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Homemade sauce presented simply with garnish and scattered seasoning around

Pizza Sauce

A thick homemade pizza sauce made with tomato paste, garlic, onion, Parmesan, herbs, and spices. Perfect for pizza dough, flatbreads, calzones, and dipping.
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Course: Condiment, Sauce
Cuisine: Italian-American
Keyword: Pizza Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 6- oz can tomato paste
  • 6 fl oz warm water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
  • 1/4 tsp dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 tsp dried red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat the saucepan.

  • Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and allow it to warm briefly.

Sauté the aromatics.

  • Add the olive oil, minced garlic, and chopped onion to the saucepan. Sauté for several minutes, stirring often, until the onion becomes clear and softened.

Add the tomato base.

  • Stir in the tomato paste and warm water. Mix until the tomato paste is fully loosened and the mixture forms a smooth sauce.

Add the cheese and seasonings.

  • Add the freshly grated Parmesan cheese, dried oregano, dried marjoram, dried basil, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, dried red pepper flakes, and salt.

Simmer the sauce.

  • Reduce the heat as needed and simmer the sauce for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Adjust consistency if needed.

  • If the sauce is too thick, stir in a small amount of warm water until the desired consistency is reached.

Use as desired.

  • Spread the sauce over prepared pizza dough and assemble the pizza with cheese and toppings of choice. Bake the pizza according to the dough recipe or desired preparation method.

Notes

To make this Pizza Sauce gluten free, use certified gluten-free tomato paste, Parmesan cheese, dried herbs, spices, and seasonings. Check the labels on the red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and grated Parmesan, as some packaged ingredients may be processed in facilities with gluten. Serve the sauce with gluten-free pizza dough, gluten-free flatbread, or gluten-free breadsticks. The sauce itself can be gluten free when all packaged ingredients are verified.