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95 Comments
Amy T.
April 20, 2015
Stumbled upon this recipe tonight after the sauce we tried was not quite "it." Researching for a fresh tomato sauce for my daughter's graduation party - she's wanting chicken schnitzel with a fresh tomato sauce spaghetti for one of her main dishes.
My question is this: Has anyone made this ahead? If so, how did you keep it until serving time and how long did you keep it?
Thanks ever so much!
My question is this: Has anyone made this ahead? If so, how did you keep it until serving time and how long did you keep it?
Thanks ever so much!
ibbeachnana
April 21, 2015
I always make enough to freeze as it comes in handy for many dishes. I also add a big clean carrot cut in 3rds and now and then fresh basil. A good sauce to hijack. I love schnitzel and often make Thomas Keller's recipe panic crusted version.
NotTooSweet
September 18, 2014
My husband loves Spatini spaghetti sauce; yep - that stuff you may have enjoyed or endured in the cafeteria of your elementary school. He just loves it; so I actually buy large packets through Amazon to make it for him (no grocery stores carry it anymore). I never look forward to spaghetti and meatballs because I know I won't enjoy the sauce. Until now - finally an easy, quick and very delicious sauce that I can make at the same time the spatini is sputtering away on the stovetop. Tonight my husband and I both enjoyed our pasta with Rao's meatballs and I have found my dream sauce for many pasta nights to come. Used canned San Marzano tomatoes and it was delicious.
Julie @.
July 23, 2014
I can't wait to try this! I have tomatoes in my freezer and new ones are ripening as we speak.
Taylor
April 27, 2014
Better than I could have imagined! I used italian tomatoes and threw in a handful of basil. Can't wait to try this with heirloom tomatoes from my garden this summer.
SusanR
February 10, 2014
OK, All I can say is Perfection! Love this recipe! Simple and delicious. I made Rao's Meatballs and finished cooking them in this sauce. This will be my go-to tomato sauce. Thanks for sharing it!
Loraine
January 29, 2014
Wish you hadn't made the mention of Obama in the introduction. I definitely wasn't orgasmic when he won the election in 2008 and the re-election. But I will try this recipe. I'm always looking for new recipes to try to broaden my horizons and repertoire, and to learn new cooking techniques. Can't wait to try this since we are almost once a week pasta/spaghetti eaters and it gets a little boring with jarred sauce or not very good homemade sauce.
e
January 29, 2014
Hi Kristen- can you pls let us know where we can purchase those beautiful looking jars (containing the sauce in the photo)?
Kristen M.
January 29, 2014
That jar is made by Bodum -- pretty cool, huh? https://www.google.com/search?q=bodum+jar&oq=bodum+jar&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.1505j0j7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=91&ie=UTF-8#q=bodum+jar&tbm=shop
Eileen
December 20, 2013
Made this last night with Rao's meatballs. Can't say enough about the simple goodness of so few ingredients! I did add a couple of parmesan rinds while the sauce simmered. The whole family loved this. Used San Marzano canned tomatoes. For me, one can equaled two cups.Can't wait for next tomato season to try with fresh ones. Thanks for sharing!
suzygregory
November 6, 2013
I have made this sauce for years, it is amazing! Simple, classic, sweet tomato goodness...I have been known to stand at the pot and eat it by the spoonful, so good! Please people, try it exactly as written, you will not be disappointed.
Panfusine
November 7, 2013
I totally agree, not to mention practically wiping clean the pot with bits of bread (or even Basmati rice, it makes for a splendid tomato rice)
Isabelle L.
November 6, 2013
Yes, the sauce is a classic, but where can one get the gorgeous jar in the photo with the two tomatoes?!
Katbelle
July 23, 2013
Thank you, for sharing your awesome tomato sauce recipe!! I have home grown San Marzano tomatoes hanging in clumps in my garden like grapes! Great way to make use of all those tomatoes....the next batch gets frozen for a cold rainy winter night here in CA. No SAD disorder for me this winter!!
Marian B.
June 12, 2013
Okay so I finally made this last night and now my life has officially changed. I also didn't add butter, and I cooked it to quite thick. And I'm not sorry at all.
PAMELA S.
November 11, 2012
I would like to make a spaghetti sauce with cooked sausage in it. Could I can this in canning jars for gifts in a basket? Would rather not freeze if I don't have to.
MrsWheelbarrow
November 11, 2012
If you are an experienced canner, and have a pressure CANNER (not a pressure cooker - it's a different piece of equipment,) and you have a trusted sauce recipe designed for canning, the answer is yes.
mrslarkin
October 15, 2012
Totally agree with you, Kristen, you should eat the onion. Made this using a box of Pomi chopped tomatoes. So delicious. The stewed tomato-y onion was perfect with a generous grating of Parmigiano.
FYI, this sauce is the bomb on top of roasted spaghetti squash, all covered with cheese. Parmigiano, that is.
FYI, this sauce is the bomb on top of roasted spaghetti squash, all covered with cheese. Parmigiano, that is.
Frank P.
July 28, 2012
The recipe even is TAILORED PERFECTLY???????? to A 28oz CAN of good-quality tomatoes -
USE 2 CUPS CANNED IMPORTED ITALIAN TOMATOES, cut up, with their juice!
LAST TIME I LOOKED 2 CUPS = 16 oz NOT 28 oz.
PLEASE EMAIL RESPONSE. WHAT DO I DO WITH OTHER 12 oz ?
I certainly can use it for something else, BUT, THE POINT IS don't say a 28 oz can IS TAILORED PERFECTLY !!!!!!
USE 2 CUPS CANNED IMPORTED ITALIAN TOMATOES, cut up, with their juice!
LAST TIME I LOOKED 2 CUPS = 16 oz NOT 28 oz.
PLEASE EMAIL RESPONSE. WHAT DO I DO WITH OTHER 12 oz ?
I certainly can use it for something else, BUT, THE POINT IS don't say a 28 oz can IS TAILORED PERFECTLY !!!!!!
Kristen M.
July 28, 2012
Hey Frank -- a 28-ounce can is 28 ounces by weight, which turns out to be close to 2 cups, once chopped. And anyways, why be so angry about it?
I_Fortuna
November 6, 2013
Use those 12 ounces like I do. Add them to soup, canned or from scratch. I also use tomato sauce and tomatoes for one of my versions of huevos rancheros. Fry up some corn tortillas (5 to 6) until soft in oil or butter, fry up 2 or 3 eggs (over medium or hard), cut up the tortillas, top with the cooked eggs and tomato sauce mixed with salt and pepper, minced onions, oregano, minced tomatoes, minced Anaheim chiles and sage or not. You can use any or all of these suggestions. For the herbs, just use a pinch rubbed between your thumb and forefinger. Or, you can put your left over tomato and tomato juice in a blender with other veggie juice for a great veggie cocktail. Just strain out the pulp or use an electric juicer instead. Or, you can cook it all up and save the excess in the fridge for a couple of days and use it on rice or pasta. Best of luck!
Panfusine
July 27, 2012
Made a batch with golden yellow tomatoes.. No pasta.. Just freshly cooked basmati rice folded in. Unbelievably great tomato rice! Thanks for this recipe over &over again
Panfusine
July 27, 2012
Made a batch with golden yellow tomatoes.. No pasta.. Just freshly cooked basmati rice folded in. Unbelievably great tomato rice! Thanks for this recipe over &over again
Siempre
July 27, 2012
I buy tomato sauce in the can to use to add to many of my Puerto Rican dishes. Is this sauce a spaghettis sauce, since all are writing that that is how they have used it, or can I use this as a tomato sauce for my receipes?
Kristen M.
July 28, 2012
Yes, you can use this anywhere you would use a tomato sauce! It has a very straightforward, pure tomato flavor.
A C.
September 14, 2011
After reading all the rave reviews, we were very excited to try this recipe. We were fortunate enough to have locally grown San Marzano tomatoes, however, we were disappointed by the results. This recipe was only "good" at best - certainly not worthy of all the hype.
msitter
September 14, 2011
Hi. We made this recipe for years before discovering its simple secrets. The tomatoes must go through the fine blade of the food mill for best results. The onion should not be too big or impacts the flavor. And, most importantly, the sauce should be simmered at a reasonable pace. Occasionall bubbles in the simmer will not work. And, simmer it until it is quite thick, then, put in your wet pasta and a touch more pasta water if it is still too thick. The result is a wonderful, dense, very red film of tomato sauce on the pasta.
mainecook61
September 11, 2011
Lovely sauce---but it's all about the tomatoes. If fresh, they should be impeccable. Late summer/early fall tomatoes in northern New England have a lot of liquid and may take a bit longer to cook down to the proper consistency. (I used a combination of Opalka paste tomatoes and some heirlooms that needed using up.) To compensate for not having San Marzanos growing up the slopes of an Italian villa, I added a tablespoon of tomato paste and cooked the sauce 15 minutes longer. The result was delicious and almost helped me to forget that temperatures dropped into the forties last night (September 11) for the first time since early May.
dymnyno
September 12, 2011
I have been making this sauce for many years. I thought that what was "genius"about this recipe was the way you could transform a can of San Marazano tomatoes into an amazing sauce with this method. I have never used it to make sauce from scratch...too much added fat.
I_Fortuna
November 6, 2013
Five tablespoons of butter is a perfect amount of fat and fat is needed for the body to process certain vitamins and minerals. In fact, we use coconut oil mostly in cooking. It is not susceptible to turning to cholesterol when heated as corn, soy and other veggie oils. It can take high temps and we have both lost weight since I started using it and hubby's cholesterol is now in the normal low range. I even fry chicken in it and it comes out wonderful. I can use less oil and cook my food longer without it burning.
Just google Dr. Mercola on oils to find out more.
Just google Dr. Mercola on oils to find out more.
susan D.
August 30, 2011
i made this today, it was fantastic! i only i wish i'd made twice as much! thanks for sharing it!
susan
susan
viviancooks
August 12, 2011
great sauce, but an even fresher tasting one: big sautee pan, the bigger the better because you want it to reduce quickly so you don't lose any of that fresh tomato taste. glugs of olive oil. sautee slivers of garlic (lots) until just barely beginning to take on color. dump in lots of fresh tomatoes, skins on, diced (works with canned tomatoes in a pinch, but fresh is best). on high heat, simmer just until tomatoes collapse, reduce a bit and become saucy. during simmer, salt to taste and add a bit of sugar. it will be a sauce with small lumps of tomato in it. turn off heat, add handfuls of fresh, torn basil. if adding rosemary,add at beginning with tomatoes. now that's fresh.
viviancooks
August 12, 2011
great sauce, but an even fresher tasting one: big sautee pan, the bigger the better because you want it to reduce quickly so you don't lose any of that fresh tomato taste. glugs of olive oil. sautee slivers of garlic (lots) until just barely beginning to take on color. dump in lots of fresh tomatoes, skins on, diced (works with canned tomatoes in a pinch, but fresh is best). on high heat, simmer just until tomatoes collapse, reduce a bit and become saucy. during simmer, salt to taste and add a bit of sugar. it will be a sauce with small lumps of tomato in it. turn off heat, add handfuls of fresh, torn basil. if adding rosemary,add at beginning with tomatoes. now that's fresh.
AlyssaM
August 10, 2011
Just wondering if you're supposed to use unsalted or salted butter. And what type of onion? White..vidalia...yellow...there are too many choices in the grocery store! Thanks!
curly201
August 10, 2011
sorry. just found the answer to my question on the "full recipe". thanks anyway to all! can't wait to try this. :-)
curly201
August 10, 2011
Has anyone tried making this using a can of san marzano? or would it require 2-28oz peeled whole tomatoes? thanks.
whataprize
August 10, 2011
I cooked this up last night for dinner with whole wheat pasta and a salad. It was so simple, and so delightful. I brought leftovers to work for lunch today. Awww, such delicious pleasures! Grazie!
bythesea
August 8, 2011
Thanks for the reminder! This is one of my favorites for all the reasons mentioned above. I will definitely be going to the farmer's market this weekend!
aplatefulofhappiness
August 7, 2011
I love this sauce! I've been making it for years. I don't discard the onion though. I actually dice it BEFORE cooking and just leave it in. It's hard to believe so few ingredients have so much flavor. You're right, Kristin, it's genius!
boulangere
August 7, 2011
Discard the onions? On a cold day, maybe. Most recently we chopped them up and added to pizzas when we used this treasure of a sauce for a pizza class. I've puréed them to add to a vinaigrette, added them to various pestos (with sun-dried tomatoes, killer!), spread them bruschetta-style over crostini, stored them chilled and added to salads. And those are just the uses that come most immediately to mind. Discard? I can barely say the word. Some instructions were meant to be thought beyond.
msitter
August 7, 2011
We have made the sauce since the first cook book. We make it all the time. But, only in the last few years did we learn that the sauce is best when quite thick. She tells you to cook it at a brisk simmer, which works well. We keep it at about "twenty of' on an electric stove until thick. Then, when you drop in slighly moist pasta from the boiling water with tongs. you get a result even more superior to other sauces.
morepleasebymargie
August 7, 2011
During peak of tomato season, I roast the tomatoes quickly in hot oven (in lieu of boiling them) before running them through the food mill, then finish them per Ms. Hazan's recipe. I like to think the roasting adds a layer of toasted tomato flavor. Regardless, this sauce is a family favorite.
cookingathome
August 7, 2011
This recipe appeared also in Marcella's first book,The Classic Italian Cookbook. I came to this book in its sixth iteration around 1978, and it remains my favorite--hands down. Throw away the onion? Never. The cook always ate that in the kitchen!
Kate's K.
August 7, 2011
Definitely don't let the onion go to waste! I need to make this again - soon!
Trillinchick
August 7, 2011
Sorry! It was supposed to read "(well--sauced) tongue in cheek" I seem to always battle iPhone spellchecker for the words that I need/want. No need ( which i just "corrected" from "Monopoly") in sounding like an illiterate troll. ;-)
reddragon
August 7, 2011
Anybody have any experience comparing this to a version with olive oil instead of butter?
Creative C.
August 7, 2011
I've been making a version of this sauce for years but never knew it was originally a recipe of Marcella Hazan's! I saute the onions and leave them in the sauce though. I never peel skins off tomatoes either, seems a waste of time to me;especially if in a sauce that I can whirl in a food processor. This is my daughter's favorite tomato sauce EVER.
rachelsdigestif
August 5, 2011
I LOVE this sauce. I've been making it for the past few years and am blown away by it every single time. What a lovely post with great pictures!
Panfusine
August 5, 2011
*Double GASP* Kristen, This is simply BEYOND genius. Mindblowing, I fished out the onions into a bowl, smooshed them and added some cold Basmati rice, Can't adequately describe to you how much I enjoyed it! Thank you a thousand times!,
Trillinchick
August 5, 2011
Gasp! Tomato sauce without garlic? Never! Are you sure that Marcell is Italian?well, I'll try it with onion. I can always sub ( or add?) my beloved garlic - which I will try in just about anything other than cereal (now there's an idea). Apologies to Marcella - this was meant as (well-saucer) tonue in cheek. ;-). This the the simplest, most usable genius recipe so far, for me. Great job, Kristen. Brava!
rachelalise
August 5, 2011
One great use for the onion I discovered last night: I was making meatballs to go with the sauce, and the tomato-braised onions tasted amazing chopped and tossed into the meat. The cooked onions gave the meat an extra sweetness and roundness.
Also: this sauce is incredible!
Also: this sauce is incredible!
akamcbride
August 5, 2011
I found this in an Italian cookbook years ago and have been making this for almost 20 years. It never ceases to impress my guests and myself every time. Its so easy that we named it No Bones Pasta Sauce.
We just came home from vacation and it was the only thing I could make with my pantry last night. You can make it with canned chopped tomatoes in a pinch but fresh tomatoes elevates it to another level. I would agree..genius!
We just came home from vacation and it was the only thing I could make with my pantry last night. You can make it with canned chopped tomatoes in a pinch but fresh tomatoes elevates it to another level. I would agree..genius!
Panfusine
August 4, 2011
Just acquired some 'retired' (borderline mushy) Heirlooms from my local farm especially for this, Should make for a memorable Friday night supper!
MyFareFoodie
August 4, 2011
I made this recipe during winter last year with some friends, and it completely turned our tomato sauce worlds upside down. So long to chopping herbs and sauteing aromatics in olive oil. This is the easiest and tastiest sauce ever! I was so thankful that my friends didn't want to eat the onion after it had finished cooking. I gobbled that whole thing right up and it was delish!
MrsWheelbarrow
August 4, 2011
I make this sauce all the time during tomato season, and freeze it (in jars) for the winter. A couple of summers back, I began oven roasting the tomatoes and then making this sauce. It's a nice alternative, a little richer, slightly more tomato-y, if that's possible.
SideworkEnds
August 4, 2011
I make this sauce at least once a week. with a green salad, it makes a fantastic lazy sunday dinner. If I find myself without an onion in the house, I sub in a tablespoon of vodka and a teaspoon of onion powder. It's not as good as the fresh onion, but it is close. Let the butter do the heavy lifting.
http://wherethesideworkends.com/2011/01/10/simple-sunday-dinner/
http://wherethesideworkends.com/2011/01/10/simple-sunday-dinner/
SideworkEnds
August 4, 2011
I make this sauce at least once a week. With a green salad, it is the perfect lazy Sunday dinner. In a pinch, when I find myself without an onion in the house, I sub in an ounce of vodka and a tablespoon of onion powder. it isn't as good as the fresh onion, but it gets close.
vvvanessa
August 3, 2011
i made this for the first time a few months ago, and it has awakened a monster in my house. a rich, buttery, oniony, tomatoey monster.
boulangere
August 3, 2011
I make a pizza sauce that's similar. I use several cloves of smashed garlic rather than the onion, and reduce it until it's quite thick. Whenever I teach this in a class, as soon as I get to the butter, I get looks of: Dude? (not a word I use often) Seriously, butter? One taste and they're addicts. The onion: seriously genius. Especially on a pizza.
Fairmount_market
August 3, 2011
I love this sauce and completely agree that it belongs in the genius category.
eatlovedrink
August 3, 2011
If I'm making this sauce with fresh tomatoes, do you think the tomatoes should be seeded? I guess I'm used to sauces that require that...but here it looks like you haven't done that. Any reasons for or against seeding?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Kristen M.
August 3, 2011
You know, I've never seeded them because Marcella doesn't. Unless you have some really burly tomatoes, I don't think the seeds should be too noticeable -- and you'd lose so much of the good juice trying to get them out. My verdict: don't seed. Anyone disagree?
Victoria C.
August 7, 2011
Every year I make up two bushels of tomatoes from Eagle Bridge Farm in upstate New York. I pick the tomatoes myself, wash them well, core them, and cut them into four to six pieces depending on the size of the tomato. I have four 12-quart stockpots on the stove ready to go. I plop the tomatoes in and add some Malden Salt (I'm sure kosher would be fine) and a few glugs of olive oil. Then I cook the tomatoes over low heat for as long as it takes to get to a sauce-like consistency. I put them through an Italian tomato press that I got at William-Sonoma the year of the flood, let them cool, and freeze them in little bags in one cup increments. They lay nice and flat in the freezer. I make Marcella's "miracle" sauce all the time with just one little bag using either a small onion cut in half or half of a medium onion cut in half, and, of course, the butter. I really prefer the sauce smooth and without the seeds.
thirschfeld
August 3, 2011
Marcella has to be one of the nicest and toughest ladies out there. I once had a facebook conversation (nicest lady) with her about branzino http://tinyurl.com/3s88znt and she was dead on right in her assessment and taught me how important it is to always keep learning. The fact that she is willing to take on molecular gastronomy has also been interesting to follow (hence toughest lady) I greatly admire and enjoy her passion and love of food.
dramaticpancake
August 3, 2011
I find that many of the best recipes are also the simplest. Love this sauce.
Rivka
August 3, 2011
Love the "reverse blanching" technique from David Tanis. Aki and Alex, of Ideas in Food (http://blog.ideasinfood.com/ideas_in_food/), recommend doing this with asparagus: they get perfectly soft-crunchy, as if you blanch them, but you don't lose any of their wonderful flavor.
MTM
August 3, 2011
I've been making this sauce since a friend gave me a paperback Marcella cookbook -- predating "Essentials" -- that listed the recipe as Tomato Sauce No. 3 and called for a full stick of butter. Spectacularly, astonishingly, crave-inducingly good.
withinseason
August 3, 2011
i have to say - last year, i packed away tons of tomatoes int he freezer, delighted at the way the skin would peel off. In the summer heat, sliding the skin from frozen tomatoes is great. The cold tomatoes are even a bit of a relief from the heat. But ... by january ... peeling frozen tomatoes was icy, icy torture on a cold night. never again!
Mary A.
August 3, 2011
Since a lot of us don't have scales to weigh the tomatoes, a 28 oz. can is 3 1/2 cups of the peeled & chopped tomatoes. I worked this out when recording one of my recipes.
dymnyno
August 3, 2011
I met Marcella Hazan at the CIA when she was stomping for her latest book Essentials of Italian Cooking in 1992. (She made an artichoke dish from the cookbook). I have been making this sauce for many years and had no idea that it was from that same cookbook. It is a recipe that has become an urban legend!
Kristin
August 3, 2011
I like to think of this as the little black dress of pasta sauces - simple, sophisticated and versatile. A classic.
duclosbe1
August 3, 2011
Peeling tomatoes is my favorite kitchen activity, sans food mill, and definitely with the X cut into the bottom. I've made a heartier sauce from this book, but not this one. I'll have to try it!
fiveandspice
August 3, 2011
A) Yes! Love this sauce. I love that the most perfect tomato sauce uses butter instead of olive oil, how satisfying :). B) Love your game, I could rattle the three locations off right now. C) Love the contents of the freezer!
aargersi
August 3, 2011
Yum! We can loads of sauce, salsa and ranchero every summer - I have never tried butter and onion though - always garlic and olive oil! And I am lazy - I don't peel the tomatoes for sauce I just motorboat them into submission with my immersion blender ... so now I need to try it this way!!!
Panfusine
August 3, 2011
*GASP*... tomatoes, butter & a bisected onion.. Unbelievable..Totally Genius!!
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