Rustic Homemade Tomato Sauce

This rustic homemade tomato sauce is simple, fresh, and full of flavor. Made with chopped tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and optional oregano, it cooks down slowly until the tomatoes become rich and saucy while still keeping a little texture.

It’s a versatile recipe to keep on hand for pasta, vegetables, grains, eggs, or as a flavorful base for other dishes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: About 25–35 minutes
Total Time: About 40 minutes
Storage: A few days refrigerated or freeze for later

Equipment

• Cutting board
• Chopping knife
• Large deep pan or wok
• Wooden spoon
• Measuring spoons
• Airtight container or glass jar

Ingredients

• Fresh tomatoes, chopped
• Fresh garlic, chopped or minced
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Dried oregano, to taste — optional

Instructions

1. Wash and chop the tomatoes into small pieces. Chop or mince the garlic.
2. Heat a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil in a large deep pan or wok over medium heat.
3. Add the chopped garlic and sauté gently until fragrant. Do not allow the garlic to brown or burn, as this can give the sauce a bitter flavor.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan.
5. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Increase the heat to medium-high and allow the tomatoes to begin cooking down.
7. Stir the sauce every few minutes to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan and to help the tomatoes break down evenly.
8. If desired, add dried oregano to taste.
9. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced to approximately half of its original volumeand reaches your preferred consistency.
10. Remove from the heat and allow the sauce to cool completely before storing.

Storage & Meal Prep

Once completely cooled, transfer the tomato sauce to an airtight container or glass jar.

Store it in the refrigerator for a few days, or freeze portions for longer storage and use them whenever you need a quick homemade sauce.

Barefoot Nutrition Tip

Tomatoes are naturally rich in lycopene, a carotenoid antioxidant. Cooking tomatoes with a little olive oil is especially useful because lycopene becomes more bioavailable after cooking, and the fat from olive oil helps with its absorption.

Making your own tomato sauce also allows you to control the amount of salt, added sugar, and oil compared with many commercially prepared sauces.

Why We Love It

This recipe proves that a flavorful sauce doesn’t need a long ingredient list. Fresh tomatoes create the base, garlic adds depth, and extra-virgin olive oil brings everything together.

It’s a simple way to use whole-food ingredients while preparing a versatile staple that can be incorporated into countless meals throughout the week.

Watch the full recipe video: Rustic Homemade Tomato Sauce

Let’s eat more plants!