Great Basic Tomato Sauce Recipes

THE BEST TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the olive oil and garlic cloves in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes (do not let the garlic burn). Once the cloves are nicely browned remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add the onion to the garlic-infused oil and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Crush the can of San Marzano tomatoes into the pot with your hands, then fill the can with water and pour it into the sauce. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, granulated garlic, onion powder and crushed red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Finely chop the reserved browned garlic cloves and add to the sauce.
• Stir in the Parmesan rind, if using, and the basil sprig. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has deepened in color and reduced slightly, about 1 hour 30 minutes (if the sauce begins to scorch, lower the heat). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the Parmesan rind and basil before serving.

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large pot, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil.
• Empty plum tomatoes into large bowl and squash with your hands.
• Add all ingredients (including any meatballs or sausage you want to add) to pot and simmer for 3 hours.

BASIC TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Peel and finely chop the garlic, then gently fry in a thick-bottomed pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Crumble in the chilli, add the oregano and tomatoes.
• Mix gently, but do not break up the tomatoes as this will release the pips, which will make the sauce slightly bitter - by leaving the tomatoes whole and letting the mixture cook slowly you'll get a nice sweet sauce. (You can remove the pips from the tomatoes if you want, but I don't bother.) Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 1 hour.
• Add the vinegar to the pan, then stir and chop up the tomatoes in the sauce.
• Pick the basil or marjoram and roughly chop, then add to the pan.
• Season well to taste with sea salt and black pepper, and finish with 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

HOMEMADE TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
• Plunge whole tomatoes in boiling water until skin starts to peel, about 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in ice bath. Let rest until cool enough to handle, then remove peels and squeeze out seeds.
• Chop 8 tomatoes and puree them in a blender or food processor until smooth. Chop remaining 2 tomatoes and set aside.
• Heat butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic; cook and stir until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Pour in pureed tomatoes, then stir in chopped tomatoes, wine, basil, and Italian seasoning. Place celery stalks and bay leaf in the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.
• Stir in tomato paste; simmer for an additional 2 hours. Discard celery and bay leaf and serve.

GREAT BASIC TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• If I want to use this as a the basis for a meat sauce or chilli sauce I don't usually bother to peel the tomatoes, when I want a silky smooth sauce that runs beautifully I do peel them.
• You choose Peel tomatoes by covering with boiling water in a bowl for 5 minutes if you want the"smooth" recipe.
• Chop tomotoes into evenly sized pieces.
• Heat olive oil and sauté garlic and onion until soft.
• Add tomatoes, tomato pureé, Basil, salt and pepper.
• Simmer gently got 30-40 until it reduces a little.
• Serve as is, or put in a blender until smooth.
• For Chilli sauce, add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (to your preference) or fresh chillies.
• Adding browned minced meat makes a nice easy sauce for over pasta.

TOMATO BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil or butter in a medium sized sauce pan.
• Add the diced onion and crushed garlic, cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and bring to the sauce to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and add the basil - some can be chopped, but you can also add the stalks (they add flavor) and remove the stalks when the sauce is done. Add the sugar if using, you can also add the salt and pepper.
• Cook the sauce over low heat for at least 30 minutes. Stir the sauce frequently with a wooden spoon and use the spoon to press and help breakdown the chunky tomato pieces.
• For a smoother sauce you can use a hand held blender to break down the tomatoes if using whole or diced tomatoes. If you let the sauce cook for longer the tomatoes will naturally break down, or if you prefer a more chunky consistency you can skip the blender step.
• Once the consistency suits your preference, the sauce is done and ready to use. For an extra taste of freshness you can add some freshly chopped basil when serving the sauce.

HOW TO MAKE & FREEZE HOMEMADE TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Have a large bowl filled with cold water ready and waiting. Set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Working in batches, drop the tomatoes in one at a time, then let sit in the boiling water until the skins split open, 30-60 seconds. One at a time, remove tomatoes from hot water with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl of cold water. When cool enough to touch, slip off and discard the tomato skins and remove the hard stem end and core. Trim away any bad spots. Roughly chop the tomato using a food processor or blender, a knife, or by squishing with clean hands. Set aside.
• Add the olive oil to an extra-large 8-10 quart stock pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the diced onions. Cook, stirring frequently with a large wooden spoon, until onions start to soften and turn golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30-60 seconds, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan so it doesn't burn. Add the fresh tomatoes.
• Bring just to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and let simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 hours, until thickened. Stir occasionally to make sure the sauce at the bottom of the pan isn't burning.
• Add sugar or honey, if desired, along with the herbs, salt, and pepper. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
• Let the sauce cool completely. Pour into to freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. Label well with date and contents, then transfer to the freezer. The sauce will last 3-4 months, or longer if you use a deep freeze.

BASIC TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the carrot is quite soft. With your hands, crush the tomatoes and add them with their juices. Bring to a boil, stirring often, and then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve. This sauce holds for 1 week in the refrigerator or for up to 6 months in the freezer.