“Clean eating” is the catch phrase of the day. If you haven’t heard of clean eating it’s the very correct notion of avoiding processed foods. Purchased pizza sauce is a processed food. Not as bad as, say, mac ‘n cheese from a box, certainly, but anything with “natural flavors” listed in the ingredient list could contain….anything.
Eating healthier was the impetus for me here in making up my own pizza sauce. But now that I’ve done it, from now on forever, flavor will be the motivator. It just tastes so much better! This sauce is thicker than a marinara but not as tomato pasty thick as purchased pizza sauce. And the flavor is light and fresh but with depth of flavor at the same time that doesn’t happen with purchased sauce. I credit the wine.
Homemade Pizza Sauce
- 1 T extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 c red wine
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 T tomato paste
- 1/2 t kosher salt
- 1 t honey
- 1 1/2 t Italian seasoning
- 1/4 t crushed red pepper
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute very briefly (less than a minute) until very lightly golden. Add the wine and cook another 10 seconds or so. Reduce heat to medium-low, add remaining ingredients, and simmer gently for an hour stirring occasionally to blend flavors and thicken the sauce.
Taste and adjust for salt and sweetness, adding a little sugar if necessary if the sauce is too acidic. Use immediately or chill and keep up to a week. Or freeze for future use. Yields enough sauce for ~3-4 large pizzas.
~✿♥✿~
