12 Essential Tomato Sauces, From Slow-Cooked to No-Cook Whether it’s peak summer or the dead of winter, nothing beats the rich, pure flavor of homemade tomato sauce. By Mrigaa Sethi Mrigaa Sethi Mrigaa Sethi is a writer, editor, and home cook with over 13 years of experience in food, travel, and lifestyle magazines, ranging from alt-weeklies in Bangkok to monthly airline glossies in Singapore and New York City. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 27, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Photo and Styling by Julia Gartland Everyone needs a go-to tomato sauce recipe, whether it’s to use up the fragrant bumper crop of late summer or a few good cans from the back of the pantry. But why have just one recipe? From pure, concentrated tomato to spiced and meaty, tomato sauce can take on myriad flavor-texture combinations uniquely suited to a variety of dishes, from pastas and pizzas to poached fish and grilled chicken. Regardless of what you’re looking to slather in tomato sauce, we’ve gathered some of our favorite slow-cooked, sheet-pan, and no-cook recipes to cover the bases. Love these recipes? Join MyRecipes — your personal home for recipes — to easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place. 01 of 12 Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Shell Royster “This is the simplest of all sauces to make, and none has a purer, more irresistibly sweet tomato taste,” said late cookbook author Marcella Hazan of her iconic sauce that’s also extremely light on prep. Place canned tomatoes, peeled onion cut in half, and butter in a saucepan and cook on low heat for an hour. Remove the onion and use the sauce however you see fit — it’s the perfect amount for a pound of pasta. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 12 Sheet Pan Tomato Sauce Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley If stirring and splattering is discouraging you from making the perfect tomato sauce, start with this sheet pan version. Plum tomatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic are roasted, then blended with optional anchovies, sugar, and basil for bold, concentrated flavor. Use it on pasta or pizza, and be sure to tuck some in the freezer for later. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 12 Creamy Tomato-Basil Sauce Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Longtime test kitchen editor and cookbook author Grace Parisi’s sumptuous sauce takes just 15 minutes, but feels special enough for guests. Mascarpone provides richness, while a splash of sherry vinegar balances things out. Serve it over pasta, polenta, or grilled chicken. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 12 Puttanesca Sauce Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This famous Neapolitan sauce has a bold and briny flavor, thanks to garlic, olives, capers, and tinned anchovies — all balanced by the sweetness of long-simmered canned tomatoes. Don’t skip the anchovies: they dissolve into nothing over 40 minutes, but the umami they impart makes the sauce. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 12 Sunday Sauce Julia Hartbeck In this Italian American classic, beef short ribs are seared and simmered with tomatoes, onion, garlic, carrots, and oregano for nearly five hours. The meat is then shredded and returned to the pot for a hearty pasta sauce that feeds a crowd. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 12 Vodka Sauce Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen While the high-ABV spirit gets its name in the title, equally important to the flavors of this Italian American sauce is the base of garlic and pancetta. The double-whammy of tomato paste and canned tomatoes, along with a bit of heavy cream, is emulsified into a smooth sauce by the alcohol molecules. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 12 Best-Ever Marinara Aaron Kirk Of all the sauces in this collection, marinara has perhaps the most uses — pastas, pizzas, eggplant Parmigiana, dipping sauce for fritters — and the shortest simmer time. It’s also easy to scale, so you can make a big batch, portion it out, and freeze it. The key to a robust marinara is to gently fry the garlic until golden to concentrate its flavors — and, as with all sauces, to use the best tomatoes you can find. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 12 Arrabbiata Sauce Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Though this “angry sauce” typically gets its fiery edge from crushed red pepper, we like using jarred Calabrian chiles for their fruity heat. The zippy staple comes together in just 15 minutes. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 12 Pomodoro Sauce Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell You’ll need just a handful of ingredients to make this easy sauce: canned San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, chopped garlic, unsalted butter, a bit of sugar for balance, and salt. If you don’t plan to serve it with the homemade gnocchi here, just skip to Step 3 — the sauce will be ready in under an hour. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 12 Amatriciana Sauce Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver A favorite of Roman trattorias, our Amatriciana recipe calls for pancetta rather than guanciale for easier sourcing. Simmer it with onion, crushed tomatoes, and red pepper flakes for a swift, savory sauce. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 12 Summer Tomato Sauce William Meppem If a pure and classic Italian tomato flavor is what you’re after, try this no-cook alternative. The focus on perfectly ripe, peak-season tomatoes remains, but the additions are raw garlic, fresh basil, and good olive oil. Be sure the tomatoes are at room temperature, not cold. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 12 Tomato and Caper Sauce Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Gabe Greco Ina Garten’s chunky tomato sauce gets depth from sautéed onion and fennel, while capers, white wine, basil, and butter give it a bright, savory finish. It’s served with halibut here, but the versatile sauce would also pair beautifully with other fish and seafood, chicken, or pasta. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food Cooking Techniques Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit