly it will stay good for over a week.

Enjoy!

Homemade Pizza Sauce

Recipe Slightly Adapted from Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

Serves: 2 cups

 

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ medium onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon fresh basil (or 3/4 dried)
• 1 ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Drizzle olive oil into 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent and tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, chopped basil and dried oregano. Cook for about 1 minute to release flavors.
2. Pour in tomatoes, tomato paste, and add salt, sugar, and black pepper. Stir well to combine. Add fresh oregano. Reduce heat to low-medium and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent any sticking or burning.
3. Remove from heat and use immediately or allow to cool before storing in an airtight container for up to one week.