This is my favorite method for a real fresh Italian sauce and can truly only be made towards the mid or end of summer when and if you are growing your own tomatoes. This year I didn’t have enough tomatoes, but my mother-in-law had some great big ones that I used – some are shown below.
Recipe Summary
I’ll show you the steps by photos (sorry didn’t do video), and you’ll see that it isn’t very hard at all. A bit time consuming and not something you want to do if you are in a rush.
In the recipe card below I give some rough measurements and quantities, but it’s very hard to be precise because this recipe comes from a “use what you have” mentality. But 5-6 very large tomatoes should be okay – probably about 4 Cups worth.
Ingredients Needed
- Fresh tomatoes
- Fresh garlic chopped (I sliced mine this time)
- Fresh onion chopped
- Fresh basil (preferred)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Food mill
Instructions to Make a Fresh Italian Tomato Pasta Sauce:
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Step 1. Chop all your tomatoes and place in a sauce pan. I use my Cuisinart French Classic Stainless 5-1/2-Quart Saute Pan 
Step 2. Cook at medium heat until the tomatoes have fully cooked down and the majority of the water is evaporated.
This is one of those times when you’ll know when you see it. Although it drove me bonkers when my mother in law said those words to me as all I could imagine was burnt tomatoes in my pan and saying, well she said till no water is left.
What this actually means is that the consistency looks like a tomato sauce, not watery. The tomatoes will get very soft and it is super easy to pierce them. In fact, the tomatoes will actually just fall apart. If you ever cooked stewed tomatoes you will know what I mean.
Step 3. Next, pull out your food mill and place over a large empty bowl as shown below.
We use a stainless steel one which is heavy duty and I know will last us a very long time. You can find many different sizes and kinds of stainless steel food mills
The one we have shown below is a Cuisipro Deluxe Food Mill
Step 4. Add in the tomatoes and work it until the skins are fully removed and dry and the juice is in the bowl
Step 5. Once done with the food mill, saute some garlic and onion in the extra virgin olive oil for about 3 or 4 minutes until translucent
Step 6. Add in your fresh tomatoes and simmer for about 30-45 minutes until you have the consistency you want and flavor has cooked through
Step 7. Tear the basil into pieces and add into the sauce. You can see in my photos above that the sauce has cooked down some. It took some time, but it was the best batch. I ended up not freezing any of it as we used it up throughout the week.
This type of Italian tomato sauce is not a heavy sauce, rather it is lighter and works well with thin pasta such as angel hair or capellini.
Recipe Card
Fresh Tomato Sauce from Fresh Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 4 cups Fresh chopped tomatoes
- 1-2 Fresh garlic finely chopped
- 1 Small onion diced
- 1 bunch Fresh basil 6-8 fresh leaves or according to taste
- 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil adjust as needed
Instructions
- Chop all your tomatoes and place in a large sauce pan.4 cups Fresh chopped tomatoes
- Cook at medium heat until the tomatoes have fully cooked down and the majority of the water is evaporated and just pulpy tomato sauce is left. It should look like stewed tomatoes. Tomatoes should be very soft.
- Next, pull out your food mill and place over a large empty bowl and add in the tomatoes and work it until the skins are fully removed and dry and the juice is in the bowl.
- Once done with the food mill, in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat, saute the onion in the extra virgin olive oil for about 5-8 minutes until translucent. Add in the garlic and saute 2-3 more minutes until fragrant.1-2 Fresh garlic , 1 Small onion , 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- Add in your fresh tomato juice and simmer for about 30-45 minutes until you have the consistency you want and flavor has cooked through
- Tear the basil into pieces and add into the sauce and store or use!1 bunch Fresh basil
Notes
- This is a recipe that is hard to put measurements to because it originally came from my family where you just use what you have and adjust accordingly. So I give you the same advice – adjust accordingly!
- I recommend using an Italian tomato variety or ones that are meaty, otherwise it may not turn out as good.
- You can omit the basil if you want but that is what you want for a real fresh Italian sauce.
Nutrition
Let me know your tips and tricks for making your own Italian sauce! I’d love to hear from you.
