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This pizza sauce from tomato paste is quick, easy, and is seasoned with simple ingredients for an extremely flavorful red sauce that requires no cooking and no added sugar.
Just dump, mix, and enjoy this quick and easy homemade tomato paste pizza sauce! Keep reading for the recipe.
We love pizza. I mean, who doesn’t? There’s something about how it all comes together with the crust, the sauce, and the toppings. The flavor combinations are endless and it always seems to hit the spot.
Over the last ten twelve years of our marriage, we’ve had pizza every Friday night *almost* every week. Basically, I’m a homemade pizza pro :). The crust has changed through the years…wheat crust, white wheat crust, sourdough crust, cauliflower crust, coconut flour pizza crust, and even almond flour crust.
The crust might change, but the sauce stays the same. #teamredsauce
The best homemade pizza needs the best homemade pizza sauce
The crust is extremely important in pizza. It’s holds the pizza together. But the sauce is the base of the flavor. So it HAS to be good.
Anytime we get pizza at a restaurant (or delivery), we ask for extra sauce. Why? Because the sauce is such an important part of the pizza.
Pizza doesn’t quite feel like pizza if there’s no red sauce (or if the sauce is thin and runny)…agreed?
In my opinion, when you make the sauce from tomato sauce (not tomato paste) it’s too watery for my taste. I like my sauce thick, rich, and full of flavor (which is exactly what you’ll find in this recipe).
- Mason jars – This size is great for storing your pizza sauce.
- A pizza peel – For sliding pizza into the oven and taking it out.
- Pizza cutter like the pros – I’ve always wanted one of these.
- Pizza cookbook – For inspiration if you need some.
Ingredients used in this pizza sauce recipe
- Tomato paste – Organic if possible, with only one ingredient – like this kind
- Salt – We love this kind because it’s not stripped of nutrients.
- Dried oregano and dried thyme – Can also substitute Italian seasoning for these two
- Garlic powder – Granulated garlic is another name for this.
- Olive oil – Use good quality olive oil like this kind.
- White vinegar – You can also use apple cider vinegar.
Ingredient Substitution Ideas
- Tomato paste – If you only have tomato sauce or fresh tomatoes, you can use those, but I highly recommend cooking it down so it doesn’t make your crust soggy. Oh, and if you’re trying to make sauce from fresh tomatoes, I highly recommend making these semi dried tomatoes to get as much flavor and sweetness out of them as possible, then blend them up to make your pizza sauce.
- Dried oregano and dried thyme – You can substitute Italian seasoning for these two, or fresh herbs instead. I’d start with half as much if you’re using fresh, then add more as needed.
- Garlic powder – You could use granulated garlic or garlic powder. If you only have garlic salt, omit the salt and start with half as much. Another delicious idea would be to add roasted garlic (yum)!
- Olive oil – You could swap out the olive oil for avocado oil or another oil if you’d prefer. I haven’t tried it with just adding water, but that might work as well.
- White vinegar – Feel free to substitute balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar here. Either work just as well.
Why do I always use tomato paste in pizza sauce?
Tomato paste is just tomatoes pureed and cooked down. We use tomato paste in this pizza sauce recipe (and in most tomato recipes) for a few reasons.
- It creates an incredibly rich tomato flavor.
- Tomato paste (typically) only has one ingredient: tomatoes. Which means no preservatives, or added sugars and salts.
- It’s really thick. You can water it down a bit if you want, but for a good pizza sauce, it’s great thick.
If you only have tomato sauce or diced tomatoes, you could use those. But I would recommend you cook them down a bit. Otherwise, the sauce would be too wet. Soggy pizza is definitely not ideal.
This is the tomato paste we use. It’s organic and there’s only one ingredient: “organic tomatoes”. We get ours at Costco, but it’s available here on Amazon if you’d rather buy it there.
How to make pizza sauce from tomato paste
Oh it’s so easy. Just follow these steps:
- Add all the ingredients to the bowl
- Stir to combine.
- Spread on your pizza crust with cheese & toppings & enjoy!
Yes, it’s really that easy! If you don’t believe me, just watch the video here!
Why Make Homemade Pizza?
- Cooking pizza from scratch is better for you than frozen pizzas. YOU choose what ingredients go in and what stays out.
- It’s WAY cheaper than going out to pizza. And who doesn’t love saving money? Watch this free masterclass to learn about the exact system I used to pay off our debts (including our mortgage), and drastically increase our savings WITHOUT skimping on the quality of our food.
- I’m not sure what’s better than sitting around the dinner table enjoying a homemade pizza with your family.
Tips for Making Perfect Homemade Pizza Every Time
- Pick a good crust recipe. Here’s a tasty recipe for almond flour pizza crust, and here’s a coconut flour pizza crust recipe that you’ll LOVE. We’ve found that you can make a good pizza crust with just about any base ingredient (even cauliflower). Search around google for a crust made with what you have on hand.
- Use plenty of sauce. Like I said before, we’re big fans of LOTS of red sauce on our pizza.
- Pick your cheese(s). The standard cheese for pizza is mozzarella, but that doesn’t mean you should feel limited to only using mozzarella. We’ve used blue cheese, cheddar cheese, and even no cheese (or vegan cheese).
- We like to bake the crust in the oven for a few minutes before spreading the sauce on top. This helps firm up the middle of the crust and makes sure we don’t have a soggy pizza situation.
- After the crust has firmed up in the middle, add the sauce, then layer the cheese and toppings on top and put it back in the oven until the cheese is melted.
FAQ RECAP
Can I make pizza sauce with tomato paste?
Yes! I highly recommend it. You’ll get a thick and rich sauce that doesn’t even require cooking.
Can I double or triple the recipe?
Making pizza for a crowd? No problem. This pizza sauce recipe is easily doubled or tripled. As is, this recipe will make enough sauce for a heavily sauced 10″ pizza, or thinner sauce on 2 10″ pizzas.
If you have extra sauce, you can freeze the extra sauce (see more on that below), or dip your pizza crust into (like a marinara sauce).
Can I freeze leftover pizza sauce?
Yes! You could easily make up a big batch and freeze it in smaller containers so you have pizza sauce on hand when you need it. I like using these wide mouth mason jars. A trick I’ve found to freezing food in mason jars is to leave the lid a little loose so the pressure doesn’t cause them to crack. Then once it’s frozen you can go tighten the lid more.
What’s the difference between pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce?
Spaghetti sauce is usually thinner and often has cooked onions in it. If you’re in a pinch and that’s all you have, I recommend boiling the sauce for a while to get it thicker so you don’t end up with soggy pizza crust.
Also, pay attention to the ingredients in the spaghetti sauce you’re using. Many have added sugars that really aren’t necessary to make a tasty sauce.
What’s a good pizza sauce substitute?
If a traditional tomato based sauce isn’t your thing, you could make a pizza with just about any sauce: BBQ sauce, honey mustard, Thai peanut sauce, or even basil pesto.
Can I use tomato puree for pizza?
Tomato puree is tomatoes pureed (straightforward enough, right?). If you use tomato puree for your pizza sauce, you’ll likely end up with soggy crust. This recipe uses tomato paste to ensure you don’t have a soggy crust because the sauce will be thicker.
More Simple Sauce Recipes
I’ve been making homemade sauces for years, and here on Scratch to Basics I’ve got SO many other sauce recipes. The sauce brings the flavor to the meal, friends.
You can use these alternate sauces on your pizza instead of traditional red pizza sauce, or to drizzle over your chicken for dinner tomorrow night.
- 5 Minute Coconut Curry Sauce
- Best Homemade Peanut Dipping Sauce
- Easy Enchilada Sauce From Tomato Paste
- No Cook Honey Barbecue Sauce From Tomato Paste
- 22 Delicious Tomato Paste Recipes
And, in case you have a giant stack of crinkled up recipes that you have to sift through when you want to find your favorite recipes, I highly recommend this Meal Planning and Recipe Binder Organization video + PDF.
Get the PDF instant download today!
Perfect Pizza Sauce With Tomato Paste
Yield: plenty of sauce for one 10" pizza
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
The perfect pizza sauce made with tomato paste and other simple ingredients!
Ingredients
- 12 oz tomato paste (organic if possible)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 4 Tbs olive oil
- 2 tsp white vinegar
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
- Put it on your pizza with your other toppings and bake.
- Enjoy!
Notes
If you'd rather a thinner sauce, add water 1 Tbsp at a time until it reaches your desired thickness
This recipe makes enough for a thick sauce layer on a 10" pizza. If you have extra, save it for dipping your crust in.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 97Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 171mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 2g
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