Easy Garlic Tomato Pasta Sauce
This easy pasta sauce is a staple in my house and one of my favorite “back pocket” recipes — the kind you really don’t even need a recipe for. It comes together in only 15 minutes with a can of crushed tomatoes, olive oil, thinly sliced garlic, salt, and a little sweetener if needed.
Slicing the garlic instead of mincing it gives the sauce a sweet, mellow garlic flavor, so it tastes surprisingly light and fresh — perfect on fresh pasta.
I’ve taken so many cooking classes over the years, and learned to make this easy pasta sauce in a class led by a chef from Al Forno, an amazing Italian restaurant in Providence, RI. It not only turns a bowl of pasta into a restaurant-quality dinner, but it’s also delicious on pizza, as a chili base, in shakshuka, or as a base for creamy roasted red pepper and tomato soup.
Dietitian tip: Because you control the salt and sugar, this pasta sauce is better for you than most jarred sauces. Also, cooking tomatoes with olive oil, a classic Mediterranean diet pairing, increases the bioavailability of lycopene and other carotenoid compounds in tomatoes, so your body can absorb more of these antioxidants.
Recipe At-A-Glance
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 10 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes
MAKES: about 3 cups, to cover 1 pound of pasta
DIFFICULTY: easy
RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS: A light, simple pasta sauce made with only 4 ingredients in 15 minutes
FEATURED INGREDIENTS: crushed tomatoes, elephant garlic, olive oil
This post contains affiliate links for products I use and recommend, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Pasta Sauce Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients you’ll need to make this simple and easy pasta sauce. Substitutions and variations are listed in the section below.
Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with measurements.
Canned crushed tomatoes – I prefer the texture of crushed tomatoes here, because you get a nice rustic mix of tomato chunks and juice. If you use whole tomatoes, crush them by hand or with a potato masher, or pulse them in a food processor or blender to the desired consistency. If you use a blender, be careful not to overblend, or they’ll be too thin, foamy, and orange.
Buy good-quality, organic tomatoes with no added sugar or preservatives. Avoid diced tomatoes, which are treated to stay firm, and tomato sauce, which is too thin and often has added sugar or other ingredients.
Elephant garlic – These giant bulbs of garlic are much mellower and sweeter than regular garlic. That, plus slicing the cloves instead of mincing them, makes this sauce so lovely and light. Elephant garlic’s very large cloves are also easy to slice, especially with a mini mandoline garlic slicer. Just rub your garlic across it, and it cuts paper-thin slices in seconds.
Olive oil – You’ll need ⅓ cup of good quality olive oil to sizzle the garlic and add richness to the sauce.
Salt – It brings out the sweet flavor in the tomatoes. Skip the iodized salt, which has a metallic flavor. Use sea salt or Kosher salt instead.
Honey (optional) – Some canned tomatoes can taste bitter or tinny, either from the tomatoes’ acidity, underripe tomatoes, or added citric acid or calcium chloride. A little bit of sweetener can help balance that bitterness or metallic flavor. I’ve tested this recipe with white sugar, brown sugar, and honey, and I love the complexity that honey adds. I typically add up to 1 teaspoon of honey, but taste the sauce first. You might not need any at all.
Substitutions and Variations
This light, tasty, homemade pasta sauce is a blank canvas and a great starting point for any of these pasta sauce variations:
- Italian style – Add 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning with the tomatoes, or tear in fresh basil at the end.
- Spicy Arrabbiata style – Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes to the oil with the garlic.
- Puttanesca style – Add chopped briny olives, capers, and an anchovy fillet (it melts into the oil).
- Creamy tomato sauce – Stir in ¼ to ½ cup heavy cream at the end, over low heat. Cream also softens acidity, so you likely won’t need honey.
- A deeper, simmered-for-hours flavor – Add 1 teaspoon of tomato paste to the pot and cook it with the olive oil and garlic. You can also add a Parmesan rind while the sauce simmers and simmer it for 20 minutes or so. Remove it before serving.
- Higher protein sauce – Add rinsed white beans or lentils, or sautéed ground beef, turkey, or chicken, as the sauce simmers.
How to Make This Easy Pasta Sauce
1. Slice the garlic as thinly as you can. I recommend using a mini mandoline garlic slicer, which lets you slice the cloves quickly right into the pot.
2. Sizzle the garlic in the olive oil for 45-60 seconds. It’s done when it starts to shrink and curl a bit and a few pieces start to turn light golden. Remove it from the heat as soon as it’s done so it doesn’t burn.
3. Add the tomatoes and salt and simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste the sauce and add extra salt and honey as needed.
Expert Tips!
Slice the garlic instead of mincing it. Elephant garlic is naturally much sweeter than regular garlic, but slicing helps keep it sweet too. Chopping or mincing garlic ruptures many cell walls and produces a compound called allicin, which gives garlic its pungent flavor. When you slice it, more cell walls remain intact, so the garlic stays sweeter. Use a sharp knife or mini mandoline to cut it as thin as possible.
Take the pan off the heat before adding the tomatoes. I learned this trick from a chef at Al Forno in Providence. Garlic keeps cooking in hot oil and can burn in seconds, so pulling the pan stops it at the perfect point, and it keeps the tomatoes from spattering when they hit the oil. When cooking the garlic, watch it carefully, stir it constantly, and remove it from the heat as soon as it starts to shrivel a bit and a few pieces turn golden. If it burns, discard it and start over because burnt garlic will ruin the sauce (there are only two main ingredients after all!)
Adjust the thickness. If you prefer a thicker sauce, simmer uncovered a few minutes longer to allow some of the tomato liquid to evaporate.
Serving Suggestions
Because it’s light and fresh-tasting, we adore this sauce on fresh pasta, homemade gnocchi, or fresh ravioli, along with a simple green salad.
It’s also a great base for:
- Italian sausage and lentil soup
- Ground turkey vegetable soup
- Creamy roasted vegetable soup
- Roasted red pepper and tomato soup
- Homemade salsa (use fire-roasted crushed tomatoes and add jalapeños, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice)
- Ground turkey stuffed peppers
- Shakshuka (eggs in purgatory)
Recipe FAQs
Yes. You can double or even triple it. Make sure your pot is large enough. Divide and freeze it in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.
No, you should not can/heat process this sauce for several reasons: It contains olive oil, which can go rancid over time; Olive oil can also protect bacteria spores instead of killing them; and the acidity of tomatoes varies widely, so you would have to add lemon juice or citric acid, both of which would alter the taste of this sauce.
Related Tomato Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating on the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page. Your email will not appear publicly!
Easy Pasta Sauce With Garlic & Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 large cloves elephant garlic thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon honey optional, to taste
Instructions
- Use a chef's knife, garlic slicer, or mini mandoline to thinly slice the garlic into a medium-sized sauté pan. Add the olive oil.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil sizzles, cook the garlic for about 45 seconds or just until you see it start to curl a bit and a few pieces turn light golden. Do not let it get too brown.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine.
- Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes on low heat. Taste it and add extra salt if it tastes too bland. Add up to 1 teaspoon of honey to balance any bitter or metallic flavors in the tomatoes.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
If you print this recipe, you can scan the QR code below to see updates and tips or leave a comment.
I love that this sauce is so simple and versatile. It sounds delicious!
Thanks Sonali! I think simple is always delicious 🙂
Your photos are gorgeous and this sauce sounds delicious.
Oh thanks SO much Katie 🙂
I love making my own tomato sauce. It’s so easy and so much less sodium and sugar – most people are amazed by that last one 🙂 The Pacific Coast Producers trip was one of my favorites – glad you enjoyed!
So true Jessica! And I just so prefer the taste of this sauce. Those PCP folks are the BEST!
This sounds so easy and looks amazing! I’ve been searching for an easy homemade marinara. Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome Marisa! Let me know if you try it 🙂