Classic Tomato Sauce
We all need a classic tomato sauce recipe to work with right? This is mine. It is simple, but it can be used for so many recipes. I’ve always made my own sauce. It is very easy and the jarred stuff always has sugar. Why? Don’t get me started. Yes, it’s true. You can find some jarred tomato sauces that don’t have sugar, but they taste like, well – jarred sauce. If your cool with that, fine. If not here’s one for you!
So here’s my sauce story. Like I said, I always make my own. When I haven’t, my kids can tell. I’ve created little foodie monsters! Anyway, it never really tasted close to my Mom’s sauce or my Nonna’s sauce. Why? I was using all the same ingredients! So, it was quite a few years ago, when I realized why. Here’s what I used to do: Make the sauce, bring it to a boil, turn it to low and cook for a few hours. Sounds good right? It wasn’t bad. Better than from a jar. But something was missing.
So I finally started paying attention. I mean really paying attention. “Don’t burn the sauce!” is heard quite often when we are cooking at Nonna’s house in Italy. Here’s why. The sauce needs to cook at a constant low/medium simmer for at least an hour (you can get away with 30 minutes if it one of those days). You want to see some tiny bubbles! I find #3 on my stove top is the right number. The sauce needs to be stirred occasionally too. Anyway, once I tried this method, things really turned around! The sauce really started to taste like SAUCE. You know what I mean? You will soon! Of course it will never taste exactly like Mom’s or Nonna’s because nothing compares, but it’s pretty darn close!
I also add a little water. Canned tomatoes are always a little thick, so this helps with the consistency of the sauce. Here’s a tip, just fill the can your tomatoes were in with the water after you’ve put them in the sauce and swirl it around a bit. You get some tomato water that way!
You can always double or triple the recipe and freeze some. I always have some stocked for a quick dinner or for other recipes like chicken or eggplant Parmesan. This sauce is also the base for my spaghetti and meatballs, so when I have it on hand, I can just throw in my meatballs (recipe coming soon).
There are so may versions of tomato sauce. There are quick 30 minute sauces, fresh tomato sauces, so on. They you can add all kinds of things like olives or pancetta, and they become all kinds of delicious. The possibilities are endless!
Classic Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 28-32 ounces strained or pureed tomatoes
- 8-10 ounces water
- Fresh basil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and water.
- Bring the sauce up to a boil and then turn down the heat to medium low (not all the way down to low). Add salt and pepper to taste and basil halfway through cooking.
- Keep the sauce at a steady simmer for at at least one hour. Don't forget to occasionally stir the sauce to keep it from burning! Serve over your favorite pasta!
