{"title":"How to Make Pizza Sauce","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/cooking/how-to-make-pizza-sauce","category":{"slug":"cooking","name":"Cooking"},"creator":{"name":"Food Wishes","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRIZtPl9nb9RiXc9btSTQNw","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IcEyz5kAww"},"tldr":"Make Chef John's secret pizza sauce with San Marzano tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and oregano. A spicy, garlicky all-purpose sauce for homemade pizza.","totalDurationSeconds":269,"difficulty":"easy","tools":["saucepan","chef's knife","cutting board","mixing bowl","wooden spoon"],"materials":["canned San Marzano tomatoes","olive oil","fresh oregano","dried oregano","garlic","anchovy fillets","red chili flakes"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Chop the Fresh Oregano","text":"Oregano is the signature herb of pizza sauce, so start there. Pull the leaves off the stems, then chop them up on your cutting board. You want them fine but not a paste. Set the chopped oregano aside for now. It goes into the oil in a few minutes, and you will use dried oregano later too."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Warm the Olive Oil and Anchovies","text":"Pour a good amount of quality olive oil into a saucepan and set it over medium-low heat. Drop in two anchovy fillets. Do not worry, you will not taste them as fish. They melt into the oil and add a savory backbone that people can never quite name. Let them warm up until they start to sizzle."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Sizzle the Garlic","text":"Once the anchovy is sizzling, stir in the very finely minced garlic. Cook it for about 60 seconds, just long enough to smell it and take the raw edge off. Keep the heat gentle. You do not want the garlic to brown, because browned garlic turns bitter and that flavor carries all the way through the sauce."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Add the Oregano and Chili Flakes","text":"Turn the heat down as low as it goes. Stir in the fresh chopped oregano and let it cook in the oil for a couple of minutes. Then add the red chili flakes for a little heat and the dried oregano for that deeper, smokier flavor. Everything is bubbling gently in the oil now and smelling like a pizzeria."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Crush the San Marzano Tomatoes","text":"Empty a can of San Marzano tomatoes into a bowl. Look for the real ones from Italy, not the ones labeled San Marzano style. Now crush them with your bare hand. Keep squeezing until you have a rough puree with a little texture left. Bare hands are fine here. It is the same way you handle the pizza dough."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Add the Tomatoes and Season","text":"Pour the crushed tomatoes into the saucepan and stir. Bump the heat up to medium and bring it to a simmer. While it heats, season the sauce with salt, a little sugar to balance the acidity, and some black pepper. Give it all a good stir so the herbs and oil work their way through the tomatoes."},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7: Simmer, Then Add the Secret Pinch","text":"Let the sauce simmer gently for about 35 to 40 minutes. Not raw, not cooked for hours, just enough to pull it together. Stir the olive oil right in, never skim it off. At the end, add one tiny pinch of baking soda. It foams up and neutralizes some of the acid, which mellows the sauce a little."},{"number":8,"title":"Step 8: Taste and Use","text":"Give it a final taste and adjust the salt or heat if it needs it. That is it. You have a thick, glossy, deep red pizza sauce that is a little spicy, a little garlicky, with both fresh and dried oregano coming through. Spread a thin layer on your homemade dough. Go easy, since too much sauce is how a pizza gets ruined."}],"recipe":{"servings":"Makes about 2 cups","prepMinutes":10,"cookMinutes":40,"cuisine":"Italian","ingredients":[{"name":"canned San Marzano tomatoes","notes":"the real ones from Italy","amount":"1 can (28 oz)"},{"name":"olive oil","notes":"good quality","amount":"1/4 cup"},{"name":"anchovy fillets","amount":"2"},{"name":"garlic","notes":"very finely minced","amount":"3 cloves"},{"name":"fresh oregano","notes":"chopped","amount":"2 tbsp"},{"name":"dried oregano","amount":"1 tsp"},{"name":"red chili flakes","notes":"to taste","amount":"1/2 tsp"},{"name":"salt","notes":"to taste","amount":"1 tsp"},{"name":"sugar","amount":"1/2 tsp"},{"name":"black pepper","amount":"1/4 tsp"},{"name":"baking soda","notes":"optional, mellows the acid","amount":"1 tiny pinch"}]},"lastUpdated":"2026-07-10T16:22:17.405Z","published":"2026-07-10T16:16:56.490Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}