When you're talking about a recipe, you can explain what ingredients are needed by saying that the recipe "calls for ___". For example:

It calls for olive oil. Do you think corn oil will work as a substitute?

If you're talking about cooking something without a clear recipe, don't use this phrase. In that case, you can say that you "need ___":

I can make some spaghetti, I guess. I need tomato sauce, though. Do we have any?