Best 9 Basic Italian Tomato Sauce Recipes

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Italy's vibrant and delectable cuisine is renowned for its diverse selection of tantalizing dishes that have captivated taste buds worldwide. Among these culinary treasures, "basic Italian tomato sauce" stands out as a fundamental pillar of Italian cooking, its versatile nature allowing it to elevate simple ingredients into extraordinary meals. Crafted with fresh, juicy tomatoes as its base, this versatile sauce forms the heart of countless Italian dishes, from hearty pasta creations to flavorful risottos and succulent meat preparations. Whether you are a seasoned home cook or just starting your culinary journey, this article will guide you through the nuances of creating the perfect basic Italian tomato sauce, providing step-by-step instructions and insightful tips to ensure your culinary endeavor is a resounding success.

Let's cook with our recipes!

ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE



Italian Tomato Sauce image

The best spaghetti sauce! We had this every Wednesday when I was growing up. The secret ingredient is the nutmeg. Just a pinch. Delicious! Serve over spaghetti.

Provided by cuttnshowmom

Categories     Side Dish     Sauces and Condiments Recipes     Sauce Recipes     Pasta Sauce Recipes     Tomato

Time 50m

Yield 10

Number Of Ingredients 16

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
¼ cup chopped celery
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 pound ground beef
40 ounces Italian-style stewed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms, or to taste
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
¼ cup parsley
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon dried oregano
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon baking soda, or to taste

Steps:

  • Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, and garlic in hot oil until softened, about 5 minutes; add beef and cook, stirring to break into small chunks, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes more.
  • Stir stewed tomatoes and tomato paste with the beef mixture until smooth; add mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, sugar, nutmeg, oregano, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is flavorful, about 10 minutes.
  • Stir baking soda into the sauce. Continue cooking until you can taste a reduction in acidity of the sauce, about 10 minutes more.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 200.9 calories, Carbohydrate 17.6 g, Cholesterol 31.9 mg, Fat 9.6 g, Fiber 3.1 g, Protein 12.6 g, SaturatedFat 3.3 g, Sodium 980.3 mg, Sugar 12.4 g

HOMEMADE BASIC ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE



Homemade Basic Italian Tomato Sauce image

Perfect Italian Tomato Sauce recipe, great with pasta and as a pizza sauce. Taken from my Udemy "Cooking Italian for Beginners" course.

Provided by Azlin Bloor

Categories     Sauces

Time 8m

Number Of Ingredients 6

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 small cloves garlic (chopped widthwise)
1 x 440g can good quality chopped tomatoes
1 handful basil leaves (torn)
1 pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

  • Heat the oil on medium high heat in a frying pan.
  • Fry the garlic for about 15 seconds.
  • Add the chopped tomatoes, stir well and bring back to boil.
  • Mash the tomatoes with a potato masher, if you like or leave as is.
  • Add salt and pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes.
  • That's it, you now have a gorgeous tomato sauce bursting with flavours that will make all the difference on your pizza.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 163 kcal, Sugar 5 g, Sodium 314 mg, Fat 14 g, SaturatedFat 2 g, Carbohydrate 9 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 2 g, UnsaturatedFat 12 g, ServingSize 1 serving

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE



Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce image

This is a recipe I got from my father who got it from a little old lady he knew from Italy. I always simmer this sauce with my meatballs (recipe posted). You can also add sausage if you like. This sauce is to die for!!!!

Provided by InMemoryofBrats

Categories     Sauces

Time 3h20m

Yield 10 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 11

2 (28 ounce) cans tomato puree
1 (28 ounce) can peeled plum tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion, diced
6 cloves
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated cheese

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.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 145.4, Fat 6.6, SaturatedFat 1.2, Cholesterol 1.8, Sodium 308.8, Carbohydrate 21, Fiber 4.1, Sugar 12.6, Protein 4

SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE



Simple Tomato Sauce image

Provided by Giada De Laurentiis

Time 1h30m

Yield 6 cups

Number Of Ingredients 10

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
4 to 6 basil leaves
2 dried bay leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

Steps:

  • In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
  • Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
  • If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

BASIC ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE



Basic Italian Tomato Sauce image

This is a great go-to tomato sauce and can be doused over any kind of pasta. If you have it on hand, toss in some fresh basil for a great aroma, and when the sauce is finished, add a little butter to make it more luxurious.From the book "Mad Hungry," by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Artisan Books).

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories     Food & Cooking     Cuisine-Inspired Recipes     Italian Recipes

Yield Makes 3 cups; enough for 1 pound of pasta

Number Of Ingredients 7

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can best-quality tomatoes, pulsed in a blender
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 sprig of fresh basil (optional)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

Steps:

  • Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Swirl around the olive oil to coat the pan, and when the oil is hot, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir constantly for 30 seconds, just long enough to release the garlic's fragrance and transform it slightly from its raw state. Don't cook it to golden.
  • Raise the heat to high and stir in the tomatoes and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the basil sprig, if using. Remove the basil before serving and swirl in the butter, if using.

REAL AUTHENTIC ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE (NO CAN'S HERE)



Real Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce (No Can's Here) image

Here's the deal....if you want REAL authentic Italian tomato sauce, you've come to the right place. Sure you can save yourself all the time by opening a couple cans of diced/peeled tomatoes, but then again, that's not authentic at all. You can freeze this sauce for later use. This sauce is perfect for anything that requires a tomato sauce: e.g. spaghetti, lasagne, pizza sauce, etc. My girlfriend learned this authentic recipe while living in Italy for several years. It's simple, but takes a lot of time and a lot of love, but its well worth the effort! This is for your free Saturday or Sunday when you will be in the house for the day. Add more tomatoes, garlic, or basil if you wish. There really is no set amount for each of these, but I do suggest a minimum of 10 whole red ripe tomatoes, and a minimum of 5 garlic cloves. Add some crushed red pepper to give it a kick if you wish. This recipe is the rundown of how I make the sauce now. It took me several attempts to really master this, but once you get it down you can make more tomatoes at a time. I usually work with two pots and start out with 10 in each pot, skin all the tomatoes in both, combine and start more in the empty pot to really make a large pot to freeze. The local vegetable stand sells 25 lb. baskets for $9 while in season. We do 50 lbs. a week for a month, so we can freeze and have great sauce all during the winter. I'm going to put this makes 4 servings, but I'm really not sure. The amount of sauce used per person differs.

Provided by iN TRAiNiNG

Categories     Sauces

Time 7h10m

Yield 4-6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 6

10 red ripe whole tomatoes (beefsteak, use more for romas)
5 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh basil leaf
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
crushed red pepper flakes, for arrabiata sauce (angry sauce) (optional)

Steps:

  • Wash, and core tomatoes. I also like to cut the little "nub" off of the bottom of the tomato. Just the nub, and this will make it easier to remove the skins from the tomatoes.
  • Place whole tomatoes in a large pot and drizzle 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over tomatoes. Place lid on pot and heat over medium.
  • After about 15 minutes give the tomatoes a stir (I use a fork to do this), ensuring not to break them up. This moves the ones on top to the bottom to help the skins to become loose and to prevent burning any skins. Cover and allow to cook for 15 more minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, take a fork and fish out a tomato from the bottom. Keeping the tomato in the pot, use two forks, or a fork and wood spoon to start removing the skins. If you like, you can take the tomato out and place on a plate or in a bowl to do this, just make sure you keep the juices. If the tomatoes are not fully ready to be skinned, put the lid back on and check every 5 minutes. (This is the most time consuming part, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes really simple.).
  • After all or most of the skins have been discarded, lower the temperature to medium low and allow to simmer uncovered. This is simply stewed tomatoes at this point.
  • Once an hour, check the sauce and stir thoroughly. Using a wooden spoon, start to break up the tomatoes over the period of checking them. (Note: Don't break them all the way up on the first, second of even third time of checking them. Break them down over time).
  • After about 5 hours, smash all tomatoes with whatever instrument you can find that will work. Add garlic cloves whole, use more than 5 if you like, I DO! (Do not mince/chop garlic) Allow to simmer for another hour. (Note: If you feel the sauce has reached your desired consistency or is nearing, you can add the garlic earlier).
  • After 1 more hour, the garlic should be soft enough to smash easily on the side of the pot and the garlic will literally disintegrate into the sauce. If sauce is at your desired consistency, you can remove from the hot eye at this point and go to the next step, if you like your sauce a little less runny, or thicker, leave on and continue to monitor to your liking.
  • Once the sauce is to your desired consistency, remove from heat and add 1 cup of fresh basil leaves, stir. Fresh is important to making really good sauce. Salt to taste. If you like a little spice, add some crushed red pepper.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 123, Fat 7.5, SaturatedFat 1, Sodium 16.6, Carbohydrate 13.5, Fiber 3.9, Sugar 8.2, Protein 3.3

SUGO DI POMODORO (AUTHENTIC ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE)



Sugo di Pomodoro (Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce) image

This is a basic recipe for authentic Italian tomato sauce flavored with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and basil. Toss with your favorite pasta or use for pizza, gnocchi and more.

Provided by SilviaG

Categories     Side Dish     Sauces and Condiments Recipes     Sauce Recipes     Pasta Sauce Recipes     Tomato

Time 30m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 6

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, halved
2 (14 ounce) cans passata (crushed tomatoes)
¼ cup fresh basil, torn in half
salt to taste

Steps:

  • Heat oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add passata, basil, and salt. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tomato sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove garlic halves before serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 152 calories, Carbohydrate 20.8 g, Fat 7.4 g, Fiber 4.8 g, Protein 4.2 g, SaturatedFat 1.1 g, Sodium 303.6 mg, Sugar 2.4 g

DEFALCO'S AUTHENTIC ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE



DeFalco's Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce image

Provided by Guy Fieri

Time 3h20m

Yield 10 to 12 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
3 to 4 fresh Italian sausages, casings removed
One 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
One 28-ounce can tomato puree
One 28-ounce can tomato sauce
One 8-ounce can tomato paste
1 cup fresh basil, roughly torn
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup marsala wine
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Steps:

  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, sausages and onions and cook until lightly brown.
  • Add the crushed San Marzano tomatoes and 1/2 can water, bring to a simmer. Add the tomato puree, 1/2 can of water and simmer again. Repeat with the tomato sauce, again adding 1/2 can of water and bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the tomato paste and cook through.
  • Add the basil, parsley, marsala wine, pepper, salt and sugar into the pot and stir. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring frequently.

ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE



Italian tomato sauce image

Perfect for bolognese, pasta bakes and pizza sauce

Provided by phuddy48

Time 45m

Yield Serves 6

Number Of Ingredients 0

Steps:

  • Heat the Olive oil in a Large frying pan/Skillet until very hot.
  • Add onions and stir until soft and slightly brown.Turn down the heat and add the garlic and Red wine. Leave for 1-2 mins.
  • Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, and bay leaves, turn the heat down and leave to simmer for approx 5 mins stirring occasionally. If using fresh tomatoes allow them to reduce slowly, this will take approx 20 mins.
  • Once mixture has simmered add puree and stir in, simmer for a further 5 mins.
  • Remove from the heat and cool. Sauce can be refrigerated for use later on, If using for Pizza topping use a blender until smooth and spread on pizza using the back of a spoon. If using for bolognese, brown mince and add when ready.

Tips:

  • Use ripe, in-season tomatoes for the best flavor.
  • If you don't have fresh tomatoes, you can use canned tomatoes. Just be sure to drain them well before using.
  • Add a little sugar to the sauce to help balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.
  • Use a variety of herbs and spices to flavor the sauce. Some good options include basil, oregano, thyme, garlic, and pepper.
  • Simmer the sauce for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
  • Serve the sauce over your favorite pasta, or use it as a base for other dishes like pizza or lasagna.

Conclusion:

There's nothing quite like a delicious, homemade tomato sauce. With just a few simple ingredients and a little bit of time, you can create a sauce that's bursting with flavor and perfect for any occasion. So next time you're in the kitchen, give this recipe a try. You won't be disappointed!

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