This is the easiest last minute pizza sauce! I always forget to buy it at the store, so I whip this up from pantry items I always have on hand. You don’t even have to cook anything. I’ve been making this recipe for years! Never fails. Originally published September 1, 2016.
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So my oldest daughter Charlotte starts kindergarten tomorrow. I’m over here eating my feelings and Charlotte’s all like
Here we are in the Target dressing room today. Charlotte has been dressing better than me from day one thanks to fashionable aunts, but this really is just rubbing it in. Where is my fox and deer skirt??
We only bought one outfit. I couldn’t justify getting any more because I still have to “go through Charlotte’s clothes,” something that’s been on my to-do list for oh, you know, like a year. Her drawers are packed full of clothes that don’t fit her anymore and she already knows to check the tag to make sure it’s the right size before picking something to wear. Am I the only mom who thinks keeping up with kids’ clothes is the worst chore?
We went to an ice cream social at the school a couple days ago and got to meet Charlotte’s teacher. We totally know her! She goes to church with us, how cool is that?? The class is a kindergarten/1st grade combo class. I had never heard of a combo class for kindergarten, do they have that where you are from? She will be one of 7 kindergarteners in a class of 24, the rest are in 1st grade. Crazy right? I’m pretty excited to see how much she learns this year!
We’ll see if she makes it to her first day though. The other day Eric brought in a flyer from the mail. A WinCo is opening just a few minutes away from our house. The grand opening is tomorrow morning at 9am. Guess when Charlotte’s school starts? That’s right, 9am. But who needs school when you could be bagging a dozen cans of tuna at 61 cents each?? Or $5 big jars of Nutella?? Education, schmeducation. Priorities, guys.
You will love this Quick and Easy Pizza Sauce Recipe
Welcome to the easiest, best pizza sauce ever! I’ve been making this recipe for years and it never fails. For some reason pizza is usually a last-minute dinner decision, and I hardly ever have pizza sauce on hand. But I always have cans of tomato sauce and tomato paste, plus a few dried herbs from the spice rack, so I throw this together instead of running to the store. It’s so easy, you literally just dump everything in a bowl and stir.
The best part of this pantry recipe is that it’s packed with classic pizza flavors and done in just 5 minutes. (You can even use it as a pasta sauce, though I recommend this easy spaghetti sauce if you’ve got the time and the ingredients.)
No Cook Pizza Sauce ingredients
Here’s a quick of the pantry ingredients you need for this homemade pizza sauce. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for more details.
- Tomato sauce
- Tomato paste
- Dried oregano
- Dried basil
- Paprika
- Onion powder
- Sugar
- Garlic (fresh or jarred, or use garlic powder in a pinch)
How to make Pizza Sauce (No Cook!)
Here’s a quick overview of how to make this stupid easy sauce.
- Stir together all the ingredients in a medium bowl (or use your food processor if you want, not necessary).
- Spread it on your pizza dough.
- That’s literally it.
You can get fancier if you want. Sprinkle some red pepper flakes in for a little heat. Add some fresh basil if your plant needs trimming. Taste it and add a little salt if you think it needs it. Drizzle in a little extra virgin olive oil. In my experience the basic recipe is pretty much perfect but it’s also very customizable.
How to use this Quick Pizza Sauce recipe
I could ask “where should I start??” or more appropriately “where does it end??” Pizza sauce is so good for so many things. Here’s my list:
- Use it on pizza (you knew that was coming! here’s my fave pizza dough recipe)
- Bake an easy french bread pizza
- Dip mozzarella sticks in it
- Make a “pizzadilla” by adding pepperoni to your quesadilla, then dipping it in this, yeah baby
- Make these pepperoni cream cheese crescent rolls and dip ‘em
- Make zucchini pizza bites for a snack or heck, dinner
- Make this pizza dip in the microwave. God bless America
- Dip your garlic bread in it (this recipe is the BEST)
How to store No Cook Pizza Sauce
This homemade pizza sauce recipe can be stored in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container or in ziplock bags in the freezer for 3-4 months. It freezes extremely well. I love grabbing a bag of frozen sauce out to make pizza night that much easier!
Easy Pizza Sauce FAQs
Pizza sauce should be thick enough that it doesn’t run off the pizza and thin enough that you can easily spread it. Tomato sauce and tomato paste make perfectly textured pizza sauce.
Nope…or I wouldn’t be calling this “no cook pizza sauce.” Of course, the pizza sauce will get cooked in the oven along with the pizza!
No, no, no. Please don’t open a can of tomato sauce and put it on your pizza. It’s too thin and not seasoned enough to make your pizza sing. But it is a great base! So we’re going to add tomato paste for thickness and intensity, basil, oregano, paprika, onion powder, and minced garlic for tons of flavor, and just a little sugar to counteract the acidity of the tomato.
Stay tuned for my post Tuesday. It is dipped in this sauce, and yes it is pizza inspired. It’s the first in a line up of back to school lunch ideas that I will be posting next week! (Here’s the first post! Pepperoni Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls. Perfect for dipping in this sauce!)
Recipes to use this sauce for!
French Bread Pizza (3 Ways): << talk about easy…like so so easy
Homemade Pizza << I tested this so many times to make the best homemade pizza dough!
Easy Pizza Casserole << double the sauce to make this kid-pleasing goodness
Cast Iron Pan Pizza Recipe << featuring that Pizza Hut pan crust you love and remember
The Best Stromboli Recipe << the perfect thing to dip in your pizza sauce
Zucchini Pizza Bites << low carb! Delicious! These would be a fun game day snack
Hot Pizza Dip << this is one of my top 5 favorite appetizers of all time. Made in the microwave!
Pizza Burgers from Amira’s Pantry
Pizza Bagels from The Practical Kitchen
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Easy No Cook Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
- 1 6-oz can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons basil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic, I use the kind in the jar
Instructions
- Stir together all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Add a little water (a tablespoon at a time) if it’s thicker than you like.
- Use a ladle to spread over your pizza dough.
- Makes about 2 and 2/3 cup, or enough to cover 3-5 small (12-inch pizzas). This totally depends on how saucy you like your pizza!
Notes
I used shredded mozzarella for the cheese. The pepperoni is pre sliced, I used the Gallo brand, I think on the East coast it’s called Galileo. I will use it from now on because I love how it crisps up! Source: this recipe is adapted from Allrecipes.com.
To crisp pepperoni I sometimes put slices on paper towels & microwave for 30d seconds or so & then dab off the grease.
I love microwaved pepperoni Terry! Great idea, thanks for sharing!
Great sauce. I suggest the addition of 1 tablespoon of fennel seed. It works for us, giving the sauce slightly more character without being overpowering or overly dominant.
That’s a great idea Robert!! More flavor without making the recipe too complicated. I will try it next time!
This is delicious – I use this all the time now! So quick and easy.
Hooray! I love this recipe too, it’s a lifesaver when you need a quick sauce! Thanks for the review LuAnn :)
Sooo good!
I’m so glad you like it Dorothy! This is a staple for our family!
I just made this with an 8-year-old & a 10-year-old. I told them I got it from your blog and one said “then you should subscribe!”
Simple & delicious.
Hahaha!! Smart girls. You should listen to them. :)
So many thoughts: 1. I want a fox and deer skirt! Zoella is so much more fashionable than I am because I would much rather shop for baby clothes than adult clothes – booooring. 2. I still have some 0-3 month onesies in her drawer…she’s 7 months and wearing 12m leggings already so those def don’t fit, but ughhh do I just have to go through it again? Also why can’t clothing brands all get on the same page about sizing? 3. Yes! Combo classes! I was in a 3/4 combo class for half of a year (the older kids made fun of me for being weird so I switched back to my old school – womp womp). 4. No cook pizza sauce? I’m game. Yum!
This is going to be a HUGE hit with my kids. Why have I never thought of making this before? It looks irresistible!
She is a cute dresser! I hope she had a good day at school!
I live in Canada, and my peanut is starting in a junior/senior kindergarten split class next week. I’d never heard of that either. I thinkit will be good though, socially and hopefully educationally. All the best to you all in this new leap!
I love how simple these ingredients are! And, I want a deer & fox skirt too! Kid’s got style!
you can also use a big can of whole tomatoes, just leave the liquid behind and gently squeeze each tomato to release the seeds back into the can before crushing it and putting it in a bowl with the spices. this is how i was taught to make the tomato topping for deep dish! sometimes i throw in some crushed red pepper flakes for spice.
also, here’s a weird question…how do you get your pepperoni to curl and crisp like that? my partner loves the “pepperoni cups” and i can never get it like that at home.
anyway, yeah, where can i get charlotte’s skirt? that is too awesome! also, me & my fam are still in touch with my preschool & kindergarten teachers! (i’m 32.) we love them. they had just opened their little school when i went. i was in the second ever kindergarten class. because a lot of kids from preschool had to leave & go to their fancy elementary school kindergartens if they wanted to attend first grade there, my kindergarten class only had FOUR kids in it, including me! i still feel very lucky to have gone there for those two years. (and summers after that!)
Mmm that sauce sounds good, especially with the red pepper in it! Yum. I updated the notes up above for more details on the pizza if you want to check it out. The pepperoni is Gallo brand, and I was happy with how it crisped up too! That is the best!!
That is so cool that you keep in touch with your kinder teachers! How fun!
It’s only 8:40 in the morning and those pictures of pizza are starving me to death!!! Hope you publish a recipe for that!! Love homemade pepperoni pizza and would love to have your recipe! It looks sooooo good!
Hey Karen, I made your homemade pizza sauce and my husband and I made pizzas over the weekend and the sauce is great but I wasn’t happy with my crust. What kind do you use? Also, do you just use mozzarella or something else? I, too, like another commenter, would like to know how you get your pepperoni to crisp and curl without burning your crust. Thanks!!
Hey Lana! I updated the notes on this recipe so you can see how I made the pizza. The crust is homemade, the cheese is mozzarella, and the pepperoni is Gallo brand. Hope this helps! I’m glad you liked the sauce!