Recipes

Margherita Sauce

RECIPE BY: San

DATE: January 25, 2026

Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes

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Margherita Sauce is a delicious Italian sauce made with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, flat-leaf parsley, and olive oil.

This is the best Margherita sauce you will ever have. The flavors are so fresh and delicious. You can put it on pasta, homemade Margherita pizza, or serve it with toasted bread and cheese.

Margherita sauce shot in white bowl and wooden serving spoon

Margherita sauce is a classic Italian tomato sauce made with fresh ingredients, and this recipe is, by far, the most amazing I’ve ever had.

Margherita sauce served on toasted bread topped with cheese
Why our family loves this recipe!

The fresh flavors in this Margherita sauce are enough to make you feel like you’re dining in a wonderful Italian restaurant. We make it all summer long while tomatoes are at their peak and even the kids love it.

Classic Margherita Sauce Made From Scratch

What makes it so unique are fresh tomatoes. During the summer, we buy lots of them at the farmer’s market to make this sauce. Preparing the tomatoes is a few steps, and once you’ve done that, the rest of the recipe is a breeze.

Ingredients

  • Plum tomatoes—Plum tomatoes are the best because they are meatier than other varieties, although Roma tomatoes will also work well.
  • Olive oil – you would use extra virgin as well.
  • Fresh basil & parsley – fresh is best in this recipe; using dried will not give the same flavor or effect.
  • Salt and pepper
  • Garlic – we prefer to use fresh garlic cloves, but you would also use store-bought minced garlic.

How to Blanche and Peel Tomatoes

First, you must cut an “X” into each tomato. This is called “scoring,” and you should only cut deep enough to get through the skin but not too far into the flesh. Scoring the tomatoes before you blanch them will help loosen the skins as they boil, making it easy to peel them off.

tomatoes with X put into them for blanching

Although it takes some time, the process is easy and will make a big difference. Boiling the tomatoes not only makes it easier to peel them but it lightly cooks them, too. Using raw tomatoes with the skins on will change the sauce’s texture.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add five tomatoes at a time. Boil them for one to two minutes, scoop them out, and set them aside to cool while you blanch the rest of the tomatoes.

blanched tomatoes

Once the tomatoes are cooled, you can peel them. The skins will have started to pull away from the flesh, making it easy to peel the tomatoes. Discard the skins, dice the peeled tomatoes, and place them in a large bowl.

how to make Margherita Sauce

Once you’ve diced the tomatoes, place them and the juices in a medium mixing bowl and add olive oil.

Now add the fresh basil, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper. Give it all a big stir to combine fully.

Margherita sauce overview shot with herbs and seasonings

Recipe Tips

  • As tempting as it might be, you should leave it at room temperature for three to four hours. This allows all the flavors to fully develop and mix and mingle. It will taste so delicious once it’s had a chance to sit.
  • Any leftovers should be kept in the refrigerator, where they will be kept for several days.
Margherita sauce overview shot in white bowl and wooden serving spoon

Different Ways to Serve It

  • Toss it with hot pasta for a quick and easy dinner.
  • Spoon it on toasted garlic bread as a light dinner or appetizer.
  • Make homemade pizza with the sauce, use this pizza crust recipe.
  • Serve with a side salad and breadsticks.
  • This sauce is wonderful on top of grilled chicken.
Margherita sauce served over angel hair pasta

    Pin to Pinterest.

    collage image of Margherita sauce with recipe title

    Margherita Sauce

    Prep: 30 minutes
    Cook: 3 hours
    Total: 3 hours 30 minutes
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 308 kcal
    Margherita Sauce is a delicious classic Italian sauce with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, flat-leaf parsley, and olive oil.
    Print Pin Rate

    Video

    Ingredients
     

    • 15 plum tomatoes
    • 1 1/2 cups olive oil
    • 1 cup fresh basil chopped
    • 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon pepper
    • 5 cloves garlic diced

    Instructions
     

    • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare the tomatoes by cutting an X into the skin, I do this on one side, but you can do this on the bottom if you’d like. 
    • Add the tomatoes to the boiling water 5 at a time and blanch them by cooking for 1-2 minutes. Remove from water and let them cool.
    • Once cooled peel and dice, then place in a large mixing bowl. Combine with remaining ingredients.
    • Let it sit at room temp for 3-4 hours, if it sits longer that is okay. Store leftovers in the fridge, or serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    The cook time is the time you let the sauce rest on the counter.

    Calories: 308kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 472mgPotassium: 253mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1155IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg

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    Hey, I'm Sandra! At A Dash of Sanity, you'll discover family-friendly recipes for every occasion. Whether it's speedy dinners or delectable desserts, I'm here to make your mealtime delicious, simplify your holiday baking, and unite your loved ones around the table.

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    4.92 from 25 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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    110 Comments

      1. YAY! Brandi you will love and so will the family, unless they are like my kids and hate anything of a green veggie. LOL. xo San

        Reply

    11. What a wonderful story. She sounds really nice. I think it is amazing that she just “evaluated the ingredients” 🙂 You pictures are amazing. I can imagine you have a lot of natural lighting in your kitchen. Very nice. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply

      1. Becka – I am super lucky. I live in CO and the lighting is always pretty good. Snowy days aren’t so much but we get sunshine here almost all the time. xo San

        Reply

    12. This looks so good. I love finding new recipes to try and me being half Italian, I would say this is going to be at the top of my list.

      Reply

    13. Well obviously you do have a big passion for life as this sauce looks amazing and I’m sure it’s thousand times better than it looks. I love margherita sauce in about any type of pasta but never seen such delicious one.

      Reply

    25. That looks delicious. I like tomatoes. never tried making a homemade sauce. when I cook spaghetti i add couple of big tomatoes to my sauce to make it tastier. i just love tomatoes. Thanks for sharing the recipe

      Reply