One thing that hasn’t changed throughout my pregnancy is my love for pizza. I guess even babies in the womb can’t say no to that kind of deliciousness. I always make homemade dough, which is key in a delicious homemade pizza, and fresh mozzarella, too! But something I had never tried before was homemade pizza sauce.
But then a friend of Hubbs gave me a ton of produce from his own garden, which included tomatoes… a lot of them!
My heart skipped a beat and all I could think of was PIZZA SAUCE!
So I measured all the little tomatoes, and they came out to about 2 lbs.
Then I roughly chopped them up, along with 1/4 an onion.
I threw them into a pot, along with
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp minced garlic
Then I let this simmer on low for about 2 hours and 45 minutes before deciding I should go ahead and blend it all up.
Pre-blended
Post-blended
Then, back into the pot. Here I added
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 2 Tbsp freshly chopped basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- a sprinkle of thyme
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp corn starch
I mixed it all up and put it back on the stove on the lowest setting possible for another hour.
The result was incredible. I was so nervous about not following a recipe, but had so much fun trusting my taste buds.
The sauce tasted so fresh and flavorful and brought our homemade pizza to a whole new level. Hubbs enthusiastically told me how much flavor was packed into the sauce, and I was one proud wannabe-chef!
It made enough sauce for 1 large pizza, plus extra for dipping, but now that I know this recipe is a success, I plan on buying some farmers market tomatoes in bulk and making a large batch of this to use through the fall.
You can freeze pizza sauce, right? I’d like to attempt canning, but have never done that before.
Have you ever canned anything?
What was it?
Was it difficult?
Samantha @ Health, Happiness & SKinny Jeans says
That pizza looks great! I love making homemade sauce although I have never tried canning.
Jess Mathias says
LOVE LOVE LOVE this. I’m actually making homemade pizza this weekend (its on the menu) 🙂 This pizza sauce looks great, I’ll def have to try it out sometime!!
Ashley says
This looks delish! I have never thought of making homemade sauce. And I just bought fresh mozzarella yesterday to make a homemade GF pizza. Now I’m going to make homemade sauce to go along w/ it! Love it! Thanks Britt!
Kristin @ eat healthy. be happy. live well says
This is awesome! I just bought some tomatoes at the farmer’s market to make my own marinara sauce! I make pizza sauce from tomato paste because it is thicker. I highly recommend adding honey instead of sugar. It gives it an extra sweetness with a little more flavor.
Yes, you can freeze pizza sauce. I have never canned anything, but tomatoes are tricky, I’ve heard. Something about the acid level needing to be just right…good luck with it!
Brittany says
I love the idea of adding honey! I will definitely try that next time instead of sugar. Great tip!
Megan says
Looks delicious! I’m going to have to try this along with your homemade pizza crust 🙂
Roz@weightingfor50 says
My heart skipped a beat when I saw those tomatoes too!!! Yay for harvest season. Great looking sauce and pizza Brittany!!! I’ve never tried canning/preserving anything but jam – which is really really easy to make. Have a great day.
Katie @ Legally Fit says
My love for pizza has definitely not dwindled, either. This recipe looks amazing- I’m impressed that you came up with it yourself!
Donna@Life of a Happy Blonde says
I have never ever thought of making pizza sauce before, i guess i always thought it was tricky to get the right consistency but look at you making the perfect sauce!
I’m definitely going to have to give this a try, thanks Brittany 🙂
Jen says
I love homemade pizza sauce. We always make our own sauce and dough. My fave sauce includes honey and rosemary. So good!
It freezes well! I’ve never tried canning either. I’m too scared.
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
I’ve never canned anything but dang, that sauce looks good! Good job!
Parita @ myinnershakti says
Oh wow that looks delicious! I LOVE fresh tomatoes, especially with a little bit of salt sprinkled on top!
Tiff @ Love, Sweat, and Beers says
I was impressed before by you making your own sauce. No recipe? Now I’m super impressed. Maybe one day I’ll quit being lazy and will attempt my own, but I’m not holding my breath…
Becky @ Fit Chick on the Fly says
I’m feeling super inspired after this post! mmmm, my mouth is watering. You can definitely freeze the sauce. I make an amazing chimmi-churri sauce that I make tons of and freeze. It’s always a big hit.
Do you have a recipe for your dough?
Brittany says
I do have a dough recipe! I’m working on posting about it and it will be up sometime in the next couple weeks. Stay tuned- it’s super easy 🙂
And can you share your chimmi-churri sauce? Sounds yummy!
Maria says
Again, you make it look easy, Brittany!
I used to help my mom can loads of green beans when I was a kid, from the looks of it, its really isn’t too hard. Target sells small canning kits that would be a good idea to start.
Lauren says
I keep seeing recipes for homemade pizza sauce and they’re all making me really wish I had a friend with a tomato garden! The tomatoes at my Farmers’ Market are like $3 each! Is it just me or is that a little outrageous?
Brittany says
$3 for one tomato= outrageous. Each year I say I’m going to grow my own, but I always get so busy. Next year for sure. Join me!
Lauren B says
I only make homemade tomato and pizza sauce and lOVE it! It’s so quick and easy. And YES, you can freeze it. I pour it into Ziploc freezer bags and lay them flat in the freezer so they don’t take up too much space. Congrats on your homemade pizza success!
Sarah for Real says
I’ve canned pickled green beans and they are super easy and safe because of the vinegar.
I hear canning any tomato product is “advanced” canner’s territory though because of food safety. I’m not exactly sure why though.
I say just freeze it. If you can the sauce, it’ll lose some of that super fresh tomato flavor.
Brooke @ Veggie Table says
Wow – that homemade pizza looks incredible! I would freeze the sauce in ice trays – so next time if you want to make a smaller pizza…you wouldn’t have to heat up the entire ziploc baggy – just a thought 🙂
Alyssa @ Life of bLyss says
I got nothin’ for ya in the canning advice.
but that. looks.
AWESOME.
Becca says
http://www.hangrypants.com/2011/08/lessons-in-canning/
Becca says
Sorry about the comment above- premature pressing of the enter key. I have no experience canning but I read an article by @HangryPants about her canning homemade sauce earlier today (coincidentally). Check it out: http://www.hangrypants.com/2011/08/lessons-in-canning
Caree @ Fit-Mama says
yum! would love the recipe for your dough too! I have been wanting to make my own dough for awhile now.
Amanda Perry @ Sistas of Strength says
Drooling. Looks awesome!
Autumn @ Good Eats Girl says
Oh, wow! I definitely need to try this!! I think freezing it would work! I’ve never canned either…I have no idea about that.
Melissa says
Yes, you can absolutely freeze homemade red sauce. Looks tasty!
The Savvy Sister says
Great post with beautiful photos! This recipe makes it easy to add flavors that you like (I’m thinking roasted red pepper and fennel)
Pam says
I just wanted to thank you for posting this recipe. I’m allergic to corn and a lot of canned foods have citric acid. Some citric acid is derived from lemons and limes but some are made from corn sugar and lime juice. I had an allergic reaction from citric acid from jam and I’m afraid to ingest any citric acid now. This recipe is delicious. All others consisted of blanching, pealing and coring tomatoes, too intimidating for me. Thanks again for making pizza sauce a little easier for me.
amber dick says
I can all the time and this is a recipe I would love for canning. I would use a 12 ounce jar and process it for 15 minutes in a water bath. No need for a pressure canner due to it being a tomato product. Thanks so much for the recipe.