This classic pomodoro sauce is a rich and flavorful Italian tomato sauce. With just a few good quality ingredients you’ll quickly make a tasty homemade tomato sauce with San Marzano tomatoes that’s perfect to serve with pasta, pizza or grilled vegetables. A simple, authentic sauce that tastes just like summer in southern Italy.

fresh tomato sauce or pomodoro sauce in a pan with fresh basil, a wooden spoon and a red checkered cloth under the pan

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A homemade tomato sauce using fresh tomatoes is what summer is all about. You’ll get the best results when tomatoes are in season, ripe and full of delicious flavors. When tomatoes are abundant you can make a variation of tomato based dishes like Caprese salad, steamed mussels marinara or a fresh tomato onion salad. And of course, nothing beats a delicious pan con tomate for a summer brunch.

With this recipe, you’ll be sure to make the best pasta al pomodoro or Italian pasta with tomato sauce.

Which tomatoes to use

In Italy, to make sugo di pomodoro or salsa di pomodoro, traditionally San Marzano tomatoes are used. This variety of plum tomatoes originates from the Campania region in southern Italy, close to Naples. They are longer and more slender than the typical plum tomato.

San Marzano are the preferred variety to make Italian tomato sauce as they are naturally sweet, rich in flavor and have lower acidity. Their flesh is quite dense and thanks to their thick skin they contain less water than other varieties, making them great for a smooth sauce.

I made this recipe using fresh San Marzano tomatoes. However, if they are out of season or hard to find fresh, canned San Marzano tomatoes are just as good. Since canned versions come peeled, the first part of the recipe where we cook the tomatoes and pass them through a food mill to remove the skin and seeds can be skipped.

white bowl with a bunch of san marzano tomatoes

Pomodoro sauce ingredients

Tomatoes: Chose either fresh or canned San Marzano tomatoes. Optionally substitute with plum or Roma tomatoes if you have them.
Olive oil: For sautéing the onion, use a mild and fruity good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Onion: Adds extra depth of flavor and a light sweetness to the sauce. It’s best to use a shallot, white or red onion as they tend to be milder and naturally sweeter.
Basil: Always use fresh basil, never dried as it lacks the aromatic oil and delicate flavor that gives this sauce its typical taste.
Salt: A pinch of Kosher salt to bring the flavors in balance.
Pepper (optional): You can add a bit of pepper for extra flavor, but this is optional.

How to make pomodoro sauce

Note: All the exact quantities of the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

There are many recipes for making Italian sugo di pomodoro or tomato sauce. However, this method is how many Italian households have been making tomato sauce for many generations, so I’ve tried to stay as close to my heritage as possible:

Prepare the tomatoes: Rinse the tomatoes under cold water and cut each one lenghtwise in half. Remove the hard inner core from the top.

cutting san marzano tomatoes in half on a wooden board

Cook the tomatoes with lid on: Add the halved tomatoes in a large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven with just a pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Covering with a lid allows the tomatoes to steam which in turn releases their juices and causes them to start softening.

halved san marzano tomatoes in a pot ready to boil

Cook the tomatoes with lid off: Remove the lid and leave to simmer for 30 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Stir once or twice to prevent sticking and ensure even heat.
Pass through a food mill: Once the tomatoes are soft, remove the pot from the heat. Place the food mill over a large bowl and ladle the tomatoes in to it in small batches. Turn the handle to extract the tomato pulp leaving behind the skins and most of the seeds. Repeat until all the tomatoes have been used. Discard the skins and seeds from the food mill.

cooked san marzano tomatoes passing through a food mill to make tomato sauce

Sauté the onion: Peel and finely chop the onion. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan and sauté the onion for a few minutes until translucent.

Simmer the tomato sauce: Reduce the heat to low and add the tomato sauce with a pinch of salt and optionally pepper. Tear half the amount of basil into pieces and add to the sauce. Stir and leave to simmer for 20 minutes, without a lid. This will reduce the sauce and concentrate the flavors.
Season the sauce: Taste and adjust flavors with salt and pepper. Add the rest of the basil leaves in the sauce and stir.

Why this recipe works

Texture: By first softening the tomatoes then removing skin and seeds with a food mill you get a much smoother and more velvety sauce.
Concentrated flavor: Cooking the tomatoes first allows the excess water to evaporate and concentrate the sweet flavors of the tomatoes.
Food mill: Using a food mill to remove the seeds and skin is efficient and easy so as to avoid the bitterness of blended seeds.
No peeling by hand: Pre-cooking the tomatoes and using a food mill is easy (with larger quantities of tomatoes) as you won’t need to remove all the peels by hand.

How to store

This homemade pomodoro sauce is perfect for meal prep as it can be easily made in advance or in larger batches:

In the fridge: Leave the sauce to cool to room temperature, then transfer in an airtight container or glass jar. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
In the freezer: For longer storage, leave to cool to room temperature and pour the sauce in smaller batches in to freezer safe containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Serving suggestions

This fresh tomato sauce is so versatile. Here are some easy and delicious ways to enjoy this sauce:

With pasta: Serve it with pasta (spaghetti, penne, fusilli,…) to make pasta pomodoro and finish with some Parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Or use it as a base for Pasta alla Norma.
Pizza sauce: Use as a topping for homemade pizza.
Stuffed vegetables: Pour over stuffed peppers, eggplant or zucchini.
With meat dishes: Use as a base for chili con carne or spoon over grilled chicken or meat.
For soups: This tomato sauce is great to use as a base for Spanish gazpacho or salmorejo (cold tomato soup).

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