Fresh, homemade tomato sauce made in an Instant Pot is made with fresh tomatoes and does not require peeling or seeding! This is the easiest tomato sauce recipe on the planet and you will be blown away by the flavor. Use it in place of canned sauce or as a topping on pasta!
It is nearing the end of summer, so my boys and I find ourselves needing to get out of the house often. I think our house is shrinking! The farmer’s market was something we used to enjoy together back when the boys were little little. They’d pick out freshly baked cookies and honey sticks and I would salivate over all of the beautiful fresh produce. So we ventured out to our favorite Minneapolis farmer’s market a few days ago.
I never come home empty-handed after a trip there, and this time was no different. I brought home some beautiful green beans that I turned into Instant Pot Green Beans. Then I spotted THE MOST BEAUTIFUL cherry tomatoes I’d ever seen and grabbed lots of tomatoes. Well, I paid for them, obviously, then I grabbed them. On the drive home I pondered what they would best turn into. Roasted tomatoes? Or tomato sauce?
I polled my Instagram peeps and most thought I should roast them. Then a blogger friend sent me a message and said, DO BOTH! Ahhh, brilliant! Those beautiful cherry tomatoes turned into the most delicious, creamy, flavorful tomato sauce that I have EVER eaten. In fact, I used it more like spaghetti sauce than I did tomato sauce. I fell fast in love.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE INSTANT POT TOMATO SAUCE
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the tomatoes into a single layer on the sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the tops and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
STEP 2
Set Instant Pot to saute. Melt the butter then add the garlic, onion, carrot and fresh basil. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until soft and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red wine (if using) and give the mixture a stir.
Place the cover on the pot and set pot to pressure cook setting on high pressure for 5 minutes. It will take the pot around 8 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
STEP 3
When cooking time is done, release the pressure by doing a quick release and allow the float valve to drop.
Use a potato masher or an immersion blender to create a smooth consistency. Once you’ve crushed the tomatoes, transfer the sauce to jars and store in the refrigerator.
RECIPE NOTES
Use around 3 pounds of tomatoes of your choice. Delicious options include: cherry or grape tomatoes, plum tomatoes, san marzano tomatoes, roma tomatoes or vine-on.
To save time, skip roasting the tomatoes before pressure cooking them. However! I do not recommend skipping this step because it adds INCREDIBLE flavor.
You can definitely make this recipe on the stove top instead of a pressure cooker, but the flavor will not be as big and bold if you go that route.
HOW TO THICKEN TOMATO SAUCE
If the sauce is not thick enough when you remove the lid from the Instant Pot, press the saute button and let the mixture boil for 10 minutes. If it still isn’t thick enough, add a corn starch water mixture (1 tablespoon each) and boil till thick.
CAN DOGS EAT TOMATO SAUCE
Tomatoes themselves are not harmful for dogs, but other common sauce ingredients such as onions and garlic are. To be safe, avoid letting your dog pal consume tomato sauce.
IS TOMATO SAUCE GLUTEN FREE
This and most other recipes for it are gluten free. If you purchased the canned version, check your labels.
SUBSTITUTE FOR TOMATO SAUCE
Tomato paste combined with an equal amount of water is the best substitution for sauce. Another option is using whatever type of canned tomatoes you have on hand. Drain, puree and drain again. Ketchup and tomato soup also work in a pinch!
HOW MANY CARBS IN TOMATO SAUCE
One cup of tomato sauce contains approximately 16 grams of carbohydrates.
THINGS TO MAKE WITH TOMATO SAUCE
Add them to your next batch of scrambled eggs.
Replace pasta sauce with it for your next plate of spaghetti.
Use it as an ingredient in your next vat of amazing chili.
Use it as a salad dressing (seriously, I did this and it ROCKED).
It makes a great dip for garlic bread!
Stir it into a bowl of comforting mac and cheese.
BEST RECIPES TO MAKE IN AN INSTANT POT
The list of recipes you can make in an Instant Pot is endless! It can act as a slow cooker, saute pan, steamer, rice maker, yogurt maker and pressure cooker. It can cook soup, chili, pasta, meat, potatoes, veggies, cake, beans and so much more. Here are a few of my favorite Instant Pot recipes:
OTHER FAVORITE HOMEMADE SAUCES!
I’m obsessed with making savory homemade sauces! Down with store bought! Here are a handful of my favorites that you are sure to fall in love with. These all make for great gifts, too!
Enchilada Sauce – Homemade Enchilada Sauce is more delicious than anything you can buy at the store and it is super easy to make. It only requires a handful of ingredients and is done in 15 minutes, with perfect flavor and consistency.
Alfredo Sauce – Homemade Alfredo Sauce is super easy to make, done in under 10 minutes.
Arby’s Sauce – A copycat recipe of the famous Arby’s Sauce that makes sandwiches sing! This zingy flavorful BBQ style sauce is so delicious
Pizza Sauce – This homemade pizza sauce takes less than 25 minutes to make!
Taco Sauce – Make your own taco sauce to use in a variety of Mexican dishes, such as tacos, burritos and taco salads. Ditch the store-bought version so you know EXACTLY what goes inside! Make homemade taco sauce with a handful of ingredients and in just a few minutes.
Homemade Vodka Sauce from Nourish and Fete
HOW TO AVOID SEEING THE DREADED BURN NOTICE ON THE INSTANT POT
Stir heavy sauces or soups just before placing the cover on the pot for cooking. You will want the heaviest ingredients toward the top in order to ensure they don’t stick to the bottom and burn.
Make sure your pot contains enough liquid! Add extra beef broth or chicken broth if it is already an ingredient in the recipe. If the recipe does not contain a thin liquid (e.g., a recipe that requires a trivet), add 1 1/2 cups of liquid to the bottom of the Instant Pot before cooking.
I do not use an 8-quart IP, but from what I have read this size is much quicker to burn than the 6-quart version. The 8-quart Instant Pot may require more liquid than the 6-quart does.
Instant Pot Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 lbs cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 yellow onion chopped
- 1 carrot peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- splash red wine optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the tomatoes into a single layer on the sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the tops and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
- Set Instant Pot to saute. Melt the butter then add the garlic, onion, carrot, basil. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until soft and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and wine (if using) and give the mixture a stir.
- Place the cover on the pot and set timer to 5 minutes on high pressure (pressure cook setting). It will take the IP around 8 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
- When cooking is done, do a quick release and allow the float valve to drop. Be careful as you open the lid for any additional hot steam.
- Use a potato masher or an immersion blender to create a smooth consistency. Transfer the sauce to jars and store in the refrigerator.
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