Sometimes I get home from work and just want to make a quick pizza. No handmade dough. No unusual toppings. Just a heat-and-eat store-bought crust, topped with a fantastic homemade sauce and a few easy ingredients, such as Italian sausage, mushrooms, olives, and cheese. And it comes out great, thanks mostly to the sauce. If you don’t have a great sauce, the rest of the pizza won’t be any good. No matter how great the toppings are.
I double this pizza sauce recipe and freeze it. I separate it into batches, making it easy to defrost in the fridge in time to make a 15 minute dinner.
In a hurry? Make my pantry pizza sauce in no time at all!
Pizza Sauce
If you don’t have a great sauce, the rest of the pizza won’t be any good. No matter how great the toppings are.
Servings 2 cups
Calories 114kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup onion chopped
- ¼ cup celery chopped
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 8 ounce tomato sauce
- 1 6 ounce tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed lightly ground
- dried red pepper flake to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the butter and melt.
- Add the onion and celery and saute until starting to soften.
- Add the garlic and saute another minute.
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Pour mixture into a blender.
- Cover with a towel and hold down on the lid and puree the mixture until smooth.
- Pour mixture back into the pot over medium heat.
- Stir in the tomato sauce and paste.
- Add remaining ingredients, stir.
- Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and let simmer 20-30 minutes.
- If the sauce is too thick (keeping in mind that you do want a thick sauce) add water a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired thickness.
- Remove bay leaf before using.
Nutrition
Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 807mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 339IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional values are approximate.
