Make The Spaghetti Sauce
Crush the garlic with the flat side of a knife.
Bring the extra virgin olive oil to medium high heat, then add the garlic and chopped parsley.
After a minute, add the ground beef and break up with a wooden spoon. Add some salt, and cook until it begins to dry up, then add the tomato passata/purèe/chopped tomatoes of your choice.
If using Mutti, they tend to be thick, so add about ¾ cup of water or until the bottom line of the jar then add to the pot. If youre using another brand, rinse the can/jar with a little less water, unless its very thick.
Put the burner on high to bring the sauce to a simmer, and add more salt. Dont be afraid to add Kosher/sea salt as I can guarantee you will have much less sodium in this sauce than a jar of store-bought. This may look like a lot of salt, but its only one teaspoonful.
Lower the heat so that the sauce simmers gently for about an hour, stirring occassionally . Taste for seasoning after about 30 minutes, and add salt if needed.
When the sauce is ready, check once again for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as desired, and a generous amount of fresh basil, torn into pieces. Thats it. I told you it was easy!
Five: Crush The Tomatoes
While the onions and garlic are cooking, begin roughly chopping your tomatoes. Knife cuts dont matter at all here, you just want the tomato chunks to be smaller so they cook down better.
Place the tomato chunks back into your strainer, inside the pot or bowl. They still have a lot of juice in them, which would need to be cooked down and wasted. But if you crush the tomatoes first, you can save that juice for other things! I actually used a potato masher for this step, which I think was brilliant.
I crushed and stirred them a total of three times. It definitely doesnt need to be perfect youre just trying to get most of the juice out. I added this juice to what I got from step 3, and had over 2 cups! Thats pretty good for something that would normally just be thrown out or evaporated.
Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce
Homemade Marinara Sauce doesnt get any easier! This requires just a handful of ingredients and 20 minutes on the stove for a memorable Italian Marinara. Everyone needs a great pasta sauce in their recipe collection and this one is a keeper.
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Fresh Or Canned Tomatoes
To make Italian tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes , there are a couple of extra steps to make.
- Blanch the tomatoes in simmering water for a couple of minutes.
- Peel the skin off and proceed with step 1 of the recipe.
This version of the recipe using fresh tomatoes is basically the famous Napoletana sauce.
The best fresh tomatoes to use are:
- Roma tomatoes: meaty, easy to peel, and with very few seeds.
- Cherry Tomatoes : they are small, round and really sweet.
- Datterino Tomatoes: also called mini Piccadilly tomatoes, they are small and delicately sweet.
It’s not easy to find super tasty tomatoes these days, especially if you don’t live in Italy. So I mostly use properly-good canned whole tomatoes.
If you’re opting for canned tomatoes, the best ones to look for is the San Marzano variety.
This variety grows in Italy, in the Campania region, and has been awarded the PDO status.
San Marzano tomatoes have a long shape, bright red colour, easily peelable skin, meaty pulp, and very few seeds.
Their flavour is not too sweet and not too bitter, which makes them incredibly versatile, both for cooking and using them raw.
These are the very best tomatoes to use for making tomato sauce, or the classic marinara sauce for Neapolitan pizza.
Tips For Best Results
- If you like a thinner sauce, you can add it to the food processor and puree it into your desired consistency or if you like a thicker sauce, just skip this step.
- This recipe can be made ahead and refrigerated for two days.
- If you dont have fresh herbs on hand, they can be substituted for dried ones. Dried parsley has next to no flavor so I suggest using oregano in its place.
- Baking soda neutralizes acidity. To save bitter tomato sauce, add a pinch of baking soda at a time until the acidity disappears.
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What Tomatoes For Tomato Sauce
When buying canned tomatoes, its always a good idea to go for whole plumor Roma tomatoes. Manufacturers save the best quality tomatoes for canning whole because they need to look pristine. They are picked and canned at the peak of ripeness.
San Marzano tomatoes are high-quality tomatoes with a sweet flavor and little acidity. Legally, and to be called a San Marzano, this tomato has to be grown in theSarno Valley in Italy and there will be a DOP symbol on the can.
This recipe calls for crushed tomatoes, but I use whole canned tomatoes that I crush myself. Whole tomatoes can be put through a food mill, crushed or pureed in a food processor before using them for the sauce.
Simple Steps To Avoid An Acidic Sauce
Use quality tomatoes: as stated above, this is the first step to ensure your sauce is less acidic. Use quality San Marzano Italian tomatoes for your sauce to be rich and sweet in flavor!
Add a carrot to simmer in the sauce: this is something my mother always did and is very traditional in Italian sauces. The sweetness of the carrot releases its flavor and naturally absorbs any acidic flavors from the tomatoes. How to: remove the stem, peel the carrot skin off, and place the whole carrot into the sauce to simmer. Remove carrot once the sauce is finished.
Use stainless steel: whenever making tomato sauce, its important to choose the right pot. My top recommendations for sauce are stainless steel. Any other pot like non-stick or cast iron can cause the acid in the tomatoes to mix with the metal and results in an unpleasant metallic taste.
Also Check: Healthiest Pizza Sauce To Buy
Our Favorite Ways To Serve It Up:
- Serve it with noodles: such as spaghetti, rigatoni, orecchiette, rotini or penne.
- Baked Italian dishes: I love using this sauce in baked pasta dishes or any baked Italian dish such as vegetable lasagna, chicken parmesan, zucchini lasagna, or eggplant rollatini.
- Vegetable noodles: Make a healthier version of pasta with noodles made from veggies like zucchini, sweet potato, or butternut squash noodles.
I hope you love this homemade tomato sauce just as much as we do! Its a staple for complimenting my favorite Italian recipes especially around the holidays.
Serve with your favorite crusty french bread for perfection!
If youre looking for a red sauce made with fresh tomatoes youll love our Fresh Tomato Sauce recipe!
Got Pinterest? Pin this recipe to your Pinterest boards!
If you tried this San Marzano Tomato Sauce recipe or any other recipe, dont forget to rate the recipe and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on , , and for more crave-worthy content.
Seeking Sweetness: How To Sweeten Tomato Sauce
As taste tests have shown time and time again, folks like tomato sauces that are both acidic and sweet. The problem is, tomatoes on their own are not very sweetfar less sweet than I like them, anyhow. Let me admit something here: In the past I’ve been known to spike my tomato sauce with a touch of sugar, a move that annoys hardliners to no end, apparently. I’m not backing down on that stance: adding sugar is a perfectly fine way to add sweetness to a sauce.
A perfectly fine way, but not the best way. There are other methods that allow you to add sweetness while simultaneously adding layers of nuanced flavor to the mix.
Serious Eats
Many folks advise adding carrots to red sauce in order to add that sweetness. I tried grating carrots and cooking them down with the garlic right from the start. It certainly makes the sauce sweeter, but it also makes it taste like carrot soup.
A much better approach is to simply cut a carrot into rough chunks and add it to the pot while the sauce simmers. Remember that onion I didn’t want to end up in my sauce? Here’s where it comes into play: I also added a raw onion in there to give it a touch more sweetness along with some oniony aroma without overpowering it or ruining the texturea trick I learned from Marcella Hazan’s infamously simple buttery tomato sauce.
I brought everything to a simmer, then let it cook for several hours.
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How To Make The Best Classic Italian Tomato Sauce:
How Do You Tell If A Sausage Is Cooked
There are a few ways to tell if a sausage is cooked. The most common way to tell is to look at the color. If the sausage is a light yellow or green, it is likely cooked. However, some sausages can also be dark brown or black and still be cooked.
The second way to tell is by its texture. If the sausage has small cracks or knots, it is likely cooked. However, other sausages may not have any cracks or knots at all and be completely dry.
The final way to know if a sausage is cooked is by its smell. If the sausage smells burnt or over-cooked, it is probably not done yet.
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Is Pasta Sauce Healthy
Each 1/2 cup serving of this simple pasta sauce contains about 69 calories, 4 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of protein.
When it comes to sodium, the 3/4 teaspoon salt equates to roughly 1800mg sodium. Thats about 225mg per serving. If youre concerned about sodium intake, look for no-salt-added crushed tomatoes. You can also reduce the amount of salt in the recipe. For more delicious ideas, consider these healthy pasta sauce recipes.
Discover more recipes, tips and tricks with our ultimate guide to pasta sauce.
How To Make Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce
Saute garlic – never add garlic to an already hot pan or it’ll burn almost instantly. Add the oil and chopped or crushed garlic at the same time then warm it up gently to saute for 50-60 seconds .
Add the tomatoes – when you add the tomatoes rinse out the can with 1-2 tablespoons of water so you get as much of the tomato as possible, add salt and simmer it on medium heat for 8-10 minutes. If the tomatoes are chunky I like to crush them with a potato masher for a smoother consistency .
Finishing the sauce – Once the sauce has reduced slightly add a handful of fresh basil or parsley depending on what you’re serving it with. If you want to add dried oregano add that at the same time as the garlic .
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Authentic Italian Tomato Saucefor Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 to 5 cloves fresh garlic preferably grown in USA/Europe
- small bunch of fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1 carton/jar of whole, chopped tomatoes or puree any tomatoes listed on the Greatest Tomatoes from Europe site will be fantastic or about 1 lb of fresh tomatoes
- about 1 1/2 level tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher or sea salt
- 3 or 4 large leaves of fresh basil, more to add to each plate, if desired
- Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano to grate on top
To enjoy with pasta as soon as the sauce is ready, put a large pot of salted water on the cooktop over high heat and cook the pasta as directed . You can use an immersion blender to purée the tomatoes if you like a smooth sauce.
Pour the oil into a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
Crush the garlic and add it to the oil . Sauté the garlic until it just starts to brown, then add the parsley. Notice I put the thick parsley stems in? You can pull these out later, but they add to the flavor of the sauce.
Turn the heat up to high. Now, add the quality puree or chopped tomatoes, and quickly cover with the lid for about 30 seconds, until the squirting subsides.
Stir with a wooden spoon and lower to a medium heat, or higher. It is important that this sauce is cooked at a fast simmer, as it is cooked briefly. Add the salt and continue to simmer at a fast pace, and stir often, WITHOUT THE LID.
Quick And Easy Video Recipe For Pasta Sauce
Last but not least, if you want to watch me as I prepare this recipe, here is the video recipe we all expected for the best homemade spaghetti sauce.
In addition, for the best storage process, I recommend canning the spaghetti sauce. Dont worry, if you have some jars, the process is quite simple. Just sterilize 6 pint-sized mason jars and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into each jar. Next, fill the jars with prepared spaghetti sauce, leaving 1/2 inch at the top. Finally, place the lids and bands on the jars, secure them tightly, and keep them in a boiling water bath for 35 minutes.
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How Do You Make Fresh Tomato Sauce
Its not difficult at all, and youll be so happy with the results .
This is a super quick Italian pasta sauce recipe which is actually ready by the time the pasta is done . You can choose to make a smooth or chunky sauce according to the tomatoes you use. Just remember, there should be no need to add any sugar, not even a pinch! Yes, it cuts the acidity, but if you use the right tomatoes, there is no acidity!
You may also like to make homemade gnocchi and serve it with this sauce.
This is also a base for many other types of sauces, including penne alla vodka and penne arrabbiata. If you want to add both onion and garlic to this sauce, you may, but Id suggest making it as written the first time.
How To Make San Marzano Tomato Sauce
- Saute garlic in olive oil: Saute minced garlic for 30 to 60 seconds on low medium heat constantly stirring. Using lots of garlic in this recipe will give your tomato sauce the foundation of its flavor.
- Add Tomatoes, paste, and salt & pepper cook low and slow: The key to a good tomato sauce is cooking it for up to 4-6 hours. This allows the sauce to thicken, flavors to richen and develop, and acidity to balance.
- Stir in fresh herbs at the very end: Cooking herbs in the sauce for hours can actually result in a bitter flavor. For a fresh, vibrant herb flavor add them at the very end when the sauce is finished for best results.
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Can You Boil Pasta In Tomato Sauce
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How To Cook Sausage For Pasta
Answer
How to cook sausage for pasta is a difficult task, but its possible. First, make sure you have the correct ingredients and techniques. Next, follow these steps:
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Can I Substitute Fresh Tomatoes
Fresh tomatoes would essentially have to be turned into crushed tomatoes with the added steps of blanching and peeling the tomatoes then simmering them down to the correct consistency which will really increase the time for making homemade marinara.
If youre looking for a marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes, make sure to check out our Mushroom Mariana Sauce.
