Healthy No-Peel Fresh Roasted Tomato Sauce {No Sugar}

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Featuring all fresh real-food ingredients, this Healthy No-Peel Fresh Roasted Tomato Sauce is super easy and flavorful, with fresh basil, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, no peeling,and no sugar. It is naturally sweet and savory and easily will become your go-to homemade tomato sauce recipe for all kinds of dishes.

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No-Peel Tomato Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes

In my childhood, days with homemade tomato sauce simmering on the kitchen stove were the best. Not only did we children have spaghetti to look forward to for dinner (yum!), but we also got to be the taste-testers. Sometimes, I confess, we even took entire bowls of the sauce–with Mom’s permission, of course. 😉

What is it about tomato sauce that is so intoxicatingly delicious? And what is it about making homemade tomato sauce taste just right that can be so exasperating?

With the right recipe and instructions, you can make tomato sauce homemade from fresh tomatoes that turns out perfectly every time.

Whether you have made homemade tomato sauce a thousand times or are just getting started today (welcome, by the way!), today’s from-scratch sauce recipe is here just for you! It has been tried and tested by my own family for years now, and it fits everything from lasagna to pizza to spaghetti. I like to call it my “everything sauce.”

Do You Have to Peel Tomatoes to Make Tomato Sauce?

Tomato skin is quite different in texture from the flesh of the tomato. When cooked, it tends to roll up and make chunky bits in sauces. Thus, cooks usually peel tomatoes before making sauces from them.

However, there are ways around this. And this recipe for tomato sauce homemade with fresh tomatoes lets you skip peeling the tomatoes before cooking.

To prevent pieces of tomato skin from gunking up in the sauce, run the tomatoes through a food processor or blender until they fit your preference for sauce (chunky or smooth). This should take care of any large bits of peel.

How To Make Sweet Tomato Sauce Without Sugar

While many tomato sauce recipes call for sugar and/or baking soda as a necessary ingredient to ameliorate the acidity of the tomatoes, there are actually two simple natural processes that makes these additions unnecessary:

1. Roasting the tomatoes
2. Simmering the sauce for a prolonged period of time

The process of roasting draws out the sweetness in the tomatoes and helps remove some of the acidity.

Simmering the sauce for a (preferably long) time guarantees that the flavors in the sauce (such as herbs and spices) will fuse together and overcome any bitter or acidic flavor in the tomatoes.

When used in combination, these two cooking steps lead to an amazingly tasty homemade fresh tomato sauce.

What’s the Difference Between Spaghetti Sauce, Marinara Sauce, Tomato Sauce, and Pizza Sauce?

Hmm…good question! I have often wondered this myself. The differences in the sauces usually are related to their consistency (thin or thick), seasonings, and use.

Usually, a marinara sauce has a thinner consistency and is used for dipping breadsticks, meat, etc.

A spaghetti sauce is served on top of (you guessed it!) spaghetti.

A pizza sauce has a thicker consistency, sometimes doesn’t have many herbs to season it, and is served on pizza.

A tomato sauce is the base sauce for most of these other sauces, and it is usually of a medium-thick consistency.

Is It Healthier to Make Your Own Tomato Sauce?

Making tomato sauce homemade with fresh tomatoes is much healthier (or–if you want to be a stickler for proper English–more healthful) than buying canned tomato sauce.

It also is not that difficult. If you have a blender or food processor, making tomato sauce homemade with fresh tomatoes is a breeze.

And it cuts out the extra-high levels of sugar and salt found in store-bought versions of tomato sauce.

Ingredients for No-Peeling Fresh Roasted Tomato Sauce

• tomatoes
• onion
• garlic
• olive oil
• basil
• oregano
• salt and pepper
• filtered water or bone broth (optional)

Equipment Needed for This No-Peel Tomato Sauce Recipe (Skin On)

• cutting board
• knives (butcher knife for smashing garlic and a serrated knife for cutting tomatoes)
• rolling pin (for pressing the fresh basil)
• small stock pot or saucepan
• medium-sized roasting pan or baking dish
• blender, immersion blender, or food processor

How To Make Homemade Tomato Sauce with Roasted Fresh Tomatoes

If you want to make your own homemade tomato sauce truly from scratch, you will want to start with fresh tomatoes rather than store-bought canned tomatoes.

To make homemade tomato sauce, you need a few key ingredients: tomatoes, garlic, onion, herbs (oregano, basil), salt and ground black pepper, and olive oil or butter. Then follow these steps to make homemade spaghetti sauce:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (150C) with the broiler on.
2. Grease a small baking pan with olive oil.Use a baking pan with high sides, because this recipe gets juicey.
3. Add the sliced tomatoes to the greased baking pan.
4. Sprinkle the tomatoes with the olive oil, oregano, and salt and toss to coat evenly.
5. Smash the garlic cloves.You can do this by using the side of a butcher knife or a rolling pin and hitting the garlic cloves hard. Remove the skins. Do not mince the garlic; keep it whole.
6. Add the garlic cloves to the pan of tomatoes and mix.
7. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the tomatoes are juicy and tender and are somewhat brown/charred on the top.
8. While the tomatoes are roasting, chop the onion.Again, there is no need to mince this, because you will blend it later on.
9. In a small stock pot or sauce pan, add 1 Tbsp. butter or olive oil and the chopped onion. Saute until the onion begins to caramelize. (Caramelization happens when the onion turns translucent and then turns a golden brown [not black or burnt]). Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
10. Remove the pan of tomatoes from the oven and cool slightly.
11. Add the roasted tomato mixture and caramelized onion to a blender and blend until smooth.
12. Press the fresh basil to release some of the oil.To do this, you can simply roll a rolling pin firmly over the basil leaves a few times. When they start to look pressed and maybe tear a little bit, they are ready.
13. Mince the basil leaves.
14. Add the blended tomato mixture and the minced fresh basil to the same pan you used to caramelize the onion.
15. Heat over medium heat until you reach a boil.If you need to thin the consistency of the sauce to prevent “spitting,” simply add a few tablespoons of filtered water or bone broth until you reach your desired consistency.
16. When the tomato sauce is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the smell of the basil infuses the air. If you have the time, simmering the tomato sauce for longer (and adding any necessary additional liquid) will result in even more flavor. I usually don’t have the extra time, though, and the sauce is still amazingly tasty.
17. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
18. Remove from the heat and serve warm.

How to Make This Homemade Fresh Roasted Tomato Sauce Uniquely Yours

• Add mushrooms. Fry these along with the onion.
• Add ground meat. Turkey or beef work great! Brown the meat with the onion.
• Vary the spices. This is one of the easiest ways to create your own signature spaghetti sauce. You can try experimenting with herbs like rosemary or thyme or adding spice with cayenne pepper flakes, chili powder, or smoked paprika.

How Long to Cook Tomato Sauce?

The longer you let spaghetti sauce simmer, the thicker it will be. My mom sometimes left a pot of spaghetti sauce to simmer all afternoon long (5+ hours!). The flavors were the best.

For flavorful spaghetti sauce, I would recommend a minimum of 30 minutes to an hour, if you are pinched for time. But if you can let the sauce simmer (in a slow cooker/crock pot or an instant pot) for hours, do so! It’s so much better! (Just make sure to add additional liquid, as necessary, throughout the cooking time.)

How to Thicken Tomato Sauce

If you want to achieve a thick homemade spaghetti sauce, let the sauce simmer for longer. The more time the sauce has to cook, the more water and liquid will evaporate, leaving a concentrated (and deliciously thick!) homemade spaghetti sauce behind.

Alternatively, you can add more roasted tomatoes.

How to Thin Tomato Sauce

Add some water, tomato juice, or chicken broth to give your spaghetti sauce a thinner consistency.

Tips for Making Tomato Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes

As anyone might tell you, a great spaghetti sauce is packed with flavor. For a good homemade tomato sauce, follow these hints:

1. Use lots of garlic and herbs.
2. Begin with fresh tomatoes. Skip the canned tomatoes from the store. (They’re full of extra junk you don’t need, anyway.)
3. Roast the tomatoes first before cooking them with the other ingredients.
4. Use butter instead of oil. (Garlic butter is especially great!) Because when does butter not magically make something the best?
5. Add cheese. Parmesan is a classic companion to tomatoes.
6. Let the sauce simmer for hours. This will allow the flavors to blend together and result in a thicker sauce.
7. Use wine or wine vinegar.
8. Mix in chicken stock or bone broth instead of plain water to enhance the flavor.

How to Add More Flavor to Homemade Tomato Sauce

There are multiple ways to enhance tomato sauce. Try these tips:

1. Add more flavoring (garlic, onion, Italian herbs). 
2. Experiment with a thicker sauce by letting the tomato sauce simmer for a longer amount of time. 
3. Use butter (especially garlic butter).

Tomato Sauce with Fresh Basil

The best spices to add to homemade tomato spaghetti sauce are the ones that we commonly call “Italian” spices: basil, thyme, and oregano. If you have an Italian seasoning blend, this works well too.

Uses for Healthy Homemade Tomato Sauce

This is the reason why I LOVE this recipe for homemade tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes: It’s so versatile and adaptable. Because it doesn’t include extra add-ins like meat, mushrooms, peppers, etc., the ways to use it and dress it up are endless! 

Here are some ways you can use homemade spaghetti sauce:

• Lasagna (Lasagne)
• Spaghetti (of course!)
• Pizza
• Italian subs
• Meatballs
• Zucchini parmesan
• Chicken parmesan
• Soups

Storing Homemade Tomato Sauce

Store leftover homemade tomato sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. If you want to keep your sauce for longer than that, put it in a freezer-safe container and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Can You Freeze Tomato Sauce?

You bet you can! And this is a terrific way to plan ahead and save time. My mom did this often when I was a child.

Just be aware that the liquid will expand when frozen, so use a freezer-safe container with adequate space for that expansion.

Also, when you thaw the frozen spaghetti sauce, the watery liquid and the pulp (tomato, onion, etc.) will separate. You will need to stir the sauce to mix these separated parts together again.

How to Thaw Frozen Tomato Sauce

If you have frozen tomato sauce, just know that the liquid expanded in the freezer. Before thawing the sauce, look for any cracks in the container. 

1. Room temperature method: Set the sauce on a plate or in a large bowl and let it thaw at room temperature. Stir well before heating the sauce over the stove, in the microwave, or in a slow cooker.
2. Water and stove method: You can also speed up the process (if the container is without holes) by placing the spaghetti sauce container under running water. Just make sure that the lid is secured tightly. Once the sauce has separated from the sides of the container, you can then pour the sauce into a sauce pan and continue to thaw it on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring often to incorporate the water into the tomato pulp.
3. Microwave method: The microwave is a third option for thawing spaghetti sauce. Make sure the sauce is in a microwave-safe container or put the sauce under running warm/hot water until it separates from the sides of the freezer dish and then pour it into a microwave-safe container. Put a paper towel on top of the container to prevent splashing. Microwave on low until the spaghetti sauce is heated through (about 4-5 minutes), stopping every minute or so to stir the sauce so that the water and tomato pulp are not separated.
4. Slow cooker method: You can also use a slow cooker to thaw frozen homemade spaghetti sauce. Follow the instructions above to loosen the sauce from the sides of the container by running it under warm/hot water. Spray the slow cooker with oil to prevent sticking. Then put the sauce in the slow cooker. Add a few tablespoons of water so that the sauce does not scorch. Set the pot on low heat or set it to the “keep warm” setting and put the lid on. This will take about 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the amount of sauce you are thawing. 
5. Instant pot method: It’s possible to use an instant pot to thaw frozen homemade spaghetti sauce. Follow the instructions above to loosen the sauce from the sides of the container by running it under warm/hot water. Then put the sauce in the instant pot. Set the instant pot to 3 minutes of (if your instant pot has this setting) to the “thaw” setting. Check the sauce in the instant pot and heat again if some frozen bits remain.

How Long Does Homemade Tomato Sauce Keep in the Fridge?

Like most leftovers, the safe recommendation for storing leftover homemade spaghetti sauce is 3-4 days.

I personally have used spaghetti sauce up to a week after making it, at times. (Sh!) I think it all depends on how well your refrigerator cools and how long you let the spaghetti sauce sit out before storing it.

How to Reheat Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

Reheating leftover spaghetti sauce is easy, and there are several methods for doing so.

HOW TO REHEAT TOMATO SPAGHETTI SAUCE IN THE MICROWAVE

This is the easiest way. Simply put the sauce in a microwave-safe container, cover it with a paper towel to prevent splashing, and heat until the sauce is warmed all the way through.

HOW TO REHEAT TOMATO SPAGHETTI SAUCE ON THE STOVE

Pour the spaghetti sauce into a saucepan and heat over low heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until the sauce is warmed all the way through.

HOW TO REHEAT TOMATO SPAGHETTI SAUCE IN A SLOW COOKER (CROCK POT)

To reheat spaghetti sauce in the crockpot, make sure to first grease the pot. Then add a little extra liquid. (I recommend using tomato juice or chicken broth instead of just plain water.) Heat it on low or “keep warm” until heated through, probably 30 minutes to an hour.

HOW TO REHEAT TOMATO SPAGHETTI SAUCE IN AN INSTANT POT

Because spaghetti sauce warms up quickly, there is really no need to use an instant pot. However, you can do so, if you wish. Simply pour the sauce into the instant pot and select the “warm”/”reheat” setting. Make sure that the timer is set for just a few minutes (2-3 is plenty!)

Closing Thoughts

Homemade is just better, isn’t it? The personalized flavor and seasonings, the love that goes into the recipe, and the time spent together around the table…ah…

I hope you enjoy this multi-purpose tomato sauce homemade with fresh tomatoes as much as my family does. It truly is so versatile and adaptable for use in so many ways!

When you try it, share with us using the hashtag #thesantoscookbook on social media. Looking forward to seeing your creation!

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