Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce
Tomato Sauce
Escoffier codified the mother sauces of French cooking. In the Italian-American tradition, there is only one: tomato sauce. Call it marinara, call it gravy, call it whatever your grandma called it. It's tomato sauce. There's almost nothing we won't cook in it or put it on. The real deal—what we grew up with and the way we would do it if we had our choice (and didn't have so many vegetarian friends and customers)—would be to make that sauce, then simmer up a batch of braciola or meatballs in it, and then use the resulting meat-infused product as our "tomato sauce" in all its myriad applications. And if you're not catering to vegetarians, we advise doing just that: make a triple batch of sauce, use it to simmer up braciola or meatballs and then use that tomato sauce, fresh or from the freezer, whenever tomato sauce is called for. Use good Italian canned tomatoes and high-quality olive oil when making this sauce, and take your time—there's no rushing it. When you're cooking the garlic, you want to very, very slowly convert the starches in it to sugars and then to caramelize those sugars. Slow and steady. Then get the tomatoes in and let them simmer. Not a ton happens over the four hours—no epic deepening of color or furious reduction—but it cooks as much water out of the tomatoes as possible without turning them into tomato paste.
  • Preparing Time: -
  • Total Time: -
  • Served Person: Makes about 3 quarts
Sauce Garlic Tomato Vegetable Sauté Vegetarian Italian American Vegan Simmer Advance Prep Required
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • Carbohydrate 4 g(1%)
  • Fat 7 g(11%)
  • Fiber 2 g(7%)
  • Protein 1 g(2%)
  • Saturated Fat 1 g(5%)
  • Sodium 231 mg(10%)
  • Calories 80

My Simple, Yet Amazing, Tomato Sauce

As a busy working mom, time in the kitchen is a precious commodity. I need recipes that are both delicious and efficient, and this tomato sauce recipe fits the bill perfectly. Forget complicated techniques and fancy ingredients; this is about embracing simplicity and letting the quality of the ingredients shine. The secret? Patience. It’s all about that slow simmer, allowing the flavors to meld and deepen over time. The result is a sauce that's far superior to anything you can buy in a jar, and it’s surprisingly easy to make.

I remember my grandmother making tomato sauce. It wasn't just a sauce; it was an event. The entire kitchen would fill with the aroma of simmering tomatoes and garlic, a comforting scent that transported me back to simpler times. She would spend hours tending to the sauce, stirring gently, a ritual that instilled in me a deep appreciation for the process of cooking. This recipe isn't just about creating a delicious sauce; it's about creating a connection to the past, a link to family traditions, and a moment of calm amidst the whirlwind of daily life. This simple act of making tomato sauce, from humble ingredients, transforms into a profound act of care, patience, and love—qualities that make the taste even richer and more meaningful.

The beauty of this sauce lies in its versatility. It's the perfect base for countless dishes. I use it for pasta, of course, but also as a pizza sauce, a topping for roasted vegetables, or even as a marinade for chicken or fish. The possibilities are truly endless. And the best part? It gets even better with age. The flavors deepen and become more complex over time, making it a perfect make-ahead meal solution. Make a big batch and enjoy it throughout the week, or freeze it for later. That's the magic of a classic tomato sauce—a simple pleasure made even more satisfying by its uncomplicated elegance.

This recipe is more than just a recipe; it's a story. It's the story of simple ingredients transformed into something extraordinary through patience and care. It's the story of my grandmother's kitchen, the aroma of simmering tomatoes, and the comfort of family traditions. It's a story that I hope you will share with your own families for generations to come. It's a comforting, warm embrace on a cold night, a taste of home wherever you may be. More than just a tomato sauce recipe, it's a recipe for connection, for tradition, and for the enduring power of simple pleasures.

I encourage you to try this recipe. Take your time. Savor the process. And most importantly, enjoy the delicious results.

Step-by-step

    • Combine the olive oil and garlic in a large deep saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring or swirling occasionally, until the garlic is deeply colored—striations of deep brown running through golden cloves—and fragrant. If the garlic starts to smell acrid or sharp or is taking on color quickly, pull the pan off the stove and reduce the heat.
    • While the garlic is getting golden, deal with the tomatoes: Pour them into a bowl and crush them with your hands. Discard the firmer stem end from each tomato and any basil leaves packed in the can.
    • When the garlic is just about done, add the red pepper flakes to the oil and cook them for 30 seconds or a minute, to infuse their flavor and spice into the oil. Dump in the tomatoes, add the salt, and stir well. Turn the heat up to medium, get the sauce simmering at a gentle pace, not aggressively, and simmer for 4 hours. Stir it from time to time.
    • Check the sauce for salt at the end. The sauce can be cooked with meat at this point, or stored, covered, in the fridge for at least 4 days or frozen for up to a few months.
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