There are a few things that every home chef needs to know how to make. I will be starting a variety of "back to basics" posts on these basic recipes everyone should know how to make. Tomato sauce is the first of these.
When I started cooking more, one of the first things I started making on my own was tomato sauce. I have never really liked jarred tomato sauces - I've always found them too sweet, too caloric, and just not tasty. The only jarred sauces I like tend to be the most expensive ones, and that's not helpful for someone who is trying to save money. So I started making sauce and haven't bought a jar since then. Here's the recipe - whats great about it is that this is a base recipe that you can alter and change depending on what type of sauce you want.
Basic Tomato Sauce
1 can of whole tomatoes in puree, or 1 can of tomato puree
1/2 large onion, cut in a small dice
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt/pepper
1 tsp dried thyme, basil, and/or oregano
Instructions
Saute the onion in a sauce pan in about 2 tbsp olive oil until its translucent. Add the garlic and sauté one minute until its fragrant, but be careful not to burn it.
Add the tomato paste and sauté 1-2 minutes to let the flavor develop. Add whatever dried herbs you are using and mix through. Add the can of whole tomatoes or tomato puree. If using whole tomatoes, break them up with your spoon (or a potato masher) carefully after adding into the pan (be careful because they will splatter). Add about 2 tsps salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper to the sauce and bring it up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and partially cover the pan, letting it simmer for about 1 hour.
Variations
This recipe is easily doubled or tripled - I usually make a large batch of sauce and then freeze whatever I don't use right away in small containers in the freezer. Once you have this down, you can switch it around for whatever type of sauce you want. For a basic tomato sauce, if you have fresh herbs use them instead of dried. If using fresh herbs, use one tablespoon instead of one teaspoon of them. Fresh thyme or oregano can go in in the beginning of the cooking. Fresh basil should be added towards the end so it stays fresh. If adding fresh basil you can add as much as you want - pretty much you can never have too much fresh basil.
Tomato Basil Sauce - basic tomato sauce with about 1/2 cup of fresh basil added in the end.
Arribiata Sauce - a spicy italian tomato sauce - add about 1-2 tbsp red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want the sauce) in the beginning of the cooking process after adding the tomato paste.
Creamy Tomato Sauce - add 1/4 cup cream to the basic sauce and puree the entire sauce. Once the cream is added be careful not to bring the sauce up to a boil or else the cream might separate.
Vodka Sauce - add about 2 tbsp of vodka to the sauce before bringing it to a boil. Once the sauce simmers for about an hour, add 1/4 cup cream and then puree the sauce.
Meat Sauce - start the sauce by browning your meat of choice ( I use either 1/2 pound of sauce out of the casings, ground beef or ground turkey). Once the meat is browned and cooked through follow the basic sauce recipe.
The possibilities are endless for whatever you want to do with a basic tomato sauce recipe. So go throw out those old cans of Ragu and start making your own sauce. It makes a huge difference in your cooking, and it's easy to make. Enjoy!
When I started cooking more, one of the first things I started making on my own was tomato sauce. I have never really liked jarred tomato sauces - I've always found them too sweet, too caloric, and just not tasty. The only jarred sauces I like tend to be the most expensive ones, and that's not helpful for someone who is trying to save money. So I started making sauce and haven't bought a jar since then. Here's the recipe - whats great about it is that this is a base recipe that you can alter and change depending on what type of sauce you want.
Basic Tomato Sauce
1 can of whole tomatoes in puree, or 1 can of tomato puree
1/2 large onion, cut in a small dice
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt/pepper
1 tsp dried thyme, basil, and/or oregano
Instructions
Saute the onion in a sauce pan in about 2 tbsp olive oil until its translucent. Add the garlic and sauté one minute until its fragrant, but be careful not to burn it.
Add the tomato paste and sauté 1-2 minutes to let the flavor develop. Add whatever dried herbs you are using and mix through. Add the can of whole tomatoes or tomato puree. If using whole tomatoes, break them up with your spoon (or a potato masher) carefully after adding into the pan (be careful because they will splatter). Add about 2 tsps salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper to the sauce and bring it up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and partially cover the pan, letting it simmer for about 1 hour.
Variations
This recipe is easily doubled or tripled - I usually make a large batch of sauce and then freeze whatever I don't use right away in small containers in the freezer. Once you have this down, you can switch it around for whatever type of sauce you want. For a basic tomato sauce, if you have fresh herbs use them instead of dried. If using fresh herbs, use one tablespoon instead of one teaspoon of them. Fresh thyme or oregano can go in in the beginning of the cooking. Fresh basil should be added towards the end so it stays fresh. If adding fresh basil you can add as much as you want - pretty much you can never have too much fresh basil.
Tomato Basil Sauce - basic tomato sauce with about 1/2 cup of fresh basil added in the end.
Arribiata Sauce - a spicy italian tomato sauce - add about 1-2 tbsp red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want the sauce) in the beginning of the cooking process after adding the tomato paste.
Creamy Tomato Sauce - add 1/4 cup cream to the basic sauce and puree the entire sauce. Once the cream is added be careful not to bring the sauce up to a boil or else the cream might separate.
Vodka Sauce - add about 2 tbsp of vodka to the sauce before bringing it to a boil. Once the sauce simmers for about an hour, add 1/4 cup cream and then puree the sauce.
Meat Sauce - start the sauce by browning your meat of choice ( I use either 1/2 pound of sauce out of the casings, ground beef or ground turkey). Once the meat is browned and cooked through follow the basic sauce recipe.
The possibilities are endless for whatever you want to do with a basic tomato sauce recipe. So go throw out those old cans of Ragu and start making your own sauce. It makes a huge difference in your cooking, and it's easy to make. Enjoy!
Yummy Yummy Sauce! This makes me soooo hungry. My little cook Nicole is the best! xoxoxoxx
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