Pizza night is a weekly occurrence in our house. The kids won’t let me forget it either. On pizza night, I use our bread machine to make the dough and make the sauce as well. I even attempt cheese sometimes when I have fresh milk on the farm. With permission from my mother, I am going to share the pizza sauce recipe we have been using my entire life. My parents used to own and run a pizza joint in Illinois, so yeah–it’s pretty amazing. For this recipe you’ll need 2 cans of crushed tomatoes (28 ounces each), 2 tablespoons of oregano, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder (or more to taste), 1 1/2 teaspoons of basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse ground pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of fennel seeds.

I start making the pizza dough. While the bread machine is doing its own thing, I start dumping all the ingredients into a saucepan. I mix everything and put on a simmer, then preheat the oven to 450. Here’s where my mother and I differ. My mother adds 1/3 can of water to her sauce. I don’t like that. I keep the seasoning portions the same and skip the water. When the dough is done, I add the sauce and desired toppings. I cook it in the over for about 10 minutes, but that can be adjusted due to different ovens, number of toppings, and personal preference. So, just keep an eye on it. You don’t see a lot of fennel in most pizza sauce recipes, but I promise it’s good. I recently served frozen pizza and had very disappointed children. The only possible thing that makes this recipe better is using tomatoes you canned yourself. Follow our blog to stay updated. We’re also on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Come check us out. Affiliate Disclosure