Follow the traditional Italian method, and learn how to make the best homemade pizza sauce recipe in just 5 minutes!

All you need to make the traditional Italian pizza recipe is just a few simple ingredients, which magically come together to make one of the most famous dishes in the world.

Once you got the right ingredients and technique, all you need to bring it to the next level is making your own easy pizza sauce.

There are two versions of Neapolitan sauces, the classic pizza sauce recipe and the famous marinara. Both of them feature one of the most popular ingredients in Italian cuisine: tomatoes!

Here you'll find the Neapolitan recipe to prepare the tomato sauce for pizza,  whether you want the classic version or the marinara version!

Just 2 Ingredients

If you're looking for the traditional Italian tomato pizza sauce, this is the right place.

All you need is just 3 ingredients:

• whole canned plum tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes)
• fine sea salt
• bicarbonate of soda (also called baking soda)

Using the right ingredients is crucial for the best pizza sauce. You can use canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes to make it.

If you're going to use canned tomatoes, the best ones to look for is the San Marzano variety.

They grow in Italy, in the Campania region, and have a PDO (protected designation of origin) status. 

San Marzano tomatoes have a long shape, bright red colour, easily peelable skin, meaty pulp, and very few seeds. Their flavour is not too sweet and not too bitter.

The best fresh tomatoes to use are San Marzano tomatoes or more widely available Roma tomatoes. They're quite similar in terms of qualities, they're both meaty, easy to peel, and with very few seeds.

Marinara Sauce or Classic Tomato Sauce

According to the traditional Neapolitan recipe, the classic pizza base sauce, which is mostly used for pizza Margherita, is rather plain.

There are no spices or herbs added, just plain tomatoes, a pinch of baking soda, and salt.

The marinara sauce, which is mostly used for Marinara pizza, on the other hand, features some extra ingredients: a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of freshly-dried oregano (the good one is sold in branches), a peeled clove of garlic, and some optional freshly-cracked black pepper.

No matter which sauce you choose, the pizza sauce should never be cooked: if it is cooked, then you're making pasta sauce (sugo di pomodoro in Italian), which is used to dress pasta.

How To Make Pizza Sauce

To prepare this no-cook tomato sauce for pizza all you need is just 3 ingredients. It's ready in two simple steps, and no cooking required!

Step one

Slice in half your canned tomatoes lengthwise. Discard their inner juices and seeds by using a teaspoon.

Transfer the tomatoes into a blender, and add in any pulp left in the can, making sure there are no seeds. Blend for a few seconds, until you have a smooth and even pulp.

Cooking tip: If you want to follow the traditional route, once you have removed the pulp and seeds from the tomatoes, put them through a vegetable sieve and transfer the obtained pulp into a bowl.

Step two

Now you need to adjust the acidity of the sauce.

Contrary to common belief, adding sugar is wrong since it actually doesn't help balance the sauce.

Instead, add a pinch of baking soda and mix, tasting as you go: if the sauce is still too acidic, just add another pinch of baking soda.

Finally, add a pinch of fine sea salt and your sauce is ready!

For a classic Neapolitan pizza base (about 21 cm large) you will need about 80-90 grams of sauce, so with this pizza sauce recipe, you can prepare about 5 pizzas.

Marinara sauce for pizza

Following step two, add a swirl of extra-virgin olive oil, a generous pinch of oregano, a garlic clove, and a pinch of freshly-cracked black pepper.

Let the ingredients marinate for about 30 minutes, then, just before use, discard the garlic.

Recipe with fresh tomatoes

If you want to use fresh tomatoes (highly recommend when they're in season), there are just a couple of extra steps to make.

Blanch about 500 gr of tomatoes in simmering water for a couple of minutes, then peel the skin off and proceed with step one.

How To Store Leftovers

Once ready, use it up straight away, and store the leftover sauce in an airtight jar, in the fridge for up to 2 days. Or freeze in freezer-friendly containers for up to 6 weeks.

More Italian Recipes To Try

• Italian Breaded Chicken Cutlets (Cotolette di Pollo)
• Italian Fried Mozzarella Sandwich
• Water Cake: A Dairy-free, Egg-free, Magic Cake