Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
My family's secret homemade spaghetti sauce is easy to make using a few staple ingredients you may already have on hand! Perfectly thick and packed with flavor, you'll be ditching that store bought pasta sauce!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 25 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil)
- 1 medium yellow onion, grated
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 carrots, finely grated (use a food processor or a grater)
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup water (pasta cooking water, preferred)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sweet Spanish paprika
- Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
- Handful fresh basil, about ½ cup packed, torn
- Handful fresh parsley, about ½ cup packed, chopped
- 3/4 lb to 1 lb of cooked pasta of your choice
Instructions
- 1
In a large pan heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until just shimmering. Add the onions, garlic, and finely grated carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly until softened.
- 2
Add the crushed tomatoes and about 1/2 cup water. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in oregano, paprika, crushed pepper flakes, if using. Finally, stir in the fresh basil and parsley.
- 3
Bring the sauce to a boil, then turn heat to low. Cover and let simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Check partway through, and if you feel the sauce is too thick, you can add a bit more water (preferably some of your pasta cooking water). When sauce is ready, throw in more fresh basil, if you like.
- 4
If serving for dinner, add cooked pasta of your choice to the sauce. Mix to combine and let the pasta cook in the sauce over low heat for about 5 minutes.