by Jenna Atkinson
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San Marzano pizza sauce is a rich and lush pizza sauce with a sweet finish that you can use for pizza, pizza pretzels, or as a breadstick dipping sauce.
San Marzano pizza sauce is flavored with fresh basil leaves, oregano and garlic.
Why use San Marzano tomatoes for pizza sauce
San Marzano tomatoes are used for making pizza sauce because of their sweet and rich flavor.
San Marzano tomatoes are less acidic than Roma tomatoes, and have a more powerful flavor.
Pizza sauce is a little on the sweeter side, therefore using San Marzano tomatoes is the preferred tomato for making pizza sauce.
If you were to make pizza sauce with Plum or Roma tomatoes, you would have to add more sugar or add butter to the pizza sauce to balance out the acidity.
Should you drain San Marzano tomatoes
Yes, you should drain off the tomato juices of San Marzano tomatoes for your recipe.
Draining off the juices will make the pizza sauce more thick, and you can always add a little of the drippings if it’s too thick for your liking.
You have more control over the pizza sauce consistency by draining the San Marzano tomatoes.
Can you freeze San Marzano Pizza Sauce
You can freeze San Marzano Pizza Sauce in an airtight container for up to 1 month in the freezer. To thaw the San Marzano Pizza Sauce, place it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before you’re wanting to use it.
How to make San Marzano pizza sauce spicy
To make San Marzano pizza sauce spicy, add more pepper and red pepper flakes to the sauce.
You can add 1/8 tsp of pepper, and 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes and then adjust as necessary.
You can also add more basil, as its peppery flavor will make the pizza sauce more spicy.
Add another 1-2 tbsp of fresh strips of basil to the pizza sauce and adjust to your liking.
How can you modify the San Marzano pizza sauce recipe
- Add 1 onion cut in half to the pizza sauce right before it starts the 30 minute cook time. Remove the onions at the end of the cooking process to have more of a creamy onion flavor to your pizza sauce.
- Eliminate fresh basil from the pizza sauce to have a sweeter pizza sauce.
- Add 1-2 tsp of Italian seasoning to the pizza sauce to add a little more flavoring.
San Marzano Pizza Sauce Recipe
How to make pizza sauce using San Marzano tomatoes
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Active Time40 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: condiment
Keyword: sauce
Yield: 2 large pizzas
Materials
- 1 28 ounce San Marzano Tomatoes canned
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp sugar granulated
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp basil fresh, cut into strips
Instructions
Place a strainer over a medium bowl. Pour the tomatoes into the strainer. Add a little salt to the top of the tomatoes. Let sit for 20 minutes until most of the juices have been removed. Straining the juices out of the San Marzano canned tomatoes will make the pizza sauce nice and thick.
Place the tomatoes in a medium bowl. Use a potato masher or pastry blender to break up the tomatoes a little before cooking them.
In a medium frying pan over low- medium heat, place olive oil, garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant. It should take a couple of minutes to cook, then add the red pepper flakes at the end.
Add your strained San Marzano tomatoes to the frying pan. Gently mash them to make them a little smaller. Mix the infused oil into the tomatoes to create an herbed pizza sauce.
Add sugar, salt, and pepper to the pizza sauce.
Cook the pizza sauce for 30 minutes over low heat to let it simmer. Stir the San Marzano pizza sauce every couple of minutes.
Add fresh cut strips of basil to the pizza sauce and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
San Marzano pizza sauce is ready to use. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
How to make Margherita Pizza with San Marzano Pizza Sauce
- Roll out your pizza dough to fit your round pizza pan.
- Spread San Marzano pizza sauce over your pizza dough.
- Using a pastry brush, brush extra virgin olive oil over the edges of the crust that do not have pizza sauce on it. Only on the outer ring of pizza dough. (optional)
- Cut 8 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. Arrange the cheese sparingly, not overlapping, on the pizza sauce.
- Bake the pizza at 500 degrees F for 12 minutes, or until cheese looks like its browning.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and arrange 8-10 fresh basil leaves on the margherita pizza.
- Serve immediately.
- Store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
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