Ravioli with Homemade Tomato Sauce

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My Ravioli with Homemade Tomato Sauce recipe uses a few simple ingredients and is really easy to make, perfect for a weekend family dinner.

We have a 2nd generation Italian descendant in the family, so as you might imagine pasta dishes feature frequently on the menu rotation in my home. This Ravioli with Tomato Sauce dish is a firm favorite.

I love making my own tomato sauces and try to mix up the different variations of my Homemade Tomato Sauce, depending on what type of pasta I’m serving. This is my recipe for my Easy Ravioli with Homemade Tomato Sauce.

Many people I talk to are intimidated by the thought of making their own Homemade Tomato Sauce. However, in this recipe post I’m going to show you just how easy it is. Once you’ve made it you will realize not only is it simple and straight-forward to cook, but it tastes better than any store-bought sauce. You won’t go back to using a jar of sauce again! You should also consider trying this amazing Lobster Ravioli Sauce!

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How to make Ravioli with Homemade Tomato Sauce:

With summer approaching, many of us are looking for ways to use up the fresh tomatoes growing in our gardens. My fresh tomato sauce for ravioli is a great way to make use of a glut of tomatoes. Making your own red sauce for ravioli could not be any simpler, and my homemade tomato sauce will make all the difference to the finished dish.

How to puree fresh tomatoes:

This tomato sauce recipe requires 6 cups of tomato puree. While you can use canned, I like to use fresh whole tomatoes, so for this recipe I use around 2 pounds of fresh tomatoes. Simply place the tomatoes in a blender and blend to smooth before passing through a sieve to remove the skin and seeds. Make sure you press down into the sieve with the back of a spoon as you don’t want to loose any of the flavor!

Recipe Steps:

1. Pour the olive oil into a pot and place over medium heat. Add the diced onion and the garlic cloves and saute until the onion is clear.
2. Add the tomatoes, basil and sea salt, then turn the heat down to low and simmer gently for 3 hours.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and add black pepper to taste.
4. Meanwhile, place a pot over a medium heat, adding 4 quarts of water and a tablespoon of salt.
5. Once the water is boiling, add the uncooked ravioli and cook for 5 minutes (or according to packaging directions).
6. Drain the ravioli leaving around 1/4 cup on water in the pot.
7. Add the tomato sauce and cook for 5 more minutes.Serve and enjoy.

Recipe ingredients:

• I like to make my own tomato puree, however you can use canned tomatoes. Using a can of pureed tomatoes (1 x 8oz can is roughly 1 cup) is a quick and convenient way to make this ravioli sauce recipe.
• Olive oil is used to gently saute the onion and garlic. Use olive oil and not extra virgin olive oil, which while delicious, has a very low burn temperature.
• Onion and garlic add real depth of flavor to the sauce. Saute gently in the pan to soften the onion until translucent, but taking care not to burn.
• Basil leaves add a burst of freshness to the finished sauce.
• Ravioli comes in a variety of different different flavor fillings, including meat, seafood, cheese and vegetable based fillings. Choose the filling that your family enjoy eating most!

Tips for making Ravioli with Tomato Sauce:

• Good sauce needs time to simmer! 3 hours might sound like a long time to leave it bubbling away, but I assure you the results are worth it!
• I always add 1/4- 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water to any pasta dish. The starchy water not only adds flavor but also helps bind the pasta and sauce together.
• This is a great make ahead dish as the pasta sauce can be made up to 3 days in advanced and stored in the refrigerator. When you are ready to serve, simply warm the sauce up, cook the ravioli and spoon over the sauce.
• Our ravioli tomato sauce is easily doubled or quadrupled! Make a double batch, enjoy some now and freeze half the tomato sauce for another time. Simply allow to cool and place in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• By batch cooking your tomato sauce, you drastically reduce the amount of time required in the kitchen, so it can work for a weeknight meal, simply defrost a portion of sauce and cook some pasta.

Serving suggestions:

Ravioli with tomato sauce is a rich and hearty dish, so I like to keep any sides really simple. Serve a simple dressed salad along with some garlic bread, focaccia or crusty bread to help mop up the sauce.

For a variation on this ravioli tomato sauce you can add some cooked ground beef and/or Italian sausage to the sauce recipe if you like it meatier.

This fresh and versatile homemade tomato sauce is not only great on any type of pasta, but also the makes the ideal pizza topping, simply spread some over the dough base!

Try out some of these other great Pasta Recipes:

• One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta
• Tuscan Chicken with Penne Pasta
• Chicken Tenderloins with Garlic Pasta
• Cannelloni
• Lasagne
• Chicken Fajita Pasta

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These are a few items I find helpful in my own kitchen when preparing this Ravioli with Homemade Tomato Sauce Recipe:

Cuisinart 733-30H Chef’s Classic Stainless 5-1/2-Quart Saute Pan with Helper Handle and CoverCuisinart 77-412 Chef’s Classic Stainless 4-Piece 12-Quart Pasta/Steamer SetSweese 1309 Porcelain Salad/Pasta Bowls – 22 Ounce – Set of 6, WhiteMaking Artisan Pasta: How to Make a World of Handmade Noodles, Stuffed Pasta, Dumplings, and MoreHomemade Pasta Made Simple: A Pasta Cookbook with Easy Recipes & Lessons to Make Fresh Pasta Any NightStuffed Pasta Recipes: How to Make Delicious Homemade Pasta