Preheat to 350˚

How to eat healthfully without sacrificing flavor (or dessert).

  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Recommended
  • Contact
Home » Dairy Free » Homemade Tomato Sauce – Gluten Free, Low Carb, Sugar Free, Paleo
Pin It

Homemade Tomato Sauce

– Gluten Free, Low Carb, Sugar Free, Paleo

June 11, 2013 By admin

I find the taste of homemade tomato sauce to be way better than any kind of jarred sauce. And it costs much less. The active preparation time is as long as it takes to open a can and chop some garlic. It does also require about half an hour of minimally attended cooking to stir the sauce and prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. You may not have that time on the night you’re making dinner. Luckily, this sauce can be made 5 days ahead of time and can also be frozen. The recipe can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled… Just make sure to increase your pot size.

This is my go-to sugar free tomato sauce for pizza, stuffed zucchini and pretty much everything that calls for tomato sauce. It sounds kind of boring, I know – canned tomatoes, olive oil, and garlic. But the sauce is way better than the straightforward ingredients make it sound. Once you’ve made it a couple of times I think you’ll find it very simple and well worth it.

In my opinion, Muir Glen brand are the tastiest and sweetest tomatoes. They’re sold at health food stores, Whole Foods, and maybe even your local grocery store. Muir Glen also uses BPA free lining in their cans now. If they’re not available, no worries. I’ve used other types of canned tomatoes and it still tastes delicious.

One person’s feedback on this sauce was that it took way longer than 30 minutes to reduce. I strongly suspect that was either because the pot diameter was too small or the heat was too low. A wide pot and a lively simmer will ensure that the liquid in the sauce evaporates quickly.

An important note about what pan to use. Tomatoes are acidic and will react with aluminum and copper. So it’s important to use a non-reactive pan when making tomato sauce. Use a stainless steel pan. I’m referring to the exterior material only. Many stainless steel pans have copper or aluminum cores, and that’s fine. Same goes for the spoon you use to stir the sauce. No aluminum. Wood is great and feels good to hold, so I prefer that.

flying-hat2 Time Saving Tip: When chopping tomatoes I stick a hand directly into the can,  smush the tomatoes one at a time, and pour directly into the pot. There is no cutting board to wash and no tomato juice to wipe up that has leaked off the cutting board onto the counter.


Print
Homemade Tomato Sauce - Gluten Free, Low Carb, Sugar Free, Paleo
 
Ingredients
  • 1 28 oz. can peeled whole tomatoes (Italian or regular), roughly chopped with juice reserved, or crushed by hand as described in the instructions. My favorite are the Muir Glen brand.
  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fairly fine
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Optional Additions:
  • 1 1/2 - 2 cups fresh basil leaves, rinsed and roughly chopped or
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano, basil, or rosemary
  • 1 onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced into half-rounds
Instructions
  1. Tomato sauce reduces more quickly in a wide pot. Choose a non-reactive pot (not aluminum or copper) with a diameter of at least 8 inches. If I'm doubling the recipe I use a pot that's 11 inches wide x 3 inches deep (the pot in the photo).
  2. Open can of tomatoes and roughly chop tomatoes, reserving juice; or keep tomatoes in can and crush by hand as described further down.
  3. If adding onions, put oil and onions in pot and cook on medium heat until onions have softened, about 5-7 minutes. If not, then proceed with just oil and garlic as described below.
  4. Put oil and garlic in pot, turn heat to medium, and cook garlic, stirring, until it just starts to color slightly, about 30 seconds. It's important not to allow garlic to darken or burn. If that happens, you need to start over because the sauce will not taste good. Remove pan from heat.
  5. Add chopped tomatoes and juice or crush tomatoes by hand as follows: Pour some of the juice from the can into the pot to slow down the cooking of the garlic. Crush the tomatoes by putting your hand into the can while you hold the can over the pot. Crush each tomato into smallish pieces and slide from can to pot. Continue until all tomatoes and juice have been added to pot. Add salt and pepper. If adding herbs, do so now. Stir to combine with a wooden spoon.
  6. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook at a lively simmer, stirring from time to time, until sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. To prevent sauce from sticking to bottom of pot, stir more often as sauce thickens.
3.2.2124

 

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Italian, Low Carb, Make Ahead, Paleo, Sauce

« Buttered Slivered Collard Greens
– Low Carb, Gluten Free
Almond Flour Crust for Tarts or Pies
– Gluten Free, Low Carb, Sugar Free
»
Eating healthy has changed my body, my energy level, my overall health, and my quality of life. Since I love great tasting food, I've worked hard at making healthy and delicious go together. Preheat To 350° is for people interested in eating well in every sense of the word...

Comments

  1. Oliver Kelso says

    May 9, 2015 at 3:56 am

    While that may be technically true, the amount of sugar in a tomato is extremely low. All vegetables & fruits have sugars in them, because all vegetables have carbohydrates in them. Some carbs we call insoluble fiber, and some break down into sugar. What matters more is how the body uses what we put in it!

    Also, if you are on a diet where you can’t have any sugar, including in vegetables and fruits, what are you doing looking for tomato sauce? I’m pretty sure all tomato sauce have tomatoes as a primary ingredient.

    • Donna says

      November 21, 2016 at 10:18 am

      :0…..too funny…some people just gotta complain.

      • Play Time says

        January 5, 2017 at 1:24 am

        Mark wasn’t “complaining” just stating a fact. Sugar is sugar to a diabetic. Fructose, sucrose, etc. all the same. Some people just have to criticize.

        • John Smith says

          February 20, 2017 at 11:28 am

          Well Mark is an idiot for thinking there’s such a thing as sugar free tomato sauce

  2. Kim T. says

    November 30, 2015 at 11:02 pm

    so,how low carb is this?? I see no nutrition info at all.

    • Lisa Kelso says

      December 1, 2015 at 12:08 am

      Hi Kim,
      I don’t provide nutrition info…just great and healthful recipes. This isn’t that kind of a site. Thanks for asking,

      Lisa

    • Dan Lund says

      August 31, 2016 at 8:51 pm

      From the Nuir Glen website for their organic whole peeled tomatoes

      Serving Size: 1/2 cup (122g)

      Amount Per Serving:
      Calories: 25 Calories from Fat: 0

      % Daily Value*
      Total Fat 0g 0%
      Saturated Fat 0g 0%
      Trans Fat 0g
      Cholesterol 0mg 0%
      Sodium 260mg 11%
      Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
      Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
      Sugars 3g
      Protein 1g
      Vitamin A 10%
      Vitamin C 30%
      Calcium 2%
      Iron 4%

      • Lisa Kelso says

        August 31, 2016 at 9:32 pm

        Thank you Dan!

        • Play Time says

          January 5, 2017 at 1:27 am

          Remember to count the carbs from onion as well if you choose to use them. And also add .9 gr in a tsp of garlic. The recipe calls for 5 cloves. That’s probably another 1-2 carbs. Overall pretty good! Will try 🙂

  3. Sharon says

    August 4, 2016 at 10:36 pm

    I checked, there are only 3g of sugar per 1/2 cup of the Muir Glen whole tomatoes. Not bad! (it’s the same for pretty much all the brands I checked) I’m ordering some now. Our stores don’t carry it around here…thanks for the tip!

  4. Julian Derczynski says

    March 10, 2017 at 10:50 pm

    how long does this last for?

  5. Cassie Wonderalke says

    April 12, 2017 at 3:35 am

    I made this for dinner. It was delicious.

    • Lisa Kelso says

      April 13, 2017 at 5:28 pm

      Hi Cassie,
      Thanks so much for letting me know. I’m happy that you enjoyed it!

  6. Deborah Ann says

    May 10, 2017 at 3:41 pm

    Very easy recipe. I’ve made this and it’s delicious. I also add ground beef to it and serve over spaghetti squash.

  7. Peter says

    December 12, 2017 at 2:16 am

    So looking for a tomato free tomato sauce? Gotcha.

  8. Gayle S says

    January 16, 2018 at 8:55 pm

    This recipe will work for me. I can handle some type carbs, not sugar, so I’m glad it doesn’t have added sugar. Thank you, will be making this weekend.

Subscribe & Get Updates!

Search


Eating healthy has changed my body, my energy level, my overall health, and my quality of life. Since I love great tasting food, I've worked hard at making healthy and delicious go together. Preheat To 350° is for people interested in eating well in every sense of the word. Read more →

The Best Almond Meal

Copyright © 2023 · Preheat To 350° · Log in