Easy Pizza Sauce
This warming, herb-scented, garlicky pizza sauce has that slightly sweet, always fragrant flavor you look for in a pizza sauce. Easy to make from pantry ingredients. Vegan.
Prep Time3 minutes mins
Cook Time7 minutes mins
Total Time10 minutes mins
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Kathy Patalsky
- 1 6oz can organic tomato paste, no salt added
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2-3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp sugar (I used coconut sugar)
- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced or crushed
- 1 tsp Italian dried herb blend**
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ - ½ tsp sea salt, or to taste
OPTIONAL ADD-INS
- 1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2-3 fresh basil leaves, whole or chopped
Add the tomato paste, olive oil, sugar, garlic, herb blend and onion powder to a small sauce pot. Add in about half of the water.
Turn heat to low and slowly warm to medium, stirring the mixture as it bubbles and combines. When the bubbling gets intense, almost to a boil, turn the heat down to low. simmer for a few minutes then add in the remaining water. Continue to stir and let the sauce simmer for a few minutes.
Add in ¼ teaspoon salt to start. stir well. Do a quick taste test. Add another ¼ teaspoon of salt (or more) as desired. You want your sauce to be bold in flavor - and salt helps bring out those flavors - but not overly salty to where it overpowers the other flavors of sweet and herb and warmth from the garlic.
Continue stirring, allowing your sauce to thicken. You want it to be about the same thickness as a marinara sauce, only just slightly thicker so it spreads over the dough well and stays in place.
Lastly, add in the optional nutritional yeast, pepper flakes and basil. I love the heat the pepper flakes add and the cheesiness and thickening power of the hint of nutritional yeast.
When the sauce is to your desired thickness level, turn off the heat. Pour the sauce into a side container and allow to cool slightly before using on your pizza dough. You can also seal the sauce in a jar and use it the next day. Use your fresh sauce within a few days for best flavor and texture.
Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 886mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg