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!
We made our sauce using canned tomatoes, but we also have instructions below if you’re using fresh tomatoes from your garden.
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?
Eva says
Do you use oregano in this recipe I always thought that basil and oregano went with Italian spaghetti sauce
Kelsey says
We don’t use oregano in this particular recipe, but you can definitely add it if you would like.
Lori says
Is it possible to can this recipe?
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.
Jenny says
If I just wanted to make a smaller batch fresh from stove to eat do I have to simmer for 2 hours?
Kelsey says
No, you don’t need to let it simmer the whole time, but tomato-based sauces usually continue to develop more flavor while simmering.
Cindy Leonard says
Can you freeze this recipe and if you can how long can you freeze it up to
Karen says
Can this sauce be frozen?
Roberthinman says
How come you don’t mention the meat at all in your recipe? Do you prepare that before and add it to the sauce?
Kelsey says
There isn’t any meat in the sauce.
Linda says
How many serving would there be in this recipe?
Linda says
Hmmm – Your picture shows (2) cans of WHOLE tomatoes and 1 can of CRUSHED. Your instructions say 3 cans of CRUSHED tomatoes and FRESH whole tomatoes. Below it, your print enabled instructions just say 3 cans of CRUSHED tomatoes. Very confusing. Am I missing something?
Christine says
Please send me the website thank you
Kathleen White says
Can you use diced tomatoes
Edward Merson says
Well to all you all this is what i think about Olive Gardens tomato based pasta sauce I believe it has a hint of anise in it . Iv tried it and bingo
Bill says
The olive garden secret is mushroom base, tomato base each hydrated with chianti wine.
Karen McIntyre says
Made this and it tasted great. The only thing different I did was I only added 2.5 TBSP of Parsley. Tasted much better. I also didn’t add any sugar. But oooh, this is soooo good.
Joyce says
My family is from Italy. My sauce is made with one 28oz can of crushed tomatoes, 1-28 oz can of tomato puree and 1 small can of tomato paste. I add oregano, parsley, fresh garlic and garlic powder and also basil along with 2TBS of sugar and cook on real low for 3 hours covered. If the sauce is too thick, I add some hot water. We also throw in browned sausage and meat balls and the rind of Parm, cheese
Eleanor says
The only thing I would add is salt. It doesn’t call for any salt in the recipe.