If you love Olive Garden, you’ll want to check out this Copycat Olive Garden Spaghetti Sauce Recipe! It’s so simple to whip up, using only minimal ingredients.
With this easy recipe, you can create a delicious dish that’s even better than the restaurant, right from the comfort of your home!
So if you are getting hungry like me, here is the recipe along with ingredients you will need. Enjoy this tasty meal!
Make your dinner complete when you also make this Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks recipe!
Note: This recipe makes about 3-4 jars of sauce and it freezes great so whip up a whole batch and save some for a night you have no time to cook. If you’re into canning, you can also can the sauce for later use.
Copycat Olive Garden Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
3 cans Crushed Tomatoes (either regular or with basil, oregano and garlic) 28 oz. sized cans OR 12-15 fresh tomatoes (peeled, chopped and blended in a food processor)
4 cloves garlic
4 Tablespoons dried basil
1 ½ tsp Black pepper
1-2 TBSP Sugar (optional) – This takes out the bitterness and makes it a little sweet
2 TSBP olive oil
⅓ cup grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
Minced Green Peppers (optional)
How to Make Olive Garden Spaghetti Sauce:
1. Heat the olive oil in a 5+ qt. pot over medium heat, and add the chopped or pressed garlic.
2. Heat for one to two minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic, then add all the tomatoes, black pepper, basil and sugar. Stirring often, bring to a low boil.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 hours stirring often.
4. For the first half of the simmer time, do so with the pot uncovered, then cover.
5. Add the cheese, stir in and simmer for an additional 5 minutes or so.
6. Enjoy!!
I hope if you make this recipe, that you and your family enjoy it as much as we do!
Copycat Olive Garden Spaghetti Sauce

We love making pasta topped with this delicious sauce that will make you think you're eating at Olive Garden!
Ingredients
- 3 28 oz. cans of Crushed Tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 Tablespoons dried basil
- 1 ½ tsp Black pepper
- 1-2 TBSP Sugar (optional) – this takes out the bitterness and makes it a little sweet
- 2 TSBP olive oil
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
- Minced Green Peppers (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a 5+ qt. pot over medium heat, and add the chopped or pressed garlic.
- Heat for one to two minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic, then add all the tomatoes, black pepper, basil and sugar. Stirring often, bring to a low boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 hours stirring often.
- For the first half of the simmer time, do so with the pot uncovered, then cover.
- Add the cheese, stir in and simmer for an additional 5 minutes or so.
Lisa Brown says
Sounds great!! No one can ever get enough of those breadsticks.
Jeanan says
I love this recipe, but I do about 7-10 pounds of tomatoes at a time. And I add finely chopped onions
I also used home grown tomatoes, basil and oregano from my little green house.
Kelsey says
If you wanted to use the green peppers, when do you add them?
Kelsey says
I would sautee them in the olive oil before adding the garlic.
Erika Beyer says
How many servings does this yeil?
Joyce says
Can you use minced garlic?
Kelsey says
You could. 1 medium-size garlic clove is about ¾ teaspoon minced garlic, so to equal 4 cloves you should use 3 teaspoons.