Simple Tomato Sauce
45 min
Serves 4
Marcella-style sauce: butter, onion, San Marzano tomatoes. Three ingredients.
gluten-freevegetarian
freezerpantryweeknight
Preparation time
- Total
- approximately 45 minutes
- Preparation
- 5 minutes
- Cooking
- 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 (800g) can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and halved
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- medium saucepan
- wooden spoon
Description
A demonstration that good ingredients beat fancy technique. Forty minutes on the stove, virtually no work.
Instructions
- Empty the tomatoes (with their juice) into a medium saucepan. Crush them lightly with a wooden spoon.
- Add the butter, both onion halves cut-side down, and the salt.
- Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and crushing the tomatoes further, for 40 minutes. The sauce will thicken and the butter will rise into a glossy slick.
- Fish out the onion (or save it as a cook's snack). Taste and adjust salt.
Notes
- Toss with hot pasta and a splash of pasta water; finish with grated Parmigiano.
- Don't substitute olive oil here — the butter is the point.
Substitutions
- Cherry tomatoes in summer (use about 700 g; longer cook).
Make-ahead
Refrigerate up to 5 days, freeze up to 3 months.
Nutrition (per serving)
- calories
- 180.0
- fat_g
- 14.0
Source:
Inspired by Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking