This easy, 6-ingredient Fresh Tomato Spaghetti Sauce Recipe will transport you straight to Italy, or at the very least, New Jersey, where tomato season is a whole vibe. The Garden State really does grow some of the best fresh produce in the country, and juicy tomatoes play a huge role in our summer cooking.

This fresh tomato sauce recipe really lets the tomatoes shine, so it only calls for a few high-quality simple ingredients. Plus it only cooks for 10 minutes, maintaining the tomatoes' fresh taste.

I find that making spaghetti sauce using fresh, ripe tomatoes is actually even easier than using canned tomatoes.

Though both are excellent and certainly have their place on the dinner table, there's nothing better or easier than making an easy homemade spaghetti sauce using fresh garden tomatoes. This is especially true in the summer months when tomatoes are abundant at the local farmers market.

How to make Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes

You'll see that many Spaghetti Sauce recipes with fresh tomatoes have a lot of ingredients... especially a lot of dry ingredients. (dried herbs like oregano, basil, and parsley, and dried powders like onion and garlic powders)

But the truth is: these dry ingredients make a tomato sauce taste artificial or preserved... The opposite of what an authentic Italian Tomato Sauce Recipe should taste like. The beauty in this sauce lies in its simplicity and freshness.

Ingredients

Not including salt, pepper, olive oil and water, this recipe only has 6 ingredients! If you're reading this in the summer months, you probably already have everything you need to make it.

• 2 pounds of the best tomatoes you can find. This means you can use any combination of beefsteak, Campari, Heirloom, grape, plum and/or cherry tomatoes. Just make sure they're delicious.
• 4 Garlic Cloves, sliced
• ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons of good high quality olive oil, such as California Olive Ranch
• ½ cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• Fresh basil and/or fresh parsley. I suggest using at least one of these herbs, especially if you already have one on hand. But the combination of these two Italian herbs is always delicious.
• 1 pound of spaghetti pasta. Use good starchy pasta that is slow dried or bronze dye extruded. The extra starch helps form the sauce in the end.
• 1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
• ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
• Reserved Pasta Water

Steps

Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a 3 quart Sauté Pan or 4-5 quart dutch oven over medium heat, then add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute only. Don't let it even begin to brown.

Step 2: Add the tomatoes and the water. Larger tomatoes (any non-grape or cherry tomatoes) should be quartered prior to adding them to the pan. Grape or cherry tomatoes can go in whole as the heat will burst them within a couple minutes. But you can also use a potato masher or wooden spoon to help them along.

Step 3: After all the tomatoes have bursted, simmer the tomato sauce for approximately 10 minutes. At this point you should have a jammy and fairly thick sauce. That jammy quality is what helps make a thick sauce that clings to the pasta. (pasta water helps too) Add the salt and pepper.

Step 4: Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a separate pot of boiling water until it's just shy of "al dente." You can use the box instructions as a guide, but make sure to taste a noodle before the timer is up. When the pasta is just a little too hard to eat, transfer all of it to the fresh tomato sauce along with the butter and a ½ cup of pasta water. (USE TONGS TO TRANSFER THE PASTA)

Step 5: Stir until the sauce has thickened and is clinging nicely to the pasta. Serve the fresh tomato spaghetti sauce with the chopped herbs. Refrain from stirring the herbs directly into the hot pasta as heat significantly diminishes their bright fresh flavor. The recipe doesn't call for parmesan cheese because it has the potential to overpower the simple sauce. However, if you like it, by all means, add some!

FAQ

When should I make Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes?

This is an easy recipe you can make any time of year, as long as you have access to tasty tomatoes. I've recently found really good greenhouse-grown tomatoes in the dead of winter at my local grocery store.

What variety of tomatoes should I use to make a Fresh Tomato Spaghetti Sauce?

There's no right or wrong answer to this question, but you should know that the type of tomatoes you use will slightly alter the final outcome.

Small grape or cherry tomatoes are my personal favorite if I'm looking to make a chunky, jammy, thicker sauce. Plus, cherry and grape tomatoes tend to be pretty sweet. (Confirmed by this article from Gardenersworld.com)

On the other hand larger tomatoes like beefsteak, heirloom, and plum tomatoes tend to be juicier and don't hold their shape as much, but aren't quite as sweet. So if you're looking for a smoother sauce, use these. It's really all about preference.

Fresh San Marzano Tomatoes are a little harder to track down, but are often a great option if you're looking for something that's both sweet and very juicy.

Do you have to peel fresh tomatoes for sauce?

For this recipe, the answer is no. If you want to can or jar your fresh summer tomatoes for later use, you might peel them because tomato skin sometimes toughens after canning. But in the case of this recipe, which calls for whole fresh tomatoes, I advise against it.

If you really don't like tomato skin, then use larger tomatoes like beefsteak or heirloom for this recipe. A great trick for removing tomato skin is to cut off one end then grate the tomato against the large holes of a box grater. Grate until you're left with just the skin in your hand.

Discard the skin. Then use just the flesh and juices in the sauce. (This is actually a really simple process)

How is it different from a Marinara Sauce/ Red Sauce?

Traditional marina sauce, A.K.A "red sauce" is typically a smooth sauce made of either canned crushed or canned whole tomatoes. (Some people even use an immersion blender or to make it smooth, which I typically advise against.)

But because this recipe calls for fresh tomatoes only, the skin actually helps the sauce maintain its aura of freshness. You know those tomatoes were fresh because they're still swimming in their [tender] skins!

How is it different from Pomodoro Sauce?

I would argue that this recipe is a type of pomodoro sauce, because pomodoro means "tomato" in Italian. However I also have a separate amazing recipe for Penne Pomodoro on my site.

It calls for whole canned tomatoes, chili peppers, and tomato paste. So its incredible, but it isn't quite as fresh-tasting as this recipe.

Can you use this Fresh Tomato Spaghetti Sauce Recipe as a Pizza Sauce?

Yes, absolutely! Using this fresh tomato sauce recipe on pizza would taste incredible. Remember that pasta water is part of what makes this fresh tomato spaghetti sauce so saucy.

So it may be jammier than your typical pizza sauce, but it will still be so delicious and fresh!... Top the pizza with a few dollops of ricotta cheese or fresh mozzarella for a margarita pizza. YUM.

How to Store Leftover Tomato Sauce

To store leftovers in the refrigerator, allow them to cool, then place them in a container with a lid and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

To store leftovers in the freezer, allow them to cool, then place them in single serving airtight containers. (ideal for heating up just 1 portion in the future)

Best Way to Reheat Leftovers

I strongly advise against reheating pasta recipes in the microwave, as microwaves tend to destroy moisture and harden pasta.

Instead, place the leftover fresh tomato pasta in a pan, add a couple tablespoons of water, and cook, tossing occasionally, until heated through. You'll be amazed by how fresh the leftovers taste when reheated this way.

Variations on Fresh Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

• Add 2 anchovies to the pan at the same time as the garlic. Anchovies add a rich umami taste to sauces and compliment tomatoes really well.
• Make it creamy by adding a few tablespoons of heavy cream. A little bit goes a long way.
• Add protein with ground beef, chicken, veal, or even diced shrimp. Add any of these proteins in the beginning, and let them mostly cook through before adding the garlic. Adding protein does change the overall vibe of the recipe, but it's a homemade pasta sauce! Do what you want with it.
• Add a cup of frozen peas at the same time as the pasta for a bright, snappy texture that compliments the jammy tomatoes beautifully.

Fresh Tomato Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

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