If you're not a fan of chunky sauce, just put your tomatoes in the food processor and pulse until the desired smoothness, we love the freshness of tomatoes, so adapt away.
A traditional Authentic sauce starts with the freshest homemade ingredients from start to finish.
That actually means you must use fresh herbs, fresh spices, homemade dough, and the highest quality tomatoes to make a great pizza, not just a good one.
Whether you love thick pizza or thin pizza this fantastic homemade pizza sauce will be the deal-breaker on every pizza you've ever tasted in an American kitchen with a straight from an Italian flavor that's over 150 years old.
Grandma only made everything from scratch recipes, and she was from Rome, Italy where we got had her thin-crust pizza recipe.
Then from time to time, we enjoyed a thick Sicilian-style pizza that was a nice change once in a while and used the same delicious sauce on top.
Scroll down to get Grandma's printable homemade pizza sauce recipe it's the tastiest and easiest sauce you will ever make in an American kitchen that tastes authentic right from Italy.
What Is Sicilian Pizza?
A Sicilian pizza is usually about one inch thick and more bread as opposed to thin and crispy.
The pizza also is covered in a generous amount of homemade pizza/tomato sauce recipe below and more sauce it than a normal pizza.
The secret to a great pizza is using all fresh ingredients including the dough and sauce.
Keep in mind again, that tomatoes are the most important ingredient in this recipe besides the Homemade Pizza Dough.
Tips for pizza sauce:
- Always use good quality tomatoes or they will be tasteless, they can be soured and ruin the pizza if they aren't ones from Europe or sun-ripe plum fresh tomatoes so don't use them
- never use tomato paste
- sugar isn't necessary with good quality tomatoes
- Italian seasoning is a non-Italian creation
- use fresh herbs only for authentic flavors
- do not use garlic powder or onion powder or any other powders for that matter
- use a food mill for a smooth seedless sauce
- for a sweeter sauce add a carrot and simmer the sauce for 30 minutes
Ingredients I highly recommend:
- San Marzano tomatoes or anything that says Pomodoro San Marzano
- tomatoes from Europe are the best-canned tomatoes for great results or fresh
- extra virgin olive oil
- dried oregano is fine and fresh basil is best
- salt use good sea salt
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Pizza Sauce Not Pasta Sauce
The difference between the sauces and our Traditional Sunday Sauce is meat sauce and cooked.
Pizza sauce the authentic way in Italy is freshly squeezed tomatoes and not cooked.
Pizza sauce the way grandma made it isn't thick not at all, it's light so don't worry if it's thin that's the right way we make it the Roman way!
Pizza A Classic
We love thin or thick crust as long as it's pizza and is loaded with lots of whole milk mozzarella.
Remember to refer to my tips for an Authentic pizza sauce found in Italy and not an American version for the best ever sauce you won't be sorry you tried the best of the best here in America in your own kitchen.
Yield: 4
Authentic Italian Pizza Sauce Recipe
This is just a chunky homemade pizza sauce made with San Marzano tomatoes or fresh tomatoes. If you prefer a smooth sauce, just add it to a food processor and pulse to the consistency you prefer.
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min
Ingredients
- 1 - 28 ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes or other high-quality brand tomatoes or use 2 pounds of sun-ripened rosa plum tomatoes
- Note: These are the most important ingredients always use good-quality tomatoes ( you can find a food mill online or specialty food stores)
- 4 - 1/2 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon or more to taste of sea salt
- evenly shake dried oregano over the top of the tomatoes
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 3 or 4 fresh leaves of basil
- Optional: red pepper flakes for heat
Instructions
- Pour the can of tomatoes into a bowl.,crush them with your hands, or you can pulse them lightly in a food processor.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
- Salt to taste the tomatoes.
- Note: for a sweeter sauce add a carrot and simmer the sauce for 30 minutes before adding to the pizza dough
- Spread over fresh risen Pizza Dough and bake in a preheated oven of 430 degrees until crispy.
- I add the slices not shredded from a package) of mozzarella cheese on top and broil the cheese last. (Get this cheese from the deli freshly sliced and whole milk is best)
Notes
Ingredients I highly recommend:
- San Marzano tomatoes or anything that says Pomodoro San Marzano
- tomatoes from Europe are the best-canned tomatoes for great results or fresh
- extra virgin olive oil
- dried oregano is fine and fresh basil is best
- salt use good sea salt
Tips for pizza sauce:
- Always use good quality tomatoes or they will be tasteless, they can be soured and ruin the pizza if they aren't ones from Europe or sun-ripe plum fresh tomatoes so don't use them
- never use tomato paste
- sugar isn't necessary with good quality tomatoes
- Italian seasoning is a non-Italian creation
- use fresh herbs only for authentic flavors
- do not use garlic powder or onion powder or any other powders for that matter
- use a food mill for a smooth seedless sauce
- for a sweeter sauce add a carrot and simmer the sauce for 30 minutes
Nutrition Facts
Calories
177.6Fat (grams)
16.13 gSat. Fat (grams)
2.22 gCarbs (grams)
8.66 gFiber (grams)
2.28 gNet carbs
6.38 gSugar (grams)
4.58 gProtein (grams)
1.93 gSodium (milligrams)
435.3 mgCholesterol (grams)
0 mg
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Authentic Italian Pizza Sauce and Sicilian Pizza Pin for later
Dough Ideas
Pizza Fritta ( fried dough)
Garlic Knots
Panzerotti (fried inside-out pizza)
Runza (German Russian meat pies)
Italian Stromboli
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2014. It was edited and re-published in 2021.