Share your tomato sauce recipe please

[Tinijocaro]

I've never made homemade tomato sauce and really would like to try. Do you have a recipe that everyone just loves, or one that's been handed down from your Italian grandmother....please be specific. I'd like to make some today-going back to work tomorrow. Oh, I don't want to use fresh tomatoes, just canned.

 

[mjkacmom]

I kinda wing it, but usually saute about 1/2 cup of onion for about 5 minutes, then add a few cloves of garlic, and after about another 5 minutes, add a small can of tomato paste. A few minutes later, I throw in 5 - 6 large cans of either whole plum tomatoes, or crushed tomatoes (if I do whole, I use a hand blender, but you can use your hands for chunkier sauce). I add some salt, pepper, basil and oregano (if I have fresh, I wait until the last hour), bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer for a few hours (stirring here and there). If I'm making gravy, I'll put in some browned italian sausage and meatballs.

 

[dawson5]

My mom's improvised one that is pretty quick is easy too.

3 lrg onions that are sliced, brown in some bacon grease (you didn't ask for healthy)
add 1 tbsp italian seasoning and 1 tsp rosemary, and a touch of sugar, salt & pepper to taste. 3 lg cans of delmonte italian seasoned stewed tomates, simmer for 30-45 minutes. Break up tomatoes with a fork while simmering. We use sausage with this and usually put over raviolis in a large baking dish cover with mozerella and pop in the oven until cheese is bubbly. This is not a thick traditional sauce (nothing like what you would find at an italian restaurant, definitely not traditional italian).

My great grandmother's sauce is a bit more involved. She was Italian if that matters.

6 lg onions chopped, simmer until brown in 2 tbsp bacon drippings
3-4 pod of garlic, chopped fine or pressed in this.
brown 2 lbs good ground beef in mixture next.

boil a good handful of dried mushrooms until tender in small sauce pan of water, strain juice off mushrooms, rinse, chop and put into tomato mixture.

tomatoe mix
2 lg can tomatoes
1 c tomato paste
1/2 lg can of water
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 t pepper
2 T Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp sweet basil

mix all ingredients and simmer for 4-5 hours.

I haven't made this in a long time, I could never find the good dried mushrooms that she used to use (I grew up in Ohio and we would actually drive into Cleveland's little Italy neighborhood to buy them, stockpile is a better word). I think they may have had some kind of spice to them. I guess I ought to try and look for them around here, finally found a good italian bakery/deli/mini mart. This also is not a thick sauce but was always good.

 

[suejai]

Bolognese Ragu - tomato meat sauce. My mom learned how to cook this from a lady from Sicily.

Saute a diced onion until translucent.

Add in 3 or 4 cloves of minced garlic. cook for about a minute

then add 2 diced carrots, 2 diced celery, a diced pepper, a few diced mushrooms, a small diced zucchini and saute on a medium heat until they have sweated out a bit and are looking limp

then add a about a pound of ground beef, break it up and stir into vegetables. Cook until all the pink is gone but don't brown the meat.

Add a cup of milk and keep stirring until milk has evaporated, then add a cup of wine (not cooking wine) and stir until evaporated.

Add a large can of tomato paste and 2 28 floz cans of tomatoes (you can skip the tomato paste, that was my addition because I love the strong tomato flavour) incorporate with everything.

Add 2 tsp each of dried thyme, oregano and basil, salt and pepper.

Then the secret ingredient - time. It has to simmer on medium low heat for a minimum of 3 hours but I try to do mine for 5. Just remember to keep stirring all the way to the bottom of the pot. The best pot is large and heavy bottomed but I have been putting it in the crock pot and it seems to work just fine. But have to say that the times it has almost burnt have been the best ones.

It sounds like a lot of work and can be time consuming but the results are amazing.

For just plain tomato sauces I like the ones I got from an Italian cookbook by Marcella Hazan. I can't get to my book right now but I will post again once I find it. But if you wanted to invest in a good Italian cookbook I highly recommend her Classic Italian Cookbook or anything by her.

 

[twinmomplus2new]

2 large cans tomato sauce
2 large cans tomato puree
2 small cans paste with italian seasonings
large onion, minced
1 and a half cups red, yellow and green peppers minced
2 tablespoons jarr -ed minced garlic

olive oil, coat fry pan with olive oil, saute onions, peppers and garlic,
add all canned tomatoes to crock pot. add contents of sauce pan. black pepper to taste. peeled carrott whole to absorb acid in sauce. cook minimum of 6 hours in crock pot.

 

[golfgal]

Take a jar of Prego out of the cupboard, open, pour in pan, heat . If I really want to get fancy I put it in a bowl and microwave it.

I used to make my own sauce but I like Prego better so why go to all the work.

 

[Lorix2]

What I have in the crockpot right now:

sautee some garlic in oil, then add to crockpot on high:

1 lg can puree (we use Contadina)
1 lg can sauce
1 sm can paste

then I use some oregano (enough to sprinkle most of the top, but not too much)
some black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
a few good shakes of romano cheese

stir it all up and get it hot enough to add meatballs or just some browned beef if you want a meat sauce. I broil meatballs first for about 8 minutes, flipping once.

I put the meatballs in and turn to low for about 4 hours. You can easily do this on the stove top too, but I usually end up burning it a little on an electric stove

I know this sounds boring, but none of us like onions or stewed tomatoes, but it still tastes good

 

[GeorgeG]

Open jar, pour contents into sauce pan, heat on stove.

My wife makes a really great sauce from scratch, but I don't know the recipe other than it usually takes her a few hours to make.

 

[PatsGirl]

Saute a small onion and minced garlic in olive oil, add 2 large cans of crushed tomatoes for a chunky sauce or tomatoe sauce for a smooth sauce, 1 medium can of tomato paste, add whatever italian herbs you like (parsley, oregano, etc.), couple tbs of grated parmesan, tbs of sugar, and the key ingredient: 3 country style pork ribs. If you like meatballs or sausage add what you like (do not precook the meatballs) once the sauce is nice and hot. The fat from the ribs/meatballs/sausage is what flavors the sauce. Simmer for at least two hours, remove rib bones, and serve...

 

[damo]

Saute a small onion and minced garlic in olive oil, add 2 large cans of crushed tomatoes for a chunky sauce or tomatoe sauce for a smooth sauce, 1 medium can of tomato paste, add whatever italian herbs you like (parsley, oregano, etc.), couple tbs of grated parmesan, tbs of sugar, and the key ingredient: 3 country style pork ribs. If you like meatballs or sausage add what you like (do not precook the meatballs) once the sauce is nice and hot. The fat from the ribs/meatballs/sausage is what flavors the sauce. Simmer for at least two hours, remove rib bones, and serve...

I agree! The ribs really add a great taste to the sauce.

 

[BriarRosie]

Last year, I was at the Food and Wine Festival talking to a friend who lives in Florida. She went to a free seminar that discussed vanilla, and ways it could be used other than the sweet applications.

They suggested using vanilla in tomato sauces for pasta, but you would only put in about 1/4 teaspoon a few minutes before you're ready to serve the sauce.

She tried it and said it was amazing. I still haven't tried it, but I think I will next time I make pasta.

 

[luvmy3]

1 can San Marzano tomatoes
1 stick of butter
1 vidalia (sweet) onion
Let simmer on stove top for an hour or more, until the tomatoes and onion fall apart.
My MIL gave me this and she got it from a book, not a recipe book but a novel. I suppose you could add seasoning, or garlic to it if you like but I love it as is written.

 

[suejai]

I found my Marcella Hazan cookbook and here is my favourite Tomato Sauce #2.

2 cups canned tomatoes and their juice (I just use one large can of tomatoes)
2/3 cup chopped carrot
2/3 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup chopped onion
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 cup olive oil

Cook everything except the olive oil in saucepan at a steady simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

Puree everything, return to pot, add olive oil and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Taste and correct for salt.

It's such a simple sauce and tastes so good.

Or Tomato Sauce #3 - even simpler

Puree 1 large can of tomatoes and their juice

put in saucepan add 1/4 pound of butter and an onion peeled and halved, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp sugar

Cook at a slow steady simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.

Taste and correct for salt. Discard onion.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Thanks everyone for the recipes! I made my first batch today, divided it up and put ground turkey in half, sweet italian sausage in the other half. I kind of used all your recipes and winged it. Thanks again!

 

[FormrCastMbr]

I have one posted here on the DIS...be back when I find it!

Here it is (I vary my meatball recipe but a good one is Grandma Mironi's from the foodtv website):

Here is my Tomato Sauce/Gravy recipe (makes 3 - 4 family servings...great to freeze):

4 oz salt pork, cut in 2 or 3 big pieces
1 lb country spare ribs
6 - 8 sausage links, I like a mix of hot and sweet
meatballs (I put mine in raw to cook in the sauce, but precooked can be added)
1 large onion, finely diced
6 - 8 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, dried is OK too
1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 TBS dry oregano (I never buy this fresh but you can)
2 bay leaves
6 oz tomato paste
2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can puree
1 28 oz can sauce
water
salt and pepper to taste

Brown sausage in a pan and set aside (does not have to be cooked through - they will cook more in the sauce).

In an 8 quart pot, heat 1 - 2 tbs olive oil. Brown salt pork for about 5 minutes. Add ribs and brown on all sides for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium/low.

Make room in the center of the 8 qt pot and add onions. Cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir constantly.

Add paste and "fry" for about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Add crushed pepper and 2 bay leaves.

Add all other tomatoes and 1/2 - 3/4 can of water, stir. Cut sausage to desired size and put in sauce.

Cover 3/4 of the pot with foil and simmer for at least an hour (2 - 3 hours is better). Stir every so often.

At this point, taste to see if salt is needed and discard salt pork (do not over salt since meatballs will be added later). You can remove the ribs as well. This is your choice. The rib meat starts to fall off the bone after a while and is really yummy. Just make sure to remove the bones.

Add parsley, basil and oregano. Stir. Simmer another 1/2 hour. Add meatballs and gently simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Then its ready to serve.

 

[720L]

I found my Marcella Hazan cookbook and here is my favourite Tomato Sauce #2.

2 cups canned tomatoes and their juice (I just use one large can of tomatoes)
2/3 cup chopped carrot
2/3 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup chopped onion
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 cup olive oil

Cook everything except the olive oil in saucepan at a steady simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

Puree everything, return to pot, add olive oil and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Taste and correct for salt.

It's such a simple sauce and tastes so good.

Or Tomato Sauce #3 - even simpler

Puree 1 large can of tomatoes and their juice

put in saucepan add 1/4 pound of butter and an onion peeled and halved, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp sugar

Cook at a slow steady simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.

Taste and correct for salt. Discard onion.

I like this recipe, but would like to add garlic. Any suggestions on how much to add??