Homemade pizza is a winning choice as a weeknight dinner for the family. Everyone gets to choose their favorite toppings, which means no compromises or complaints. And whoever is playing pizza chef for the night can lighten the workload by combining ready-made elements, such as refrigerated dough and grated cheese, with homemade ones, such as from-scratch pizza sauce. A simmered assembly of just a few canned and fresh ingredients, homemade pizza sauce is as easy to make as it is tasty. Your DIY pizzas will be too.

Total Time: 20 to 60 minutes | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Serves: 8

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed or chopped tomatoes
• 1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  
• Pinch of sugar, optional

1. Place a saucepan over medium heat, and add the olive oil and diced onions.
2. Cook the onions, stirring often, until they are translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
3. Add the minced garlic, and cook it with the onions for a minute or two, stirring often.
4. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and Italian seasoning to the pan. Stir the sauce to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
5. Adjust the heat to gently simmer the pizza sauce. Let it simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour. The longer you simmer the sauce, the thicker it will get.
6. Taste the sauce; add salt and pepper, and optionally a pinch of sugar, to taste.