Red Wine Pasta Sauce
on Jun 06, 2025
This Red Wine Pasta Sauce is addictive. Once you try it, there is no going back, make it using my easy recipe (vegetarian, gluten-free, and can be easily made vegan).
Here are a few more homemade sauces that you must try – Strawberry BBQ Sauce, Lemon Drop Hot Sauce, Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce, Bechamel Sauce, and Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce.
About Red Wine Pasta Sauce
Red Wine Pasta Sauce is a delicious combination of crushed tomatoes, Italian herbs, and the star ingredient – red wine. It is a nice change from the traditional marinara sauce and a great option to use that leftover red wine bottle.
If you are looking for a unique red pasta sauce, your search ends here. Toss it up with your favorite pasta and serve it for weeknight dinner or weekend brunch. Not only pasta, but you can use this versatile sauce to make many other dishes. I have mentioned a few options in the post below, do check them out.
This recipe is also gluten-free and vegetarian. By replacing honey with any vegan sweetener, you can make it vegan-friendly too.
Ingredients
Red Wine – Don’t go for an expensive wine. The inexpensive ones with bold and rich flavors and peppery undertones will work fine. You can try merlot, cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, chianti or zinfandel.
Tip – Either drink the leftover wine or use it to make Red Wine Spritzer or Red Wine Sangria.
Crushed Tomatoes – The key to making a great-tasting sauce is to use the best quality tomatoes. My favorite is Cento San Marzano crushed tomatoes, which are high quality and have perfect flavor and texture.
You can use fire-roasted tomatoes instead of plain ones for more complex flavors.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Use the best quality one!
Seasonings – The red wine sauce is seasoned with dried Italian herbs such as oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. You can adjust their quantity depending on your taste.
Other Ingredients – You will also need onions, fresh garlic cloves, honey, fresh basil leaves, and veg bouillon powder to make this easy red wine pasta sauce recipe.
Honey is added to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and wine. You can also use sugar in place of honey.
The addition of bouillon powder gives the sauce an extra rich and delicious flavor. You can replace the veg bouillon powder with chicken bouillon powder for added flavor.
How To Make Red Wine Pasta Sauce
Heat 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large pan or a Dutch oven over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the following ingredients and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are softened and lightly browned. Stir occasionally while cooking.
- ¼ cup grated onions
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
Stir in ½ cup of dry red wine and cook until it nearly evaporates (2-3 minutes).
Add the remaining ½ cup of wine and cook until it is reduced by at least half and leaves a trail when a spatula is pulled through it (6-8 minutes). Stir frequently while cooking.
Now stir in the following ingredients and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- 36 oz (1 kg) crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon veg bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Cook for 10-12 minutes until the sauce is thickened, stirring frequently.
Stir in the following ingredients.
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Check for salt and pepper and add more if needed.
Note – If you don’t like a chunkier sauce, use an immersion blender and blend the sauce until it is creamy and smooth.
Remove the pan from the heat and use the sauce as desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they can. The alcohol content of the wine evaporates while cooking, and only the flavor of red wine is left behind. So it’s perfectly safe for the kids to eat this sauce.
Yes, you can. Use any dry white wine instead of red wine.
Serving Suggestions
Red Wine Pasta Sauce is perfect to toss with cooked pasta or zucchini noodles (zoodles) for a quick weeknight meal.
Other than pasta, you can also use this red sauce to make homemade pizzas, risotto, open toast, open zucchini boats, vegetable casserole, soup, or bruschetta.
Use it as a dipping sauce for Grilled Cheese or Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges.
I sometimes use it to make my Million Dollar Spaghetti recipe.
Storage Suggestions
This red wine tomato sauce can be stored for 4 to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use a glass container, as it might stain the plastic container.
This homemade pasta sauce is also freezer-friendly! I mostly make a double batch and freeze it (for up to 4 months) for later use. I store it in small containers, ice cube trays, or zip-lock bags. This way, I don’t have to thaw the entire batch.
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Red Wine Pasta Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- ¼ cup grated onions
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt (divided, plus more to taste)
- 1 cup dry red wine (divided)
- 36 ounces canned crushed tomatoes (1 kg)
- 2 tablespoons honey (use maple syrup for vegan)
- 2 teaspoons veg bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add onions, garlic, oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are softened and lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in ½ cup of dry red wine and cook until it is nearly evaporated (2-3 minutes).
- Add the remaining ½ cup of wine and cook until it is reduced by at least half and leaves a trail when a spatula is pulled through it (6-8 minutes). Stir frequently while cooking.
- Stir in tomatoes, honey, bouillon powder, and red pepper flakes, and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes until the sauce is thickened, stirring frequently.
- Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, black pepper, and basil, and mix well.
- Check for salt and pepper and add more if needed.
- Note – If you don't like a chunkier sauce, use an immersion blender and blend the sauce until it is creamy and smooth.
- Remove the pan from the heat and use the sauce as desired.
can I use ground meat for this sauce?
Yes, sure, you can.