Cooking a simple tomato sauce can be an effortless way to elevate your culinary skills and indulge in a versatile dish bursting with flavor. Whether you're a novice cook or an experienced chef, this culinary journey will introduce you to the art of creating a delectable tomato sauce that will transform your meals into culinary masterpieces. Join us as we embark on a quest for the best recipe for a simple tomato sauce, exploring different techniques, ingredients, and cooking methods to help you achieve the perfect balance of flavors and textures.
Here are our top 9 tried and tested recipes!
SIMPLE SPAGHETTI WITH TOMATO SAUCE
This basic pasta dish can be transformed by adding extras like cooked bacon, shrimp or even a few handfuls of baby spinach to the sauce. We like canned San Marzano plum tomatoes because they are slightly sweeter and less acidic than other varieties.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Time 40m
Yield 4 cups sauce
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Cook the oil, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring, until the oil heats up and the garlic just starts to turn golden, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes; rinse the can with about 1 cup of water, and add the water to the skillet. Add the basil, raise the heat to medium-high and simmer until the sauce thickens, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the spaghetti to the boiling water, and cook according to package directions; strain well.
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce, and stir to coat. Serve with Parmesan if desired.
SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE
Provided by Giada De Laurentiis
Time 1h30m
Yield 6 cups
Number Of Ingredients 10
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.
AMAZINGLY SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE
I've used this sauce for lasagna, ziti, eggplant Parmesan, meatballs, and spaghetti. You name it, it's great with it.
Provided by Samantha Jones
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes Sauce Recipes Pasta Sauce Recipes Tomato
Time 1h15m
Yield 10
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water with the onion mixture until smooth; add sugar, parsley, basil, salt, Italian seasoning, fennel, and pepper. Stir the mixture, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the seasonings have permeated the sauce, 1 hour to 90 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 85.6 calories, Carbohydrate 17.9 g, Fat 1.4 g, Fiber 3.7 g, Protein 3.5 g, SaturatedFat 0.2 g, Sodium 1264.6 mg, Sugar 8.5 g
SIMPLE ROASTED TOMATO AND GARLIC SAUCE
So simple and good for you! Perfect sauce for pizzas and pasta. Can be substituted for canned tomato sauce in any recipe. Doesn't require ripe tomatoes. Make lots when tomatoes are cheap, and freeze it in batches.
Provided by fishanyone
Categories Sauces
Time 1h
Yield 3 cups, 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Slice tomatoes in half. Slice top 1/2 inch off of garlic to expose cloves. Arrange garlic and tomatoes (cut side up) on foil-lined baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over garlic. (This will keep garlic from drying out and getting bitter.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast in 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for easier handling.
- Pour juice out of tomatoes. Discard juice. Squeeze tomato pulp and roasted garlic into blender or food processor. Dicard tomato skins and garlic paper. Blend or process for 5-10 seconds to obtain a smooth consistency.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 43.4, Fat 1, SaturatedFat 0.1, Sodium 7.8, Carbohydrate 8, Fiber 1.7, Sugar 3.3, Protein 1.7
SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE
This simple, savory sauce is rich with tomato flavor. A few basil stems - or whatever herbs you've got on hand - add a welcome aromatic note, and a little zip with a blender or food mill leave it with a smooth, silky texture. Use in lasagna, pasta, pizza, or anywhere else you'd use a jar of store-bought marinara.
Provided by Samin Nosrat
Categories sauces and gravies
Time 1h15m
Yield 4 1/2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Set a medium Dutch oven or similar pot over medium heat, and add 4 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add onions and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring regularly, until onions are lightly golden and tender, 16 to 18 minutes.
- In the meantime, pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and use hands to crush, if using whole tomatoes. Pour about 1 1/2 cups water into the can and swirl to rinse any remaining purée off the sides. Add the water to tomatoes in bowl and set aside.
- Once onions are soft and golden, add garlic and cook, stirring, until it threatens to turn golden, about 90 seconds. Add tomato paste, if using, and cook until color deepens, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and season with salt. If using, add basil stems and red-pepper flakes. Stirring regularly, allow sauce to come to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until sauce tastes savory and all raw tomato flavor is gone, about 45 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and add remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Use a hand blender to purée, pass through a food mill or let cool, then purée using a blender or food processor. Tomato sauce can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated or frozen up to 3 months.
ULTRA SIMPLE PORCUPINE MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE
I looked around and all of the porcupine meatball recipes that have been posted include extra and (I think) unnecessary ingredients like Worcestershire sauce. This is the recipe my family has been using since I was a kid. They're very easy to make, taste great with ground beef or turkey, and freeze well. A couple of notes: if you use onion, chop it so it isn't only about double the size of the rice (or less). If it's too much larger it might not be as easy to form the meatballs and could be weird to bite in to. The rice you use should be uncooked Minute Rice, the kind that cooks in like 5 minutes or so.
Provided by HocoRuco
Categories Meatballs
Time 1h5m
Yield 36 meatballs
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine meat, rice, onion, egg and one can of soup.
- Roll into meatballs that are approximately 2 to 3 inches in diameter and put in a 9x13 inch glass baking dish.
- Combine second can of tomato soup with water (only about half as much as you would to make it into tomato soup) and pour half over the meatballs in baking dish.
- Bake 45 minutes. Make sure you're keeping an eye on them. Cut one meatball in half to determine if it is cooked all the way through.
- Heat remaining tomato soup and water mixture and pour over meatballs when serving.
LIGHTER CHICKEN PARMESAN WITH SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE
Such a delicious chicken dish!! If you are tight on time, you can substitute 2 cups of your favorite plain tomato sauce for the simple tomato sauce. Two cups of fresh bread crumbs can be substituted for the panko (they will shrink as they toast). Because these cutlets are breaded, one cutlet per person is plenty - but try to buy the largest chicken breasts you can to ensure good size portions.
Provided by Chef mariajane
Categories Chicken Breast
Time 40m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475°F.
- Combine the bread crumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 20 minutes. Spread the bread crumbs in a shallow dish and cool slightly; when cool, stir in the parmesan.
- In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoons pepper together. In a third shallow dish, whisk the egg whites and water together.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack on top and spray the rack with vegetable oil spray. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip in the egg whites, and finally coat with the bread crumbs. Press on the bread crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the chicken on the wire rack.
- Spray the tops of the chicken with the vegetable oil spray. Bake until the meat is no longer pink in the center and feel firm when pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the oven. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the sauce onto the center of each cutlet; top the sauce with 2 tablespoons of the mozzarella. Return the chicken to the oven and continue to bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve, passing the remaining sauce and parmesan separately.
- FOR SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE: Pulse the tomatoes in a food processor until mostly smooth, about ten one second pulses; set aside.
- Cook the garlic, tomato paste, oil and pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the puréed tomatoes and cook until the sauce is thickened and measures 2 cups, about 20 minutes.
- Off the heat, stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until needed.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 282.8, Fat 10, SaturatedFat 3.6, Cholesterol 53.1, Sodium 766, Carbohydrate 25, Fiber 3.7, Sugar 8.1, Protein 24
SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE
Transform a can of whole peeled tomatoes into a flavorful sauce for pizza or pasta, simply by adding garlic, red pepper flakes, and fresh oregano.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Healthy Recipes Gluten-Free Recipes
Yield Makes 2 1/2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add red-pepper flakes (optional) and tomatoes, breaking them up as you go. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a rapid simmer. Cook, stirring often, until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Stir in oregano leaves.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 55 g, Fat 4 g
SIMPLE SEASONED TOMATO SAUCE
Just like the name suggests...a simple sauce to make but a pleasure to eat. This recipe comes from Giada De Laurentis...Everyday Italian. Update Sept. 07--bay leaves appeared in the directions, but not ingredients. Fixed now!!!
Provided by Canadian Jane
Categories Sauces
Time 1h25m
Yield 6 cups, 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent--about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavour.
- I like my sauce a little spicier, so I add a few red pepper flakes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 220.3, Fat 18.5, SaturatedFat 2.6, Sodium 406.9, Carbohydrate 13.9, Fiber 3.6, Sugar 1.1, Protein 2.9
Tips:
- Use ripe, flavorful tomatoes: The quality of your tomatoes will greatly impact the flavor of your sauce. Look for tomatoes that are deep red and have a slightly sweet smell.
- Roast your tomatoes: Roasting tomatoes intensifies their flavor and sweetness. You can roast them whole or cut them in half. Toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-45 minutes, or until they are slightly caramelized.
- Use a variety of herbs and spices: Herbs and spices add depth and complexity to tomato sauce. Some popular choices include basil, oregano, thyme, garlic, and red pepper flakes. You can also add a bay leaf or two for extra flavor.
- Simmer your sauce for at least 30 minutes: Simmering allows the flavors of the tomatoes, herbs, and spices to meld together. The longer you simmer your sauce, the better it will taste.
- Taste your sauce and adjust the seasonings as needed: Once your sauce is done simmering, taste it and adjust the seasonings as needed. Add more salt, pepper, or herbs if desired.
- Serve your sauce over your favorite pasta: Tomato sauce is a classic pasta sauce. It can also be used on pizza, chicken, or fish.
Conclusion:
With these simple tips, you can make a delicious, flavorful tomato sauce that will be a hit with your family and friends. So next time you're looking for a quick and easy meal, reach for a can of tomatoes and make a batch of homemade tomato sauce. You won't be disappointed!
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