This Trader Joe’s Pasta Sauce Recipe is an easy and flavorful recipe, which is made with crushed tomatoes and garlic. It’s the perfect weeknight sauce, ready in about 20 minutes.
Jump to RecipeTrader Joe’s Pasta Sauce Recipe Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 3-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- Pinch red pepper flakes (about 1/4 teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 pat butter (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup water
How To Make Trader Joe’s Pasta Sauce Recipe
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or pot over high heat until it shimmers. Add the onions and sauté, stirring frequently, for about three minutes until they soften. Add the garlic and stir for another two minutes until fragrant.
- Bloom the spices: Add the basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and sugar. Stir to combine, then add the butter and cook for about one minute until melted.
- Simmer the sauce: Pour in half of the crushed tomatoes and use a spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, add the remaining tomatoes, and stir in 1/4 cup of water.
- Finish and serve: Allow the sauce to simmer for at least 10 minutes for the flavors to meld. For a deeper flavor, you can let it simmer for up to an hour, adding more water as needed if it becomes too thick.
Recipe Tips
- How to make a smoother sauce? For a perfectly smooth, restaurant-style sauce, use an immersion blender to carefully blend the sauce directly in the pot after it has finished simmering.
- Can I use fresh tomatoes? Yes. To substitute, you’ll need about 2 pounds of ripe Roma tomatoes. Blanch, peel, and crush them before adding them to the pot. You may need to simmer the sauce longer to cook them down and thicken it.
- How to make it spicier or milder? The heat comes from the red pepper flakes. For a spicier sauce, add up to 1/2 teaspoon. For a completely mild sauce, you can omit them entirely.
- Can I add meat to this sauce? Absolutely. For a classic meat sauce, brown 1 pound of ground beef, Italian sausage, or a combination of both in the pot first. Remove the meat, then proceed with sautéing the onions and garlic in the rendered fat, and add the cooked meat back in with the tomatoes.
What To Serve With Pasta Sauce
This versatile sauce is a perfect base for countless Italian-inspired meals.
- Tossed with your favorite pasta, like spaghetti or penne
- As the sauce for homemade pizza
- Layered in a classic lasagna or baked ziti
- As a dipping sauce for breadsticks or mozzarella sticks
How To Store Pasta Sauce
- Refrigerate: Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The flavor often gets even better the next day.
- Freeze: This sauce freezes beautifully. Let it cool completely, then pour it into freezer-safe containers or zip-top bags. It will keep for up to 3 months.
Pasta Sauce Nutrition Facts
- Serving: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 80 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Protein: 2g
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Sodium: 450mg
- Fiber: 2g
- Sugar: 6g
Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.
FAQs
A small amount of butter adds a touch of richness and helps to smooth out the acidity of the tomatoes, creating a more balanced and velvety sauce.
The browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan after sautéing the onions (called “fond”) are packed with flavor. Deglazing the pan by scraping them up with the liquid from the tomatoes incorporates all that delicious flavor back into the sauce.
Yes. While the sauce is delicious after just 10 minutes, a longer, slower simmer (30-60 minutes) allows the flavors of the garlic, onion, and herbs to meld more deeply, resulting in a richer, more complex sauce.
Try More Recipes:
Trader Joe’s Pasta Sauce Recipe
Course: SauceCuisine: Italian-AmericanDifficulty: Easy7
servings10
minutes15
minutes80
kcalA quick, easy, and deeply flavorful homemade pasta sauce that comes together in under 30 minutes and is perfect for any weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp butter
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup water
Directions
- Sauté the onion in hot olive oil for 3 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in the basil, red pepper flakes, salt, sugar, and butter.
- Add half the crushed tomatoes and scrape the bottom of the pan.
- Reduce heat to low, add the remaining tomatoes and water, and stir.
- Simmer for at least 10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine before serving.
Notes
- For the richest flavor, let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes or longer.
- This sauce is a perfect base recipe; feel free to add other ingredients like mushrooms, bell peppers, or meat.
- The small amount of sugar helps to balance the natural acidity of the tomatoes.
- This recipe is great for making in a large batch and freezing for future meals.
