Sick of reading the nutrition label of jarred red sauce and seeing so much added sugar? This Natural and Healthy Pizza Sauce enhanced the natural sweetness in cherry tomatoes to avoid adding processed sugars.
In a world of such divisiveness, the one thing we can all agree on is pizza.
I truly haven’t met anyone who doesn’t love it. And despite any dietary restrictions, allergies, and carb-cutting, people ALWAYS find their way to pizza.
There are variations with vegan cheese, cauliflower crust, or even zucchini as a base.
But the one thing ANY great pizza has is an awesome sauce. This Healthy Pizza Sauce has a bold flavor with no added sugars and is specifically designed to avoid a soggy crust.
Healthy Pizza Sauce Tips and Tricks
The reason there is so much added sugar in most marinara sauce is because a lot of tomatoes tend to be bitter when cooked. Using a sweet variety of cherry tomatoes and roasting them means you don’t have to add sugar to offset any bitterness.
There are A LOT of cherry tomato varieties. A lot of the sweeter varieties are branded as such, so you should be able to find them easily at your local grocery store.
Make sure you are checking on your tomatoes periodically so they don’t burn. You’ll know they are ready when they look a little wrinkly and are just starting to brown on top.
Oregano and crushed red pepper perfectly season the tomatoes, but can also get bitter if burnt. Keeping an eye on them will make sure you get that flavor balance you want!
Of course, you’re doing fifty things at once and getting distracted by texts and your dog and your partner, so there’s always a chance that you may burn it a little. Have no fear!! Just a pinch of sugar will fix that burnt bitterness right up!
Once I started making my own marinara and pizza sauce, it was hard to go back. The ones you buy in a jar have lots of added sugar and preservatives.
I use this red sauce recipe for pizza, pasta, and sandwiches, and feel much better knowing that every ingredient is natural and healthy.
Try this healthy pizza sauce on this Flatbread Dough, or with these Meatless Chickpea Meatballs!
Natural and Healthy Pizza Sauce
PRINT PIN RATEIngredients
- 2 pints sweet cherry tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 3 cloves garlic
- 8 leaves of basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line baking sheet with tin foil.
- Rinse your tomatoes and chop the onions. Lay them out on the baking sheet and add 2 tablespoons oil. Make sure the tomatoes are evenly coated in the oil. Add the seasonings, and roast for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and place into a food processor or blender with garlic, basil, and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste if need be. This sauce can be canned, jarred, or served immediately on pasta, pizza, sandwiches, etc.
Pro Tips
- I use my hands in step 2 to really make sure the onions and cherry tomatoes are evenly coated in oil and seasonings to ensure they are roasting evenly.
- If you don’t love garlic like I do, you can roast the garlic with the onions and cherry tomatoes. I usually cook this sauce again before serving- whether it be on a pizza or in a pot with pasta- so I add it later to really optimize the flavor.
- If you’re accustomed to a sweeter sauce like you get in the jar, you can always add a teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon of hot water to your sauce. I like it a little tangy and more rustic, so I opt not to.
2 thoughts on “Natural and Healthy Pizza Sauce”
This sounds like a delicious marinara sauce, which is all I use.
Yum