Evelyn Reed San Marzano tomatoes, grated carrots, celery, olive oil, and baking soda simmer together for 30 minutes in a large skillet. The cooked sauce spreads onto the crust and delivers a smooth, low-acid base without the burn of standard pizza sauce. One batch takes 40 minutes total and serves 8.
Grating the carrots and celery finely, rather than chopping them, is the choice that sets this sauce apart. At fine-grate texture, both vegetables dissolve completely during the 30-minute simmer. The alkalinity stays; the vegetable texture disappears entirely.
Baking soda reacts with tomato acid to produce the visible foam that appears when it’s added. That same chemistry also affects the red pigment in tomatoes and pulls it toward brown when the dose is too high. One teaspoon is safe; taste before adding more, and stop if the sauce looks dull or smells flat.
Low Acid Pizza Sauce Recipe
Course: Side DishCuisine: Italian-AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings10
minutes30
52
kcalLow Acid Pizza Sauce Recipe with San Marzano tomatoes, grated carrots, celery, olive oil, and baking soda. Stovetop, no extra cook time on crust, serves 8
Ingredients
- Sauce
1 (28-oz) can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
½ cup mineral water
3 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup carrots, finely grated
¼ cup celery, finely grated
3 cloves garlic, optional, crushed and chopped
8 oz mushrooms, optional, finely chopped
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 to 1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil (or ¼ cup fresh basil, added after heat is off)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Directions
- Crush the San Marzano tomatoes by hand in a large bowl. Rinse the can with water and add that liquid to the bowl.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic (if using) and tomato paste. Cook for 30 to 45 seconds, stirring, until fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes with their rinse water, mineral water, grated carrots, grated celery, mushrooms (if using), baking soda, salt, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and dried basil. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. If using fresh basil, stir it in after removing the pan from heat.
FAQs
Why does too much baking soda turn the sauce brown?
Baking soda reacts with the acid in tomatoes to produce carbon dioxide, which is the foam that appears when you add it. That same chemistry also affects the red pigment in tomatoes and shifts it toward brown when too much is used. Start with 1 teaspoon, wait for the fizzing to settle, and taste before adding more.
Can this sauce be made ahead and stored?
Refrigerated, the sauce keeps for 4 to 5 days in a sealed container. It freezes well for up to 3 months, portioned into individual pizza-size amounts before freezing, so one batch covers several weeknights. Reheat over low heat and stir before spreading to restore the sauce’s original consistency.
What can replace mushrooms for those who cannot tolerate them?
Skipping mushrooms is straightforward, and removing them requires no other changes to the recipe. They add umami depth and bulk but have no structural role, so the sauce behaves identically without them. For the same savory weight, an extra tablespoon of tomato paste adds depth without changing the sauce’s acid profile.
What low acid pasta sauce uses the same method as this pizza base?
Pizza nights and pasta nights share the same pantry, and this sauce carries directly into pasta dishes that call for tomato sauce. A low acid spaghetti sauce on this site adds mushrooms and extends the simmer to 40 minutes for a richer pasta application. Together the two cover pizza and pasta nights from one acid-controlled approach.
What other low acid tomato sauce keeps this same mineral water technique?
Mineral water and baking soda form the buffering core of this sauce and appear together in a related recipe on this site. A low acid marinara sauce on this site applies the same technique to a pasta-focused version with the same 30-minute simmer. Together the two cover pizza and pasta from one low-acid approach.
