×
  • Home
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
  • Manage Account
  • Authors
  • Keyword Index
  • Join

Food Gardening Network

Growing Good Food at Home

Give a GiftJoin
Mequoda Publishing Network
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • Sign In
  • Search

Authentic Italian Pizza Sauce

RecipeLion Magazine: Sept/Oct 2022

arrow-left Previous
Next arrow-right

Authentic Italian Pizza Sauce

Direct from Florence, Italy, comes this easy-to-make authentic Italian pizza sauce recipe that allows you to quickly whip out a pizza for lunch or dinner on almost a moment’s notice!

By Bill Dugan, Editor and Publisher

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Authentic Italian Pizza Sauce

Here’s breaking news for most Americans: authentic Italian pizza sauce is not cooked. The sauce is simply blended and prepared “raw” because it cooks when it’s on the pizza and is baking in the oven. And this easy-to-make recipe comes from a hands-on pizza cooking class in Florence, Italy—can’t get much more authentic than that!

We’re big fans of always using fresh ingredients, but this recipe has an exception. It’s alright—even preferable by some standards—to used canned tomatoes for this sauce. Even the Italians use canned tomatoes to make this sauce! The key is to find canned San Marzano (Roma) tomatoes that have been certified by an independent third party—yes, they’ll be a tad more expensive, but using lesser quality tomatoes will sacrifice the taste and texture. Look for “CERTIFIED” on the tomato can’s label.

Authentic San Marzano tomatoes are distinct in flavor and are grown in the rich and unique soil of the region near Mount Vesuvius, the now-dormant volcano. You can use your homegrown Roma tomatoes, but certified Italian San Marzano tomatoes are the best!

Be sure to use sea salt, not Kosher or table salt, for this recipe—like a salad dressing, pizza sauce is a “dressing” for the dough, so sea salt is best.

For the bunch of basil leaves, omit any hard stems, using just the smooth leaves. Unlike when cooking with fresh basil in other dishes—when the stems will soften and disintegrate over heat—this sauce is raw, so you don’t want any distracting textures.

Tip: When blending, you’ll have to judge your sauce’s texture as you’re mixing in the olive oil. Don’t overdo it, but use enough oil to emulsify—that is, truly blend the tomato mixture and the oil to a thickened yet smooth consistency. After making this recipe a few times—and, we know you’ll be making it all the time—you’ll figure out just the right amount of olive oil to get the right mixture.

Voila! Now you have ready-to-use pizza sauce for whipping out a tasty pizza in a flash—just ladle the sauce on your dough in an even layer, cover with your favorite pizza toppings, bake, and enjoy! When stored properly, you can use your pizza sauce for up to one month after making it.

Print
Authentic Italian Pizza Sauce

Authentic Italian Pizza Sauce

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆

No reviews

Direct from Florence, Italy, comes this easy-to-make authentic Italian pizza sauce recipe that allows you to quickly whip out a pizza for lunch or dinner on almost a moment’s notice!

  • Author: Bill Dugan
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: Makes 3 large pizzas 1x
  • Category: Sides & Sauces

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 28-oz. can San Marzano (Roma) whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 large garlic clove, peeled
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bunch of fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4  to 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients, except olive oil, into a one-quart container.
  2. Begin mixing with a hand-held blender on medium speed.
  3. Gradually add the olive oil to emulsify the mixture.
  4. Blend for about 2 minutes until it reaches the consistency of a salad dressing.
  5. Place finished mixture in an air-tight plastic container and refrigerate.

Tomatoes are the most popular plant for home gardeners! With The Everything Tomato Gardening Guide, you’ll have everything you need to know about growing and enjoying this versatile food, from the history and background of the mighty tomato to specific advice on growing, harvesting, and enjoying your hard work! Check it out now.

If you try this Authentic Italian Pizza Sauce, let us know what you think!

arrow-left Previous
Next arrow-right

Tags

basil, tomatoes

Comments
  • Maureen C. February 9, 2022

    How much is a “bunch” of basil?

    Reply
    • Norann O. February 9, 2022

      Maureen – excellent question. All of my grandmother Philomena’s recipes were written with these directions – use a bunch, a pinch, a sprinkle, just enough…. I’m quite sure she never owned a set of measuring cups or spoons. But that’s not particularly helpful unless you had the privilege of cooking beside that 4′ 8″ Italian spitfire. So for this recipe you should consider “a bunch” to be 1 cup of packed leaves. Mangia!

      Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆

RecipeLion Magazine Cover Sept/Oct 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Kitchen Notes

  • Turn Your Kitchen Into a European Vacation!
  • Italy

  • Italian Wedding Soup
  • Italian Sausage–Stuffed Mushrooms
  • Authentic Italian Pizza Sauce
  • Traditional Italian Green Beans
  • Layered Chicken Spaghetti Italian Casserole
  • Slow Cooker Italian Chicken
  • Dump ‘n’ Go Italian Meatloaf
  • Garlic Gremolata
  • Italian Lemon Mini Pound Cakes
  • Italian Love Cake
  • Italian Christmas Cookies
  • Spain

  • Cucumber Gazpacho
  • Fresh Sweet Corn Gazpacho
  • Blistered Shishito Pepper Recipe with Sriracha Crema
  • France

  • French Omelette
  • French Onion Soup
  • Salted Radish and Chive Baguettes
  • Salade Niçoise with Haricot Verts
  • Simple Au Gratin Potatoes
  • Three-Cheese Soufflés
  • Cheesy Croissant Casserole
  • Classic French Madeleines
  • Green Beans Almondine
  • Greece

  • Greek Yogurt and Dill Tzatziki
  • Greek Yogurt Chicken and Cremini Mushroom Rice Casserole
  • Greek Lemon Potatoes
  • Traditional Greek Cucumber Salad
  • Turkey Burgers with Greek Yogurt Dressing
  • Tzatziki Cucumber Recipe
  • Germany

  • German Apple Pancake
  • Bacon and Cheddar Quiche
  • Best-Ever German Chocolate Cake
  • Noodle Kugel
  • England

  • Berry Almond Scones
  • Classic Shepherd’s Pie Casserole
  • Leftover Turkey Shepherd’s Pies

Enter Your Log In Credentials

This setting should only be used on your home or work computer.

  • Lost your password? Create New Password
  • No account? Sign up

Need Assistance?

Call Food Gardening Network Customer Service at
(800) 777-2658

Food Gardening Network is an active member of the following industry associations:

  • American Horticultural Society
  • GardenComm Logo
  • MCMA logo
  • Renewd logo
  • Manage Account
  • Join
  • About Food Gardening Network
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Food Gardening Network
99 Derby Street, Suite 200
Hingham, MA 02043
support@foodgardening.mequoda.com

To learn more about our Email Marketing and Broadcasting Services, Exchange Program, or to become a marketing partner with any of our publications, click here to contact us at Mequoda Publishing Network.

FREE E-Newsletter for You!

Discover how to grow, harvest, and eat good food from your own garden—with our FREE e-newsletter, delivered directly to your email inbox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Powered by
Mequoda Publishing Network
copyright © 2023 Mequoda Systems, LLC

Food Gardening Network® and Food Gardening Magazine® are registered trademarks of Mequoda Systems, LLC.