A famous family recipe - San Marzano Tomato Sauce. A luscious red sauce simmered for several hours to develop the most rich and hearty tomato sauce. Fresh herbs, authentic Italian flavors, and the most inviting aroma. Easily the best tomato sauce I've ever had! From my family to yours.
Recipe by A Simple Palate on August 1, 2018
Prep time: PT5M
Cook time: PT240M
Total time: PT245M
Rating
4.97 stars (164 reviews)
Keywords
homemade tomato sauce, italian sauce, marinara sauce, san marzano tomato sauce
Ingredients
8 garlic cloves, (minced)
3-4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4-5 28oz cans San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes ((with juices))
Cook garlic: In a large stainless steel pot on LOW-MEDIUM heat sauté garlic in olive oil for 30-60 seconds. Stir constantly to keep garlic from burning.
Add tomatoes and simmer: pour canned tomatoes with juices in with the garlic. Add tomato paste, salt, and black pepper. Mix ingredients together, partially cover with lid - but not completely, and simmer on LOW heat for 3+ hours. Stir every so often to avoid burning. Note: if using a parmesan rind, add it in this step and let it simmer with sauce until finished. Remove and discard rind when ready to serve.
For smooth sauce: when sauce is finished cooking, use a hand immersion-blender to puree. Note: If you prefer a chunkier/thicker sauce (like I do), you can skip this step as the San Marzanos naturally break down while cooking.
Add herbs: when sauce is finished, mix in chopped fresh herbs. Season with additional salt & black pepper if needed and serve!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 63 kcal
Carbohydrates: 7.7 g
Protein: 1.7 g
Fat: 3.6 g
Cholesterol: 0.6 mg
Sodium: 164.7 mg
Sugar: 2.8 g
Reviews
Matthew on 2025-10-31 (5 stars): This recipe looks great ! Just a quick question , should I squeeze the tomatoes or just let them cook as is?
Debby on 2025-10-31 (5 stars): This recipe sounds great can't wait to try it.
2 things I grow my own San Mar tomatoes just to make sauce and can it up for the winter or for over the year. Only thing I am not sure about the sugar or lemon in your recipe. Did the other person who wrote you. Did she say if she used those for canning it? Recipe most need a high acid level to can up so bacteria doesn't grow within the jar. Could you have them to contact me or you ask them then let me know. Thank you. Debby from (MA. USA)
Debbie on 2025-10-19 (5 stars): Bethany ~ I made this sauce for the 4th time today. Every time I’ve made it, it’s been very good. But today it was perfection. I switched my whole tomatoes to Bianco DiNapoli and what a difference. It took me awhile to find this brand. Now that I know where to get it, it’s the only brand I’ll use going forward. I didn’t add the parm rind because I wasn’t able to cut it off the wedge. I’m not strong enough. Hopefully the next time I make sauce I have some rinds saved.
Thank you for your excellent recipes.
Gina on 2025-10-02 (5 stars): Did you peel your tomatoes first - I have seen both options and have a ton of fresh SM toms which I want to use the recipe on but not sure which way to go
Jana on 2025-09-21 (5 stars): This is my mom and grandma's spaghetti sauce recipe. It came out wonderfully and I have two batches in the freezer as our San Marzano tomatoes went crazy in the garden this year.
Carol on 2025-09-08 (5 stars): I made this for my family and it was so delicious!! Just one question….why are the herbs added at the end?
Katie Easton on 2025-08-16 (4 stars): Very delicious !!!
Diana on 2025-08-12 (4 stars): When using whole san marzano tomatoes. Do you drain off the citric acid its packed in, drain in water? And do you add water to sauce...my mom used to add size of paste can. ?
