Ooni Pizza Sauce Recipe
Add this Ooni Pizza Sauce Recipe atop my Ooni pizza dough recipe and you have an easy, flavorful tomato base for your favorite pizza recipes. This cooked pizza sauce is a saucy rebellion against pizza purists who insist that pizza sauce must be made with raw tomatoes.
Now I respect pizza traditionalists and their international regulations for how Neapolitan pizza should be made. But with just two additional ingredients and a quick simmer on the stove top, you’ll have a pizza sauce to take your Ooni pizza masterpieces to new heights!
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Ingredients
- If you can find them (and can afford them), San Marzano tomatoes from Italy supposedly have a richer, sweeter tomato taste.
- Whole tomatoes are the best choice when buying canned tomatoes because only the best quality tomatoes can be canned whole. However, when time is priority, like in this cheesy white bean tomato bake, go ahead and use canned chopped tomatoes.
- A touch of sugar balances the acidity from the tomatoes in this and other tomato sauce recipes like my hearty marinara and pink pasta sauce.
Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations and substitutions
- Add fresh or dried herbs like oregano, thyme, or basil.
- Add some heat with some crushed red pepper flakes.
- Roast and mash your garlic before adding it to the pizza sauce.
- Add a tablespoon of tomato paste to the sauce if your tomatoes aren’t the most flavorful.
- Leave your sauce chunky or puree it completely. “They say” that a food mill (shown below) is the best tool for the job because it doesn’t add air to your tomato sauce like a blender.
Recipe tips and tricks
While traditionalists say that a classic pizza sauce should never be cooked, a little time on the stove top concentrates the flavor and liquid of canned tomatoes. That’s important, because the high temperatures and short cooking time in your Ooni pizza oven mean that everything on your pizza should already be concentrated down to keep your crust from getting soggy. That’s true whether we’re talking mozzarella, mushrooms, or this Ooni tomato sauce recipe.
Step by step
Step 1: Heat up olive oil in a pan over low heat, and add as much chopped or crushed garlic as your heart tells you to use. A good sized clove or two is a good start.
Cook the garlic until it starts to smell fragrant, just a minute or two. Don’t overcook the garlic or it will be bitter.
Step 2: Add the canned tomatoes to the garlic, squeezing them in your hand over the pan to break them apart as you add them. Be sure to discard that sad-looking basil from your canned tomatoes!
Step 3: Turn up the heat and cook the tomato sauce, uncovered, at a simmer for about 30 minutes.
Step 4: Add the salt and sugar to the tomato sauce and taste to adjust your seasonings. You can pass it through a food mill or puree it in your blender or food processor, or leave it a bit chunky as it is.
Let the pizza sauce cool to room temperature before using it on your pizza dough. You can store this tomato sauce in the refrigerator for three to five days.
How else to use this Ooni tomato sauce
Some times you’ll find you have extra pizza sauce. Here are a few ideas for how to use it:
- As a dip for garlic breadsticks or crisp vegetables.
- In a meatball wrap or meatball sub.
- Alongside Parmesan chicken muffins.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. Freeze your pizza sauce in an air-tight container for up to three to six months, and you’re ready to go for your next pizza night!
The Ooni pizza oven is a brand of small home pizza ovens that can be wood-fired or use propane gas to reach temperatures of 900 degrees Fahrenheit (480 degrees Celsius), getting you that crispy crust that you just can’t get in a home oven. We own the Ooni Koda 16 and love it (and have no affiliation to Ooni).
I’m a huge fan of making pita in the Ooni, but you can make a huge variety of things. Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know about new Ooni recipes!
Related recipes
Check out other sauces and dressings from the Ugly Duckling Bakery archives like:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.
Recipe
Ooni Pizza Sauce
Equipment
- Food mill, blender, or food processor optional
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 to 3 garlic cloves minced or crushed
- 28 ounces canned tomatoes whole tomatoes preferable
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for about 1 minute until it becomes fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic.1 to 3 garlic cloves
- Pour the canned tomatoes into the saucepan, along with any liquid in the can. As you are pouring, crush the tomatoes with your hand over the pan to break them up a little bit. Stir well to combine. Be sure to remove any basil that might be in the can.28 ounces canned tomatoes
- Add the salt and sugar to the saucepan, stirring to incorporate the seasonings evenly. Bring the pan to a simmer, and cook the pizza sauce uncovered for about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened.1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar
- Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let the pizza sauce cool to room temperature before saucing your pizzas.
Notes
Nutrition
This Ooni pizza sauce recipe was first posted June 8, 2023.
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