Thick & Hearty Pizza Sauce

Homemade pizza sauce that’s thicker and more flavorful than anything from a jar. Sauteing the onion, garlic, and oregano in olive oil before adding the tomatoes builds a deeper, more aromatic base than just dumping everything in cold.

The combination of tomato paste and tomato sauce is what makes this so thick. Tomato paste brings concentrated, intense tomato flavor and body, while the sauce loosens it to a spreadable consistency. Ten minutes of simmering melds everything together.

Cool the sauce completely before spreading it on pizza dough. Hot sauce melts the cheese and makes the dough soggy before it even hits the oven.

Pro Tips

• Cook the onions until translucent, not browned. Browned onions add a caramelized sweetness that competes with the tomato flavor.
• Sauteing the oregano with the onions blooms the herb’s essential oils in the hot fat, releasing far more flavor than adding dried oregano to cold sauce.
• This sauce is intentionally thick. Pizza sauce should coat the back of a spoon and stay put when spread, not pool and run.
• Freeze in ice cube trays or small containers for single-pizza portions. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Variations

• Spicy arrabbiata: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes with the oregano for a pizza sauce with heat.
• Basil garlic: Double the garlic and add fresh torn basil after simmering for a more herbaceous sauce.
• Roasted garlic: Use a whole head of roasted garlic instead of raw for a mellow, sweet garlic flavor throughout.