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Close-up of easy 15-minute tomato sauce in a jar.
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Easy 20-Minute Tomato Sauce With Garlic & Basil

A quick tomato sauce ready in 15 minutes with garlic, white wine, and fresh basil. Rich, flavorful, and so much better than the jar.
Course Sauce
Cuisine Italian
Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 3 cups
Author Emmeline Kemperyd

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves chopped
  • 2 (14.5 oz) cans crushed tomatoes or chopped/pureed
  • ½ cup white wine see notes for options
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup basil chopped, loosely packed
  • ½ teaspoon salt more or less according to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper more or less according to taste
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil over medium heat, then add chopped garlic. Sauté 2 minutes without allowing it to brown.
    4 tablespoon olive oil, 4 garlic cloves
  • Add crushed tomatoes and white wine and simmer 10 minutes.
    2 (14.5 oz) cans crushed tomatoes, ½ cup white wine
  • Mix in baking powder, then simmer 2 minutes.
    ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • Turn off the heat and mix in chopped basil.
    ½ cup basil
  • Taste test and season with salt and pepper as needed.
    ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Notes

 

Options for Wine

You can make this with regular white wine (dry is best), white cooking wine, or skip it entirely and add the same amount of chicken or vegetable broth, or water, instead. Using wine does add a lot of depth though, so I do recommend it.
 
Don't let the garlic burn. It shouldn't really brown either, but a little bit of browning is fine. If it burns it's best to start over as the flavor will not be good.
Simmer uncovered. This allows liquids to evaporate and the sauce to thicken.
Use a wide pan. This helps the sauce thicken faster.
Simmer longer if you can. This sauce tastes amazing after simmering for just 10 minutes, but you can also simmer it for much longer if you prefer. Just add some water if it thickens too much.
Do add baking powder. This makes such a big difference for the end result.
Taste test before adding salt. Some tomatoes are saltier than others so it's best to add just as much salt as you need.
 

Storing, Freezing & Reheating Instructions

Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Freeze flat in plastic bags to optimize storage.
Reheating stove top: Heat in a saucepan over medium heat, until hot and smooth.
Reheating in microwave: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each segment.