10 Best Pasta Sauces to Make at Home (Better Than Any Jar)

Thursday 06th Aug 2026 |

10 Pasta Sauces That Will Transform Your Midweek Dinners

Pasta. It’s the fail-safe cupboard staple that most families probably eat at least once a week. Of course, there are the carb avoiders, the keto devotees and those who’d happily eat steak every night if money were no object. But for the rest of us, pasta is an absolute godsend.

It’s affordable, filling, keeps for ages and can be turned into countless meals with just a few ingredients.

Personally, I much prefer making my own pasta sauces. Shop-bought jars always taste a little synthetic to me and, while I’m certainly not afraid of sugar (Haribo and chocolate cake are another matter entirely!), I don’t really want it hiding in my pasta sauce. Homemade simply tastes fresher, richer and far more satisfying.

The other bonus? Most pasta sauces freeze beautifully. I always try to make a double batch and stash a few tubs in the freezer. Then, on those evenings when I can’t face cooking from scratch, all I have to do is boil some penne, warm through a homemade sauce and perhaps throw in some grilled chicken, roasted vegetables or whatever happens to be in the fridge. It’s almost as quick as opening a jar, but the end result is in a completely different league.

Here are ten of my favourite pasta sauces that I think every home cook should have in their repertoire.

1. Slow-Cooked Tomato & Basil Sauce

If I could only keep one pasta sauce in the freezer, this would be it. It’s incredibly versatile, forms the base for dozens of other recipes and somehow tastes even better the next day.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tsp sugar (optional)
  • Handful of fresh basil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Gently soften the onion in the olive oil for around 8-10 minutes before adding the garlic. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for another minute before adding the chopped tomatoes.

If your tomatoes taste particularly acidic, add a teaspoon of sugar. This isn’t to make the sauce sweet – it’s there to balance the natural acidity of the tomatoes, helping to create a rounder, richer flavour. Taste first though; many good-quality tomatoes won’t need it.

Simmer gently for 30-40 minutes before stirring through the fresh basil and seasoning generously.

2. Creamy Spinach & Parmesan

This is probably my favourite creamy pasta sauce. It feels indulgent, but the spinach adds freshness and colour, while the Parmesan gives it plenty of savoury depth.

Ingredients

  • 25g butter
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 200ml double cream
  • 100g freshly grated Parmesan
  • 200g fresh spinach
  • Pinch of grated nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Melt the butter before gently cooking the garlic. Pour in the cream and stir through the Parmesan until smooth. Add the spinach a handful at a time until wilted before seasoning with nutmeg, salt and plenty of black pepper.

3. Homemade Green Pesto

Once you’ve made pesto yourself, it’s very difficult to go back to the supermarket version. It’s brighter, fresher and you can be as generous with the Parmesan as you like.

Ingredients

  • Large bunch fresh basil
  • 50g Parmesan
  • 30g pine nuts
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 100ml extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Blend everything together until smooth, adding a little extra olive oil if necessary. Stir through hot pasta with a splash of the cooking water to help create a silky coating.

4. Creamy Vodka Sauce

There’s a reason vodka sauce has become so popular over the last few years. The vodka enhances the flavour of the tomatoes without tasting alcoholic, while the cream creates a luxurious, velvety finish.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 400g chopped tomatoes
  • 60ml vodka
  • 150ml double cream
  • Parmesan

Method

Cook the onion and garlic until softened before stirring in the tomato purée. Add the vodka and allow it to bubble for a minute before pouring in the tomatoes. Simmer for around 20 minutes before stirring through the cream and serving with plenty of Parmesan.

5. Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Sweet roasted peppers create a wonderfully smooth sauce that’s a lovely alternative to a traditional tomato base.

Ingredients

  • 2 roasted red peppers
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 200ml double cream
  • 50g Parmesan
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Blend the peppers with the garlic until smooth. Warm gently before stirring through the cream, Parmesan and smoked paprika. Season to taste.

6. Arrabbiata

Simple, spicy and packed with flavour. This is one of those sauces that comes together while the pasta is cooking.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 400g chopped tomatoes
  • Fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Cook the garlic gently before adding the chilli flakes. Pour in the tomatoes and simmer for around 20 minutes before stirring through freshly chopped parsley.

7. Creamy Mushroom & Thyme

Earthy mushrooms, white wine and cream make this one feel a little bit special without requiring much effort.

Ingredients

  • 300g mushrooms
  • 2 shallots
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 25g butter
  • 150ml white wine
  • 200ml double cream
  • Fresh thyme
  • Parmesan

Method

Brown the mushrooms well before adding the shallots and garlic. Pour in the wine and allow it to reduce before stirring through the cream, thyme and Parmesan.

8. Brown Butter & Sage

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. Nutty brown butter and crispy sage are a match made in heaven.

Ingredients

  • 75g butter
  • Fresh sage leaves
  • Parmesan
  • Black pepper

Method

Heat the butter until it turns golden brown and smells wonderfully nutty. Add the sage leaves for a minute until crisp before tossing with hot pasta and plenty of Parmesan.

9. Lemon Butter & Parmesan

Fresh, vibrant and surprisingly light. This is particularly lovely with seafood or grilled chicken.

Ingredients

  • 50g butter
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 75g Parmesan
  • Fresh parsley

Method

Melt the butter before gently cooking the garlic. Stir in the lemon zest, juice and Parmesan, loosening the sauce with a splash of pasta water if needed before finishing with parsley.

10. Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

Rich, slightly tangy and full of Mediterranean flavour, this is another one that freezes brilliantly.

Ingredients

  • Oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 150g sun-dried tomatoes
  • 200ml double cream
  • 75g Parmesan
  • Fresh basil

Method

Cook the onion and garlic in the flavoured oil before adding the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Stir in the cream and Parmesan until smooth before finishing with torn basil.

Final Thoughts

One of the reasons I love pasta is that it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to taste fantastic. A few simple ingredients, a bit of Parmesan and half an hour in the kitchen can produce something that tastes infinitely better than most supermarket jars.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and a place for convenience, but homemade sauces freeze so well that it’s almost as easy to make a double batch and save yourself time later. My freezer nearly always has a tub of tomato and basil sauce ready to go, while the creamy spinach, pesto and vodka sauce aren’t usually far behind.

If you’ve never made your own pasta sauces before, I’d encourage you to give just one of these a try. I have a feeling you might find yourself walking straight past the pasta sauce aisle on your next supermarket shop.


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