I despise eating food off the shelf – the boxed, canned, frozen, heat-and-eat kind. I always wonder what sorts of preservative must have been used in it to maintain that shelf life. I especially think that something like a tomato sauce should never be bought because it is so easy to make!
Let the onion and garlic work their magic with some extra virgin olive oil and then add to it some flavourful, ripe tomatoes and a handful of fresh basil and you have yourself some delicious tomato sauce ready in no time.
I make this tomato sauce often and use it a lot for pizzas and pastas. I especially love adding extra basil. And now that I have it growing on my window, I can go plucking as many leaves as I want. The next step of course would be using my own tomatoes (seeds have sprouted and the plant is growing beautifully, thank you for asking).
Tomato Basil Sauce
4 tbsp / 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green chillies (optional – depending on how hot you like your sauce)
2 lb. / 900g tomatoes
1 oz. / 30g basil leaves
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and plonk in the tomatoes. Cut an X on the bottom of your tomatoes for easy peeling.
- Place them in the boiling water for a minute and then remove with slotted spoon and place in ice bath for the skin to easily peel off.
- Cut, core and seed the tomatoes.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. Cook until translucent. Add the minced garlic and chillies, if you are using them.
- Add the tomatoes and salt and simmer for about 20 minutes. You can whizz it up with a stick blender to get the consistency you like (I like a blend of smooth and chunky).
- Chop the basil leaves just before adding to the sauce so that they’re still green. Simmer for another 2 minutes.
- Use as a sauce for your pasta or pizza within a week.
{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
My favourite too!
Looks Dee-lish!!
I usually stick a fork in 'em and char the tomatoes on the hob instead of blanching and leave the skins on…I love that slightly burnt whiff that it's left with!
I make my own sauce too; never trust those store bought ones.
Awesome shots…Tomato basil sauce sounds great and attractive.
I'm with you on avoiding packaged foods. It's not only healthier for you, but usually better for the environment too. Your tomato sauce looks great and so easy to make!
I make my own sauce too, sort of, I use canned tomatoes. My mom and I use to make tomato sauce and can it, enough for the whole year. Where I grew up, we knew of a farm that would let us go and pick the leftovers, after they had harvested everything they were going to, and pick as much as we could get. This ended being enough for about 40-50 big mason jars, enough to get us to the next year!
I love homemade tomato sauce…but I cheat and used canned tomatoes.
H: I absolutely adore your idea of charring the tomatoes – I bet the smoky smell it adds to the sauce is something very special. Now I'm thinking of roasting tomatoes over coals.
Southern Grace Gourmet: You and your mom are truly inspiring! I can imagine what a task it might be for you to bottle 50 jars of sauce! Exciting!
Thank you all!
And I think that canned tomatoes are perfectly fine when you just can't get your hands on fresh ones.
This is basically the exact sauce I make except I have never added green chillies, I like a little spice, so I am going to give it a try, -Thanks!
Such a nice simple recipe with great flavors. Nice to have some of that in the fridge.
I make one that is similar. Gorgeous sauce.
i too make my own sauce and tomato basil is my favourite. nice clicks.
Rhandi: Do try it!
Barbara: Yes! My mom who is a more traditional Indian food eating type also asked me to make a jar and keep for the time she doesn't feel like cooking!
Helene: Thank you.
Bergamot: I love how basil heightens the flavour. Thanks!
Oh dear – I am slack I use packaged tomato passata
– the tomatoes I can buy around here are shocking – they don't have any scent at all. I must grow my own (one day).
I am SO with you on the pre-packaged sauces thing! My pet peeve is "recipes" where half of the ingredients consists of pre-packaged/powdered stuff. Nasty!
That aside, your homemade sauce looks positively delectable.
Shaheen, Tomato Basil sauce looks very good!
I have a few questions:
How long can I store this in the refrigerator?
Also, I have never used basil. Can you describe me the taste? Will the plant survive indoors if I keep it in front of a window in winters?
The woman: Good to know we share the same thoughts about pre-packaged things.
The red deer: Awww, but never too late!
Mona: Thank you!
You can store this sauce in a bottle upto a week. Although, if you can it and preserve it, like Southern Grace Gourmet has spoke about earlier in this comments thread, the sauce will last much longer.
Basil is sweet tasting herb with a powerful aroma that that is just something so distinctive that I cannot compare to something else. I can see that you are are from Ontario and I'm pretty sure you can get these at your local super market.
I'm not sure about the weather conditions and the best seasons for you to plant basil in Ontario, but I'm sure a quick google search can help. Whenever best suited, you must grow your own basil!
This does look so simple that I regret ever having bought jarred sauce. But, do you think you can skip the deseeding and peeling? I know I know how much more simple do I need it to be? But I hate wasting parts of the tomato! What do you think?
I have always bought the pasta sauce from shops. But seeing this i feel like making the sauce on my own too…by the way how did u plant the basil? i would love to plant them too
Hey Nithya!
You know if you don't peel the tomatoes you will have strands floating in the sauce. If you don't mind that, they you can skip the peeling part. But I really think you must deseed the tomatoes. I for one, cringe at the sight of tomato skin curled up in sauces/gravies. Once you done push it through a sieve and get all the nice juices in your sauce – so now you haven't really wasted anything and have a whole lot of seeds in hand. This time around, I threw the seeds into a pot and now they're growing!
Hi Veda, it's awfully easy to grow your own basil! Where do you stay? If you're in Bombay, I can share some saplings with you!
Eeeeeeyum!
Thanks for your comment at a little hamster! Your blog is just so yummie! I am always in for new ideas about cooking!
I'm another preservative fearing human and abhor processed and packaged stuff. Your sauce looks so fresh and nice. I only wish we got more varieties of tomatoes like Italian plum tomatoes and organic tomatoes in Mumbai to take the sauce to another level.
Lennebelle: I love your blog design!
Anushruti: I couldn't agree more. I so want those heirloom tomatoes and plum tomatoes and roma tomatoes to come to Mumbai!
lovely, especially the first pic! My basil is growing a bit slow although steady. Waiting to make some pesto and pasta sauce once they are ready
I gotta try this one, I love tomatoes in combination with basil!
Every recipe I've looked through here is amazing! I can't wait to try them out! I also linked to your website on http://yuppish.net and a few of your recipes.
Keep the recipes coming! I can't wait to see what's next!
Simplicity itself! I adore these ingredients and never tire of tomato and basil.
Thank you guys!
))
hey could you tell me where to find basil seeds in hyderabad, and how to grow it?
What vibrant, beautiful photos! This looks lovely…perfect for the cold weather we've been having in CA lately. Thanks for sharing!!
Would I be able to grow basil in Bangalore? Where could I get basil seeds or saplings from in Bangalore? This recipe sounds really good – I am so tempted to try making this at home!
Hi! I too live in Bangalore (for now). Just got some basil saplings from Namdhari’s Indiranagar. They have 3 types: lemon, Italian and Thai. I’ll keep you posted on how my babies are growing.
It’s been a while now, in case you know of places where I could add to my herb collection – do share. Tks.
Hey Anita! I'm not sure where you'd be able to find them in Bangalore. Try the Lalbaug nursery, maybe? I could mail you saplings if you like.
E-mail me…
hi ! how can i grow my own basil is what i want to know!! the basil would be so fresh and amazing! i live in bombay so any dea where i could get them ?>???
i grew my basil with some seeeds a friend sent me… yes, fresh is the best! i could send you some when my plant grows!
that would be amazing! i did a culinary course in italy recently and we had to pick all the herbs fresh i think it inspires me to cook more when im actually picking it out fresh
! also read your posts on the patesserie ! where is this id love tocheck it out !
Shaheen !! How many servings do we get out of this recipe ?
Heyy, I love your site and the generosity in sharing your knowledge with all of us.
I live in Mumbai and for some reason am not happy with the quality of basil i get at my local grocery store…it’s hugely different from the ones I’ve tasted in Europe. I tried getting some sweet Italian basil seeds to grow them, somehow they never grew.
Any idea where I can source the real stuff/sapling in Mumbai from?
Thanks so much!!
Hey,
Thanks for your kind words.
I know what you mean about the basil. Somehow, the stuff that you get here is so peppery. I got seeds from Ratanshi in Byculla, but I haven’t sowed them yet. The basil that I have is so wonderfully sweet with an almost anise like flavour from the seeds a friend from Delhi sent me!
It’s been a while since my plants gave me seeds, so I’m not sure whats up with it. Maybe I need to transplant it into a bigger pot.
Shaheen
I came across your blog while researching how long tomato sauce lasts in the fridge. I bought a 1/2 bushel of the verrrrry last toms of the season (it’s close to frosting at nite on the East Coast of the US now.) These were plum toms…to add a really nice depth to my sauce, I trim the tops and clean out the stemmy parts at top, slice in half and place on baking sheet. I tuck basil and oregano under and around the toms. Then I slice up big chunks of garlic and sprinkle on top – lavishly pour good extra virgin olive oil on top then salt and cracked pepper. Roast the pan(s) in the oven for 30 mins at 450 then 30 mins at 400 then 30 mins at 350 and finally 30 mins at 300. The roasting sweetens and thickens the toms…gorgeous!! Sometimes, I freeze them at this point, after snagging a couple to eat – Yum!.. However to make sauce, I do the following.
When done, I blend in processor, add unroasted toms (like yours above..mix about 1/2 and 1/2). Everything goes into a big pot and I add fresh chopped parsley (one bunch), onion (1 large minced) and minced peppers (red/yellow). Bring to boil, stirring to keep it from sticking, and freeze in plastic containers.
NIce roasted flavor when you want something like that to cook with!!
Hey
thanks for the great site.
m looking for some of the italian herbs’ saplings..oregano, basil to start with.
where an i get it in bangalore..i have tried the Lal bagh nursery and they dnt have it.
HI – Does this sauce freeze well and if it does, how long will it keep?
Thankyou
You can freeze it, but not sure how long because mine’s never lasted more than a few days.
This too good.
Tried 2 ‘pakora’ chillies – lt. green, much bigger than our regular chillie and hollow with a spine running thru the center with seeds attached – I charred these as well. Gave a real kick to the sauce on the first day but mellowed in the fridge. Super!
I fully agree, nothing like freshh, home-made sauce. I too make the sauce more or less the same way, except I add a dash of chilli powder (will try with the green chilli next time). I als add a dash of vinegar and a wee bit of sugar and it comes out nice and tangy.
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