Pomodoro Sauce Recipe
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Dress up your pasta, chicken parmesan, lasagna, and more with this easy and classic Italian pomodoro sauce recipe! It’s one of my favorite homemade pasta sauces ever.
I grew up watching my mom make Pomodoro sauce from scratch every summer Sunday, always making extra for the cooler months. It’s still one of those comfort foods that feels like home. When I started testing my own version (with store-bought tomatoes… sorry Mom), I wanted to keep all the same fresh, simple flavors she used, but make it just a little faster for busy weeknights.
My version is just like hers- smooth, balanced, and deeply flavorful, yet made with just a handful of pantry ingredients. It’s the kind of sauce that makes even plain pasta taste special- just ask my picky partner. Once you try this, you’ll never buy store-bought sauces again.
What exactly is pomodoro sauce?
Pomodoro means “tomato” in Italian, and it’s a simple, classic tomato sauce made with minimal ingredients like tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. It’s smoother than marinara, and a little lighter than a ragu or sugo. It’s perfect for pasta, chicken, or even a pizza sauce.
Recipe highlights
- It’s the easiest pasta sauce! Unlike bolognese or arrabbiata, this pomodoro recipe uses basic ingredients and doesn’t require hours of simmering.
- Just 7 ingredients. If you have a can of tomatoes, dried herbs, and aromatics, then you can make pomodoro sauce from scratch.
- It is very versatile. My partner and I keep the sauce in the fridge and pull it out for anything we need a flavorful topping for pasta or on air fryer chicken parmesan.
- It has the best texture. Nothing is worse than thin or watery sauces, but this one is thick and rich.
Key Ingredients
Here are some important notes on the main ingredients for this homemade pomodoro sauce. The complete list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
- Extra virgin olive oil. The quality of your olive oil can make a big difference in the taste of your Italian tomato sauce. Choose a high-quality, extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Aromatics. Onion and freshly minced garlic.
- Tomatoes. My mom’s original recipe calls for fresh tomatoes, but she also had tons of homegrown tomatoes on hand! In my shortcut version, I like to use canned tomatoes, especially San Marzano tomatoes- they’re naturally sweeter. If I’ve recently made a batch of fire-roasted tomatoes, I sometimes use that.
- Sugar. My aunt, who lives in Italy (shoutout to Zia Christina!), says a pinch of sugar in Italian tomato sauces is the magic touch. It’s essential to balance the acidity and the savory aromatics. Please do not skip it!
- Italian seasoning. Feel free to make your own Italian seasoning blend, or keep it simple with a store-bought mix.
How to make pomodoro sauce
Step 1 – Sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Once hot, add the onions and garlic and cook until fragrant.
Step 2 – Simmer the sauce. Pour the canned tomatoes into the skillet and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, lower the heat to a simmer.
Step 3 – Assemble. Stir the seasonings and sugar into the sauce. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, then puree the sauce with an immersion or regular blender until smooth.
Step 4 – Serve with pasta (pasta pomodoro!). Cook the pasta while making the sauce, and reserve some of the pasta water. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce, and thin the consistency with the pasta water. Simmer for a few minutes, then serve with fresh basil leaves.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes: A touch of spice will add a touch of heat to your pomodoro sauce without overwhelming the other flavors (It’s my mom’s not-so-secret ingredient).
- Use fresh herbs: Fresh basil is a classic herb in Italian sauce, but you can also experiment with other fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, or parsley.
- Finish with a pat of butter: Adding a small pat of butter at the end of cooking will give your pomodoro sauce a rich, silky texture and a luxurious finish. I only recommend doing this if you are about to serve it. It doesn’t have the same effect when making it in advance.
Storage and prep tips
To store: The leftover cooked sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
To freeze: It also freezes well for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing the sauce in ice cube trays or silicone molds for easy-to-thaw individual portions.
To reheat: Either thaw the frozen sauce ahead of time or reheat it from frozen in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Nutrition information has been reviewed by registered dietitian Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
Pomodoro Sauce Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion grated
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 56 ounces canned tomatoes in natural juices
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 16 ounces penne pasta optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the canned tomatoes and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add the salt, pepper, sugar, and Italian seasoning and stir for a further minute or two. Using a hand or stick mixer, blend the sauce until completely smooth.
- Cook the pasta as per the package instructions. Drain and reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.
- Add the pasta to the sauce, along with the pasta water, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Notes
- Sauce to pasta ratio: This recipe can easily coat 16 ounces of uncooked pasta.
- Leftovers: Keep in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for 3 months.
Nutrition
Ways to use this sauce
For a simple dish, serve the pomodoro sauce with any kind of pasta noodles topped with herbs and parmesan cheese (even protein pasta or low calorie pasta). Otherwise, you can use it in any pasta bake recipe, in eggplant rollatini, on vegan pizza (a substitute for pizza sauce), or in air fryer chicken parmesan. In other words, whenever an Italian recipe calls for a tomato-based sauce, you can turn to pomodoro!
Oh, and because this sauce is super flavorful and rich, toss it through some air fryer meatballs or keto meatballs.
Originally published April 2023
Always turns out perfect. It’s our go to for spaghetti night and taste wayyyy better than any of that stuff in a jar or can!
🙂 Thank you, Emily!
Sure would love to know the carb count just for the Pomodoro sauce alone if using in the Keto Zucchini Lasagna (without the pasta). This looks good but without the actual carb count for the sauce alone, I think I will just use Rao’s sauce instead.
Love this pomodoro sauce recipe so much!
Glad to hear that!
Thank you for all your wonderful, healthy, recipes! Do the nutritional facts reflect solely the sauce or is it the sauce plus the pasta?
Just the sauce 🙂
A gorgeous sauce for pasta
I use this recipe in brasil a lot
Can I use normal water instead of pasta water
Sure!
Love your site. We’ve been off and on keto for 30 years, though are trying to make keto our every day lifestyle.
I’ve noticed several of your recipes don’t say what the single serving size is. In this case for the sauce, how much sauce is one serving?
Hi Doug- Will adjust it now! 🙂
Wonderful