Homemade Tomato Sauce
Homemade tomato sauce is infinitely more flavorful than store-bought. With ripe tomatoes, garlic, onion, and basil, it takes just 20 minutes. Versatile, it works for pasta, pizza, meats, and much more.
⏱️ Cooking Time: 20 minutes
🥘 Ingredients
- 6 ripe tomatoes (or 1 can whole peeled tomatoes)
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Fresh basil leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar (to cut acidity)
👨🍳 How to Make
- 1
Score an X on the bottom of tomatoes and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. Peel.
- 2
Roughly chop tomatoes (or use canned whole peeled tomatoes).
- 3
Heat olive oil and saute onion for 3 minutes until translucent.
- 4
Add garlic and saute 1 more minute.
- 5
Add chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar.
- 6
Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until thickened.
- 7
Add fresh basil in the last 2 minutes.
- 8
For smooth sauce, blend. For rustic, mash with a fork.
🔄 Cooking Variations
| Method | Time | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-cooked tomato sauce | 60 min | Cook on very low heat for 1 hour for concentrated flavor and velvety texture. | |
| Quick sauce (5 minutes) | 5 min | Use canned peeled tomatoes, mash with a fork, saute with garlic and oil for 5 minutes. |
💡 Tips
- ✦ Italian tomatoes (San Marzano) are best for sauce due to less water and more pulp.
- ✦ A pinch of sugar balances acidity without sweetening.
- ✦ Cooking longer (40-60 min) concentrates more flavor and results in thicker sauce.
- ✦ Freeze in 200ml portions to always have homemade sauce on hand.
🧠 Did You Know?
Tomatoes were considered poisonous in Europe until the 18th century because they belong to the nightshade family.
Italy consumes over 5 million tons of tomatoes per year, forming the base of its cuisine.
🥗 Nutrition Info
A 100g serving of homemade tomato sauce contains about 30 kcal, 5g of carbohydrates, and 1g of protein. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant.