Recipes and Cooking All-Purpose Pizza Sauce 4.7 (18) Add your rating & review Season this simple homemade pizza sauce recipe with a variety of herbs for plenty of Italian-inspired flavor. Once you've mastered the classic tomato sauce for pizza, try our puttanesca, tomato basil-pesto, and garlic-robusto variations. By BHG Test Kitchen BHG Test Kitchen The Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen has been in continuous operation for nearly 100 years, developing and testing practical, reliable recipes that readers can enjoy at home. The Test Kitchen team includes culinary specialists, food stylists, registered and licensed nutritionists, and other experts with Bachelor of Science degrees in food science, food and nutrition, or culinary arts. Together, the team tests more than 2,500 recipes, produces more than 2,500 food images, and creates more than 1,000 food videos each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on February 1, 2012 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Prep Time: 5 mins Total Time: 5 mins Yield: 3 cups sauce Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes 1 ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar ½ teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder ½ teaspoon dried basil ¼ teaspoon dried oregano ¼ teaspoon dried thyme ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper ¼ - ½ teaspoon salt ¼ - ½ cup water Directions In a medium bowl whisk together all ingredients except the salt and water. Taste sauce and whisk in 1/4 cup water and enough salt to taste. If necessary, add more water to thin. Peter Reinhart says, "If the sauce is thick at this stage, it will be pasty on the pizza. It should easily spread over the dough.") Taste again and adjust the salt, if needed. For an 8- to 10-inch pizza, use 1/4 cup of the sauce. For bolder flavor, add the variations to the basic sauce. Caramelized Garlic Place 1 cup of peeled garlic cloves (3 to 4 bulbs). in a small saucepan with enough olive oil to cover the garlic (about 1 cup). Simmer over medium heat about 20 minutes, until garlic is a rich dark golden brown on the outside. They should develop what resembles a crust. Continue to cook until garlic is dark, rich brown. Stir occasionally to prevent garlic from sticking to the pan and burning. Remove from heat. Let garlic stand in oil for 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer garlic to a plate lined with paper towels. Transfer remaining oil to a jar with tightly fitting lid. Separately refrigerate garlic and oil, tightly covered, up to 2 weeks. Peter's Pizza Margherita Remove chilled dough from refrigerator 2 hours before assembling pizzas. Prepare and preheat oven. Top each pizza with 1/4 cup All-Purpose Sauce, 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, and several basil leaves brushed with olive oil. Bake as directed. Spicy Puttanesca Sauce: Add 1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata or ripe olives, 1 tablespoons capers and 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper.Nutrition Analysis: 31 calories, 1 g protein, 6 g carb., 1 g total fat (0 g sat. fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 10% Vitamin A, 10% Vitamin C, 220 mg sodium, 3% calcium, 5% iron Tomato Basil-Pesto Sauce: Whisk in 1/2 cup Pesto alla Genovese (see recipe) into the pasta sauce. Taste and add more if desired.Nutrition Analysis: 89 calories, 2 g protein, 6 g carb., 7 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 1 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 12% Vitamin A, 11% Vitamin C, 165 mg sodium, 5% calcium, 7% iron Garlic-Robusto Sauce: Add 2 to 3 tablespoon of garlic oil (see Caramelized garlic recipe) and 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Nutrition Analysis: 42 calories, 1 g protein, 5 g carb., 3 g total fat (0 g sat. fat), 1 g fiber, 10% Vitamin A, 10% Vitamin C, 136 mg sodium, 2% calcium, 5% iron Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 22 Calories 5g Carbs 1g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Calories 22 % Daily Value * Sodium 136mg 6% Total Carbohydrate 5g 2% Total Sugars 2g Protein 1g Vitamin C 5.9mg 30% Calcium 20.2mg 2% Iron 0.9mg 5% Potassium 198mg 4% Folate, total 8.1mcg Vitamin B-6 0.1mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.