Quick, Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce
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This is the tomato sauce I make most often. It has a clean, bright flavor thanks to fresh tomatoes and basil, and it comes together in no time. 🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅
Every time I make this fresh tomato-basil sauce, I am astounded by not only its flavor, but also the ease in which it materializes.
It comes from the Tra Vigne cookbook by Michael Chiarello, who learned the recipe from Jacques Pépin, who uses the sauce to poach fish roulades and to dress stuffed chicken legs — oh Jacques!
I have yet to use it for either of those purposes, but it is the tomato sauce I find myself making most often in the summer for favorites like eggplant parmesan and this summer squash gratin or for simply dressing angel hair pasta for my children.
At first glance, this tomato sauce recipe might look quite similar to others you’ve made. But the makeup and method are actually quite different. Let’s explore:
- For one, in addition to fresh tomatoes, this sauce calls for red bell peppers, which not only lend a sweetness to the sauce but also give it a nice body.
- Second, unlike many tomato sauce recipes that call for sweating onions or garlic first, this one calls for neither.
- Third, many tomato sauce recipes call for peeling the tomatoes first. Not this one!
- Fourth: water. Here the roughly chopped tomatoes and peppers start stovetop with a cup of water and simmer for about 25 minutes or until nearly all of the water evaporates and the tomatoes and bell peppers reduce into a sweet, summery concentrate.
- Finally, fat is added at the end. When the sauce is done, you add butter or olive oil along with basil; then purée it until smooth.
Interesting, right? I have shared this recipe in the past, but thought it deserved a refresher. Hope you love it as much as I do.
PS: Quick Sautéed Cherry Tomato Sauce
Quick, Tomato-Basil Sauce How-To
Here’s the play-by-play:
- Gather your tomatoes and bell peppers:
- Chop them coarsely.
- Add to a large pot with 1 cup of water and a teaspoon of salt.
- Simmer for 25 minutes; then add butter or olive oil and basil.
- Transfer to a food processor or blender – let cool first if using a blender.
- Purée until smooth.
- Transfer to storage vessels and keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for 3 months.
Quick, Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
From Michael Chiarello’s Tra Vigne. Original recipe credited to Jacques Pépin.
A few notes:
- Crushed red pepper flakes would be really nice here. I omit because of the children.
- Original recipe calls for a mix of butter and olive oil at the end — use what you prefer.
- My dear friend Linda adds heavy cream to it, which I have yet to try, but which I have no doubt is completely delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 4 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
- kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup, lightly packed, fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Place tomatoes and peppers in a large saucepan or pot. Pour in 1 cup water and turn heat to high. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a simmer, then turn heat down to medium high. After about 5 minutes, the tomatoes and peppers will begin releasing their juices, and the whole mixture should be bubbling. Adjust the heat to ensure the mixture stays at a constant bubble — medium to medium-high should do it. Stir every five minutes or so to make sure the tomatoes and peppers are not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 20 more minutes.
- You’ll know when it’s time to turn off the heat when the tomatoes and peppers are tender and nearly all of the liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes and peppers are beginning to stick to pot — when you drag a wooden spoon or spatula across the bottom of the pot, the parted pathway between the sauce should be visible briefly (see video for clarification). Note: times will vary depending on the variety/juiciness of the tomatoes you are using. Do rely on the visual cue more than the time to determe when the sauce is done.
- Add the basil and butter to the pot, give it a stir, then transfer the contents of the pot to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth — be sure to let the mixture cool first if using a blender. Taste. Adjust seasoning with more salt to taste — I often add another teaspoon of kosher salt, but start with a 1/2 teaspoon and add more to taste. Add freshly cracked black pepper to taste, too, if you wish. Store in the fridge for up to a week. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian, American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
110 Comments on “Quick, Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce”
Thank you for sharing another fabulous recipe. This looks amazing. I will definitely try this🍅🌶❤️
Definitely 5 stars !!!!
Thank you, Louise 💕💕💕💕💕💕
Ali! I’m literally making tomato sauce right now because my garden exploded. I’ve never added bell peppers though because I never know how I’ll use the sauce – pasta or pizza or soup, ya know? But, you never lead me astray so I’m going to give this a go when the garden explodes again in a couple days. Rock on Ali and thanks for always teaching, you’re the best.
PS I just use lots of tomatoes chopped up, about a quarter cup of water so that the bottom doesn’t scorch before the water and tomato juices seep out, and some sprigs of basil which I remove before using a hand blender. (And I can very much taste the difference between no sprigs when simmering and simmering with them, even though I don’t blitz them up). I just thought you might want to know – food chat is fun chat.
Dana I’m going to try this! What I love about about the red peppers is that my sauce never comes out watery, which sometimes happens with tomatoes, but I think I just need to give it a better go. Our garden just exploded with tomatoes, so I have some materials for experiments. xoxo
The reviews don’t lie. This is a delicious sauce. I have made this twice and intend to always have some in the freezer. Do you have any other uses for this sauce?
Great to hear! I love this with pasta, lasagna, eggplant parmesan, zucchini parmesan, eggplant involtini, zucchini involtini, to name a few 🙂
Will be making/freezing another batch IMMEDIATELY.
So decadent. Used heirlooms from our garden. Our sauce is a little lighter but so bright and gorgeous. Thank you for making me feel like a pro in the kitchen!
Awwww so nice to hear this, Mira 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing.
I love that this doesn’t use onion or garlic! Both are really problematic for my stomach and it’s almost impossible to find a jarred sauce or recipe without them. The peppers and basil sound delish here. Thanks for sharing!
Sarah! I have a dear dear friend who has a husband with the same issues, and I find myself thinking about them all the time bc so much of my cooking relies on members of the allium family. Truly, this sauce is so flavorful without them. Keep me posted if you make it!
Ali, This looks wonderful. Do you recommend canning it?
Thank you for all the inspiring recipes and fun reads, especially during this pandemic! Anne
Yes, absolutely! And of course, my pleasure 💕💕💕
My son was just home for a quick visit and I taught him how to make your focaccia! I’m wondering about the red peppers in this recipe. Do you have a general suggestion as to a measurable amount? 2cups, 2.5 cups, roughly chopped? Thank you! Peppers can vary so much in size.
Oh yay! So nice to hear this, Laura! I would say it’s about 4 cups roughly chopped … less or more is fine.
Thank you!
Red peppers are like a secret ingredient, sweetness added without a grain of sugar. I use it in my Harissa after charring whole in the broiler (silent boom)
Totally agree Frank! Such a good source of natural sweetness.
I made this sauce with your roasted eggplant parm for dinner tonight. I had tomatoes and basil from the garden, and used butter. I think I used quite a bit less salt, but I also didn’t measure anything. No need to cool before blending (just be careful). But, whoa. It was so easy, and so, so good. I don’t even like tomato sauce, or eggplant, that much. But I could eat this every day.
So nice to hear this Rose! I find this sauce to be so delicious as well. So glad you liked this one 💕💕💕💕
This sauce is absolutely delicious! I LOVE the nuance of the red peppers, no garlic, no onion, and the simplicity and delight of fresh basil! The butter smooths it all out. My only regret is that I didn’t double the recipe! My batch made 5 cups of a thick, rich, delicious sauce. Definitely going to make this again! There are a lot of tomato sauce recipes, but this one is not just another version of the same!
I’m adding to my previous note….I like this SO much, that I think I am going to thin it a bit and have some of it straight up as soup!
Oh I love this idea Nancy!
Nancy, yay! I’m so happy to hear you like this one. It truly has become my favorite tomato sauce and the one I make most often for the reasons you state: the subtle flavor of the red pepper, the simplicity, the freshness. Thanks so much for writing!
I’ve just finished my 4th batch of this sauce (so I can keep up with the ever-ripening tomatoes). The first batch was mixed reds and turned out just as expected. The second was San Marzano tomatoes and… WOW! I may never simmer sauce all day ever again! On a hunch, we did half batches of straight yellow tomatoes and yellow peppers and again with orange tomatoes/peppers. They were perfect. You really can’t go wrong. Thank you, Ali!
Oh Cheralee, this is amazing to hear! So glad to hear your enthusiasm about this one … it truly is the sauce I make most often.
i just finished making this and it is beyond delicious. wish i would’ve quadrupled the recipe because it’s that good. i let mine simmer for closer to an hour and went with half butter/half olive oil.
Wonderful to hear this, Helene! And I know, a batch of this sauce never lasts long here either 🙂 🙂
So easy and sooo good – had it with shells and burrata for lunch. Thanks, Ali! Xo
Yay, heather! So nice to hear this. Shells + burrata … can’t go wrong!
I made this sauce tonight because I’m making your Eggplant Parmesan recipe tomorrow. What a beautiful and flavourful tomato sauce! I did add a pinch of red pepper flakes and of sugar. I’m going to get more tomatoes and red peppers from our farmers’ market to make a double batch to freeze and have on hand. Thanks very much for this quick but delicious tomato basil sauce recipe!
So nice to hear this, Sandra! I can’t wait till my children can tolerate a little more heat because I love red pepper flakes in this sauce as well. Thanks for writing!
I was surprised how easy and delicious this recipe it. Its unique in taste too
Wonderful to hear this, Susan!
This a really super quick and delicious sauce. Alex you never disappoint! Amazing what a little butter does to round out a sauce. Looking forward to having it with some ricotta gnocchi tonight.
So nice to hear this, Chantalemarie! You’re so right about the butter … it just rounds it all out. Ricotta gnocchi sounds amazing!
This was fabulous! My lovely but annoyingly picky toddler even gobbled it up. So easy and so fresh tasting with the basil. Thank you!
Oh yay! Great to hear this … I find this always to be reliable with my kiddos as well 🙂
Hi Ali! I’ve got plenty of tomatoes on hand and a bag of mini multi colored peppers. Do you think I can use those or would the sauce be better with the big red peppers?
Hi Carol! I think the mini peppers will be great! Go for it.
I’d picked up big boxes of tomatoes and Italian peppers from my CSA and made a triple batch of this sauce to use all the produce (started with 6 lbs of tomatoes and about a dozen peppers, ended up with just under 2 quarts of sauce). Because of the volume, it took a longer time to cook down, but it was SO worth it–really delicious and so pleased to have found a recipe that used that huge pile of produce! 🙂
Wonderful to hear this, Janet! Nice work being patient with the cooking time. Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
A summertime staple! Glad I found this a few years ago on your blog, made it tonight and it’s as wonderful as ever! Made with and without peppers, fresh and home-canned tomatoes. Peppers really add something special!
So wonderful to hear this, Anna!!
Ali, this was a wonderful tomato sauce – adding the peppers gave it a really unique flavor!!!! I doubled the recipe and it made 2 quarts, which I promptly froze in 2 cup quantities for the winter – after I gave a quart to family. As always, the best. Big hugs to you and your family. xoxo
So nice to hear this, Mrs. B! And I’m just realizing I never responded to another message … maybe via IG … so sorry! Sending love to you and your family. xoxo
Made this yesterday. Outstanding!
Yay! So nice to hear this, Lindsey!
Very very good. Super easy too.
Yay 🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅
I made 8 quarts of this and put in freezer. Going to use it in vodka sauce. I love your recipes. Make your peasant bread every day.
So nice to hear this, Charleen! And yay for peasant bread 🍞🍞 Thanks so much for writing.
Ok where did I go wrong. Reading the comments everyone had great results. I used exactly 2# of tomatoes but only 3 red pepper because they were so large. Added 1 cup water. It’s been bubbling for almost an hour? It’s still all watery. I put a lid on in the beginning by accident do you think that kept in the water? Help
Hey JP! It’s possible your tomatoes are just super juicy… just be patient … rely on the visual cues more than the timeline. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, and the tomatoes and peppers are just starting to stick to the bottom of the pot.
Delicious! Love this sauce. Instead of cream I add ricotta if I want it creamy!😉
Oh yay! Love this idea, Courtney! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
This looks great and quick to make.
Which tomatoe variety should i use for getting the best flavour , I am in Australia and varieties easily available are Gourmet (the normal type), Roma, Truss . But if calls for some other variety , i can try to find one 🙂
Hi Amita! I would go with Roma! I love Romas for tomato sauce.
Oh where has this recipe been my whole life! It comes together so quickly, is the prettiest color, and is delicious whether on pasta or pizza. Speaking of pizza–I don’t even like tomato sauce, and this makes the most delicious pizza sauce. Also, there is NO need for the cream. The sauce is as creamy as can be. I used vodka. A really perfect recipe using ingredients one always has in the pantry.
Great to hear this, Mary! Thanks so much for writing. And just for clarification, I think you meant to comment on this post, right? Quick Homemade Tomato Sauce (Canned Tomatoes)
Oh my goodness! Yes, I did. So sorry. I’ll redo!!
This sauce is so simple and good! My husband is avoiding garlic and onion, so I was glad to find a recipe without those. The second time I made it, I replaced the butter with olive oil and didn’t notice a difference.I also made it in the instant pot due to our stove breaking, and that worked great, too.
So great to hear this, Katy! I have a dear friend whose husband cannot eat alliums, and this has become her sauce recipe. Great to hear all of the variations worked well, too. Thanks for writing!
So easy and really delicious! The peppers add a great sweetness and depth of flavor that I hadn’t expected. A keeper!
Great to hear this, Beth! Thanks for writing! I love this one 🙂 🙂 🙂