The pizza sauce that will inspire you to make pizza at home
Seriously, you can do this.
Oh my GOD do I love pizza. But I do have a personal definition for what qualifies as “pizza.” There are plenty of forms of dough with toppings, but that does not a pizza make. For me, at least, what makes a pizza is a good dough and a good RED SAUCE. Do not tell me that “white pizza” is pizza. It’s not. It’s a pasta dish without the pasta, or salad and other ingredients that you’ve put on dough, but it’s not pizza. And don’t get me wrong — I love these dishes! If I see anything that’s on dough and covered in veggies, and probably some cheese, sign me up. Imma go to TOWN on that. But it’s not pizza if it doesn’t have red sauce. (Side note, I’m not a huge meat person in general, so do not factor it into prerequisites for most meals.)
Now that I’ve established my position on pizza sauce and how it is a prerequisite to anything being called a “pizza”… I also don’t shy away from convenience. This recipe has canned tomato paste in it. Because while fresh pasta sauce is something I very much value, to me it’s not pizza sauce. Pizza is fun, but let’s be honest, a little naughty on the health scale. So if you’re going to bother to make it
I also personally think pizza should be a group experience. As if pizza isn’t awesome enough, it’s SO much better when you make it with other people, because you’re ultimately going to share it with other people. It’s designed for a group experience. Think about it. You’re all pulling from the same plate. People call dibs on slices because they know everyone is coming together at once to share the food. One of the only times I will allow someone to invade my food space is pizza. (I normally can’t handle anyone taking things off my plate without asking, I find it really rude.)
When I was growing up, our neighbors would invite us over for a homemade pizza night. I know it involved a lot of effort on our parents’ parts, but it was fun. We kids were all around the same age, so we played together, our parents had some time to hang out, but food was a part of the whole evening. And even though I’m sure it added time, we kids were invited to participate in the pizza-making process. Even if it was the smallest part, like spreading the sauce or the cheese.
Pizza is beloved around the world not only because its ingredients are things almost everyone loves, but because people tend to gather to make it together.
And this sauce, for me, hits the spot. It’s easy, slightly sweet, while still containing ingredients we can all pronounce. I hope you will embrace this pizza sauce recipe as a simple and delicious way to make pizza at home. You can make this in batches and freeze it, and pull it out for a no-nonsense addition for a fun pizza night. This recipe will make enough to sauce two pizzas, if you love tomato sauce as much I do and planning on spreading it to the edges. And it’s easy to halve, double, etc.
A quick note on blending this recipe — the hot water is key here, because it helps to break down the thickness of the honey and the tomato paste. If you don’t melt the honey, the sauce is going to have weird pockets of unblended flavors. But I promise you that you’ll be glad you added the sweetness. And I personally think it functions better than sugar would here.
Ingredients:
2 6 oz cans of tomato paste
12 oz hot water (about 145 degrees)
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup shake cheese/parmesan
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp basil (dried is fine)
1/2 tsp marjoram
1 tsp salt
Optional: black pepper, red pepper flakes, or cayenne if you want a bit of zing!
Instructions:
1) Place all ingredients into a heat-safe mixing bowl and gently mix by hand OR throw it all in a Vitamix/blender and blend until smooth. But you want to make sure you have a smooth, cohesive sauce without chunks.
2) Let sit for at least 30 minutes for all the ingredients to “become friends”, as I like to say. If you refrigerate it during this time you will have a firmer sauce — if you leave it at room temp, a more spreadable one. But then it’s ready for your pizza party! Enjoy!
