Transform 2 cans of tomato sauce (plus a few spices) into a delicious, savory spaghetti sauce that’ll fill all the bellies around your table tonight! Pasta sauce has never been easier or more affordable.
Hey, friends! Are you weathering the storms ok? Times are tough right now all around. I think we’re all feeling it on some level. There is currently some food hoarding going on, which has depleted the grocery shelves a bit. Hopefully, though, you have a few cans of tomato sauce sitting in your pantry because that is all you need to create a delicious and filling spaghetti sauce for tonight’s dinner!
I truly hope you are doing well and staying healthy during this uncertain time. If there is ever anything you would like me to cover that relates to food or recipe creation, I’m all ears! This is a great recipe that my family loves and I hope yours does, too.
How To Make Spaghetti Sauce From Tomato Sauce
Step 1
Combine all of the following in a medium saucepan:
- Two 15-oz. cans tomato sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp each oregano, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper
- 1/2 tsp each onion powder and garlic powder
Step 2
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.
Recipe Notes
- For a meaty sauce, add 1 pound of ground beef, turkey or sausage. If you go this route, cook the meat in a skillet first and drain 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 tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil or dried basil, grated Parmesan, a few minced garlic cloves or fresh chopped onions.
- Add sugar 1 teaspoon at a time for a sweeter sauce.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge. Use within 4-5 days.
How To Thicken Tomato Sauce
Tomato sauce is a bold, delicious base for many recipes such as soup, chili and sauces. Learn how to thicken tomato sauce to create a robust texture for your next recipe.
Other Easy Homemade Sauces 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 Pasta Sauce Using a Can of Tomato Paste
And if you have paste on hand instead of sauce, try this super easy way to transform tomato paste into pasta sauce!
Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce 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 with fresh or frozen tomatoes!
How To Thicken Pasta Sauce
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 make thick spaghetti sauce.
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?!
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 ideas for ways to enjoy it!
- Pour it over the top of cooked noodles of any kind.
- If you have extras on hand, check out these ideas for recipes to make using leftover spaghetti sauce so nothing goes to waste.
- Use in place of store-bought sauce in your next pan of Baked Spaghetti or Baked Ziti!
- Crockpot 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.
Other Recipes 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 as an ingredient in your next vat of amazing chili.
- Use it as a salad dressing (seriously, I did this and it ROCKED).
- Stir it into a bowl of comforting mac and cheese.
Spaghetti Sauce Made Using Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 30 oz tomato sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
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 ground beef, turkey or sausage. If you go this route, cook the meat in a skillet first and drain 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 tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil or dried basil, grated Parmesan, a few minced garlic cloves or fresh chopped onions.
- Add sugar 1 teaspoon at a time for a sweeter sauce.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge. Use within 4-5 days.
- Add this sauce to your next Pizza Pasta Bake!
I cut the recipe in half, for 1 person and added some olive oil, basil, red pepper flakes and some canned mushroom pieces. It came out really good and I will definitely make again.
Thank you for sharing that Joseph. Sounds great! I’m sure others will enjoy your tweaks.
Thank you so much for this. I am out of spaghetti but I have a few large cans of tomato sauce. I did a search and your recipe pops up. I used your recipe and added some celery salt, red pepper flakes, better than bullion beef base, and a pack of sazon with some cooked ground beef, onions, and green bell peppers. One of the best pots of spaghetti I ever made. Will definitely be making this more often
That is so encouraging to hear. Thank you for sharing – it’s so nice when we can use what we have on hand and find that gem of a meal!
I made this tonight and it rocked! I made it into a one pot dish. I cooked ground turkey and added the tomato sauce and all ingredients to the pot. I added 30 oz of water and 1 lb of peene pasta and allowed to steep on a medium low temperature for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pasta was tender. It was delicious. I did add extra oregano and garlic powder. This was a hit and I will make it again. Thank you!
Sherrie, thank you for trying it and sharing your version! Ground turkey is a great option. Glad it was enjoyed!
So easy and so good! Never going to buy spaghetti sauce again. Thanks!!
I whole heartedly agree. Thanks for sharing!
New family favorite! Especially for my picky 9 year old who doesn’t like chunky sauces.
Oh yes, that’s a win for her then! Glad everyone can enjoy it. Thanks for sharing!
this was a huge hit with my family using ingredients I already had in the house! Mixed in some meatballs and was perfect! Thanks for sharing!
Always a win when you can use what you have on hand! Glad the meatballs were the perfect finish! Thanks for sharing.
New family favorite!
Wonderful! So glad you gave it a try!
Simple easy and tasty!
I can’t disagree with that review! Thank you for trying it out and commenting.
Have you ever tried making a 3x or 4x batch in a crockpot? Any ideas on times/settings?
Great question! This would be easy to put together in a crockpot. You could cook it low and slow as long as you’d like! I like to let things simmer for a couple hours. The longer you let the sauce cook, the more flavorful it’ll be so it wouldn’t be wrong to let it cook longer.
I’ll be making this soon with a large can of San Marzano tomatoes (on sale at Costco lately). That’s why I sought-out this recipe. I’ve made a lot of pasta sauces over the years, from marinara to Arrabiata and Bolognese, but I’ve never made one with only tomato sauce. And this recipe looks very promising.
Do yourselves a favor and try San Marzano tomato sauce with this. And hold off on the sugar. You probably won’t need it.
Thank you for the tip! This is a great recipe to get started with and then add as you like!
Amazing, was absolutely delish,,,,the only way I’m having spaghetti sauce, store bought NO WAY HOSIE,,,,,thanx for the recipe,,xx
Love that we’ve converted you. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you for sharing the recipe. I have chicken on hand so I’m going to remove the flesh from the chicken legs and slice them up to add to the sauce. I intend to grind black garlic and add to the sauce too.
Great ideas! I hope you love it. Thank you for sharing!
I swear that this is the best spaghetti sauce recipe I ever made. The only thing different I did was add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Perfect! Glad you tweaked it for you and I agree, it’s amazing and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
So simple. So good!
Very easy and very tasty! Will make it again.
So glad you tried it and liked it!
Kid approved. Delicious!! No leftovers. Thanks for sharing
Those are the best reviews! So glad you got that win with your kids.
I’m going to make this, can it be any tomato sauce or low sodium?
Thank you!
It can be any tomato sauce and low sodium would work too. Thanks for asking!
I tripled this recipe as I want to freeze some to have on hand. It’s my opinion that the amount of black pepper needs to be cut in half! I added balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce to try to cut it. I ending up having to strain it to get it out! It’s delicious now, but it was just all black pepper before! Super easy and delicious. I will make it again, with half of the black pepper!
Freezing it is a great way to do all the work up front and then enjoy it later. It’s such a great recipe to have on regular rotation. I’m glad you found what works for you on the pepper – love that cooking is all about tweaking it to your favorite taste!
Could you make a very large batch of this and can it using the water bath method?
Thanks for this! So easy and always have what’s needed on hand… delish!
This is also great on spaghetti squash!
Yes! It is delicious way to enjoy squash. Thank you for sharing!
Hi can I can this sauce in a water bath canner? I would be using quart jars. How long? Should I use citric acid in my jars? Thanks
That’s a great question! I know you can can sauce but I don’t do it myself so I don’t have any tips. Sorry!