Transform 1 can of tomato paste (plus a few spices) into a delicious, savory, easy spaghetti sauce that’ll fill all the bellies around your table tonight! Done in just 20 minutes and made using only a few ingredients, this is the easiest way to make your next batch of pasta sauce.
Why This Recipe Works
One of the easiest meals on the planet to make is a comforting batch of spaghetti. It is super easy to make, it is affordable and it’s off-the-charts comforting and delicious!
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you either don’t have the energy to make a batch of homemade pasta sauce or you do not want to take a trip to the grocery store to grab a jar of sauce, I’ve got your back!
All you need is a can of tomato paste and a few other ingredients that are already likely sitting in your kitchen. Dinner has never been easier!
Recipe Ingredients
Tomato paste – Tomato paste is the star of the show, with its deep, complex and robust tomato flavor!
Ground meat – This ingredient is 100% optional, but can add some serious flavor to the end result if you have it on hand. Consider cooking ground beef, ground sausage or ground turkey beforehand and adding it to the sauce.
Seasonings – Oregano, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder are the recommended seasonings, but feel free to wander with this. Use any dried or fresh herbs of your liking, such as basil leaves, dried or fresh Italian parsley or fennel seeds.
Sugar – Cater the amount of sugar used in the recipe to your liking or omit entirely for a less sweet flavor. You can also opt to replace the sugar with honey or agave nectar for a touch of natural sweetness.
How To Make Spaghetti Sauce From Tomato Paste
Combine the following ingredients in a medium saucepan:
- Tomato paste
- Water
- Sugar
- Oregano
- Italian seasoning
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour over cooked pasta cooked to al dente and top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Recipe Notes
- For a meaty sauce, add 1 pound of lean ground beef, turkey or sausage. If you go this route, cook the meat in a skillet first and drain excess grease. Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet and cook as directed.
- Spruce up the sauce by using any or all of the following: red pepper flakes, fresh tomatoes or diced canned tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil or dried basil, grated Parmesan, a few minced garlic cloves or fresh chopped onions.
- Add sugar (or other sweetener) 1 teaspoon at a time for a sweeter sauce.
- Store room temperature leftovers in an airtight container or glass jar in the fridge. Use within 4-5 days.
- Adding homemade marinara sauce boosts the flavor hugely!
- Add a dash or two of red wine for a more complex end result.
Other Easy Homemade Sauce Recipes to Make This Week
If you are looking for other easy sauces to make from scratch, check out this helpful list of 18 homemade sauces you can use now or freeze for later. Inside this roundup, you’ll find savory sauces like pizza sauce and marinara sauce as well as sweet ones such as hot fudge sauce and blueberry, too!
Make This Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe With Fresh (or Frozen) Tomatoes
If your pasta is already cooked and you just need a delicious, savory sauce to top your noodles with, consider making this delicious homemade pasta sauce using fresh or frozen tomatoes!
Spaghetti Sauce Made Using Tomato Sauce
Transform 2 cans of tomato sauce into a batch of delish pasta sauce! If you have tomato sauce on hand instead of tomato paste, this is a great option for you.
How To Thicken Pasta and Marinara Sauces
If you make or purchase a batch of pasta sauce and find that is thin and lacks substance, there are ways to fix it! Read on for tips about how to thicken pasta sauce and how to thicken marinara.
Leftover Pasta Sauce Recipes
If you don’t want to toss your next batch of sauce, this roundup will provide you with recipes to make using leftover pasta sauce so nothing goes to waste.
Marinara vs Spaghetti Sauce
So close in texture, color and flavor that you could call them cousins! Let’s get to the heart of the issue and explore marinara vs spaghetti sauce. What are the differences?!
FAQ About Spaghetti Sauce
Store spaghetti sauce in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If there are visible signs of mold, discard the sauce. To extend the shelf life, freeze it! Allow the sauce to cool completely and pour it into an airtight container or freezer bag. Place in the freezer for up to 4 months. When you are ready to use the sauce, remove it from the freezer and allow it to thaw completely. Pour it into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes before serving.
Pizza sauce is typically made using tomato sauce, tomato paste and seasonings and is cooked briefly on the stovetop. Spaghetti sauce is made using additional ingredients such as onions, bay leaves and crushed tomatoes and simmers for a couple hours to help enhance the flavor.
Spaghetti sauce sauce can be used in place of pizza sauce in a pinch. First, run the sauce through a strainer to get rid of excess liquid. Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon each of fennel seed and Italian seasoning.
Most spaghetti sauce recipes are gluten-free. When looking for gluten-free store-bought varieties, check the label for ingredients that contain wheat.
Unopened spaghetti sauce will typically remain at optimal quality for approximately 1 year, but can be used past that. Opened sauce will remain fresh when stored properly in the fridge for up to 10 days. Discard if visible signs of mold are present.
Recipes To Make Using Pasta Sauce
Aside from the obvious reason (the amazing FLAVOR!), my favorite thing about pasta sauce is that it is so versatile. Here are a few pasta dish options that feature it!
- Pour it over the top of cooked noodles of any kind.
- Use in place of store-bought sauce in your next pan of Baked Spaghetti or Baked Ziti!
- Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Lasagna and Cheesy Manicotti are both sooo good when made with Instant Pot spaghetti sauce!
- Use it as an ingredient to stuff spaghetti squash with!
- Add it to your morning eggs because everything tastes great with eggs.
- Top scrambled eggs with a few spoonfuls!
- Use it as a dip for breadsticks or garlic bread.
More Tomato-Based Recipes
- Roasted Tomato Soup
- How to Prep Tomatoes for Freezing
- Roasted Tomatoes
- Fresh Tomato Sauce Made in a Pressure Cooker
- Creamy Pasta Skillet
- Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
- Easy Baked Spaghetti
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How To Make Spaghetti Sauce From Tomato Paste
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Pour over cooked pasta and top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
- For a meaty sauce, add 1 pound of lean ground beef, turkey or sausage. If you go this route, cook the meat in a skillet first and drain excess grease. Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet and cook as directed.
- Spruce up the sauce by using any or all of the following: red pepper flakes, fresh tomatoes or diced canned tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil or dried basil, grated Parmesan, a few minced garlic cloves or fresh chopped onions.
- Add sugar (or other sweetener) 1 teaspoon at a time for a sweeter sauce.
- Store room temperature leftovers in an airtight container or glass jar in the fridge. Use within 4-5 days.
- Adding homemade marinara sauce boosts the flavor hugely!
- Add a dash or two of red wine for a more complex end result.
So good! I’d never made my own sauce before and was a bit intimidated but this is a good, simple recipe. I made it with meat as suggested and I also added finely chopped carrots and zucchini to get some veggies in there. The 2 tsp of sugar was a bit much for my taste but it was nothing that some more salt and garlic powder couldn’t fix! Thank you for such an easy recipe
Making sauce from scratch definitely sounds more intimidating than it is! I’m glad you tried it and liked it. Thanks, Brianna!
This recipe makes a quick and easy sauce!
my brother and I made this when we were out of jarred sauce. thanks for the recipe! we added orange bell pepper, tomato sauce to make a larger batch, and added minced garlic since we didn’t have garlic powder. so yummy!
Thanks for sharing Diana!
I think a notation that the sauce comes out spicy with that much pepper would be thoughtful. I used half and it still had a kick! There are many beginning cooks utilizing your site who may not know that the pepper equals heat. (And who may not have ingredients for another batch) All in all, good recipe though!
I followed this recipe and it’s way too spicy. Too much pepper for me is hella spicy so I had to add more sugar and some vinegar to cut that down. I say start with 1/2 a teaspoon of pepper and keep elevating to where you like your spice.
Fair enough. That’s the beauty of cooking – I provide an outline, you serve it how you like. We would probably intensify the heat if we didn’t have kids. Both ways are good and no one is wrong!
Great recipe. We ran out of bottled spaghetti sauce so I just made it, though without pepper as we don’t really use black pepper much. Thanks
This might be a dumb question but I’m not the most experienced cook. lol. I’m wanting to use this for pasta. but I’m not sure how much pasta to cook for the amount of sauce this recipe will make.
This can differ from person to person but the general recommendation is 2oz of dry pasta per person is what to plan for serving. This spaghetti recipe is set to serve 4 so 8oz would be the minimum.
I tried making your sauce today after I had just boiled a big pot of spaghetti and discovered that I didn’t have a bit of Preggo Sauce in the cabinet.
The sauce I prepared, using your recipe was absolutely delicious, so I saved the recipe in case I get stuck without sauce ever again. Absolutely delicious. Mmm Mmm good
So glad you enjoyed it, Tonya. Thanks for sharing!
This sauce was so incredibly easy and delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m glad it was a hit, Erin. Thank you for sharing!
Made this tonight and loved it!! I’ve made it a couple times now and it’s been a hit with my little crew.
Easy! Delicious! I had everything on hand! I may never buy sauce again! Best sauce ever! Thank you!!!
Hey, thanks Tracy! I agree, it always just seemed easier to grab a jar but this is easy and tastier. I’m hooked too!
I haven’t tried the recipe yet but i’ve been having a really rough day and forgot to get sauce. Knowing that I can go in my kitchen and do it myself is definitely gonna make me have a better day!
Laura, sorry you’re having a rough day! Hang in there. A delicious meal is comforting but I things will look up!
Delicious! So quick and easy. I had run out of spaghetti sauce. No time to go to the store. I had all the ingredients for your recipe. I also added green pepper,celery and onion. I’m always looking for ways to save money at the grocery store,never buying prepared spaghetti sauce again.
You made great additions with adding those veggies. And I agree wholeheartedly – it’s so much easier to make a memorable, flavorful sauce at home, better than anything jarred! Thanks for sharing, Charlotte!
toddler approved!! quick & easy!! very versatile!! I added a little chopped up bell pepper, onion & tomato!! it was perfecto will definitely be our household go-to red sauce!! thank you so much for sharing your recipe ❤
So glad to hear it was a win for all! I agree, bell peppers and onions are great in this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
this was amazing. definitely a money saver. you can literally customize however you want.
This is so delicious and so cheap and easy to make! Never going back to jarred spaghetti sauce!
It is true – this is the way to make it – always better with a homemade touch! Thanks, Natalie!
Great sauce and so easy to make.
Thank you, Barb! I’m glad it was enjoyed. One of my go-to recipes too.
Great sauce and suggestions!
Thank you Angie! It’s been fun to see what we can make from products and feed our families well.
havent tasted it yet but boy it smells so good. thanks for the recipe, needed sauce for my meat balls
Yes! Perfect recipe with easy ingredients usually on hand to make it. Thanks Shalee!
Easy and tasty
So glad you liked it Ellie!
Way too much pepper, I’d half the pepper content. It completely over powered the sauce. I’d also do an extra tsp of sugar.
If you don’t love pepper, that’s an easy tweak Leann. Glad you figured out what works for you!