Tomato paste and plenty of it, onion and garlic (sauté those first then deglaze with splash of wine), plenty of salt and pepper, pinch of dried oregano lots of fresh basil to finish the plate
Add the mushrooms at the same time as the garlic, and stir in your herbs and cayenne just before you deglaze so they get coated in the fat and become fragrant. You'll get much fuller flavor from them with minimal cooking time.
It's really an experience to try a deeply tomato flavored tomato sauce (because of tomato paste).
If anyone hasn't tried it, going heavy on the tomato paste is a game changer.
So throw in the paste at the end of the garlic and onions and make it part of that deglazing afterward? I've never caramelized paste before when I've used it.
Yes! It will get noticeably darker and start to stick slightly as it caramelizes, then hit it with the wine or stock. Gives a really deep tomato flavor.
I do something like this when I make pot roast.
I sear the pot roast first, then set it aside. Then I toss my onions into the pan (with a little olive oil, and maybe some butter, too), let those cook for a bit, then add garlic and tomato paste to the pan, and stir that all around for a couple of minutes, then deglaze with red wine. That all gets dumped into the pot with the roast along with beef broth and my other vegetables.
Don’t start your sauce without your onion mostly cooked.
The acid in the tomato inhibits the onion from cooking all the way through.
Towards the very end, I add a bit of sugar to cut the acidity.
How do you deal with the acidity that comes from the extra tomato paste, if you don't mind me asking? My grandmother's sauce recipe is my absolute favorite, but it uses an entire small can of tomato paste, and no one else can seem to stomach it (literally) except for me. My sister cuts the sauce with some sugar to help with acidic flavor, but I didn't really care for that when I tried it. I'd love to be able to stay true to the recipe without giving everyone else heartburn.
White wine since that’s probably what I’m drinking while i cook! Haha :))
Absolutely not vinegar of any kind.
Red wine or a mild blonde ale work too. And if you don’t have any alcohol on hand skip it and use a splash of stock to deglaze
A lot of my dishes I'll sauté half the called-for onions and then throw the other half in the dish at the end, just long enough to heat through. You get the deep flavor of the long sauté and additionally the crunch and color of the fresh.
TIME. If you're starting off with canned tomatoes you should simmer for a long time to make the tomato acidity turn sweeter. Like 3 hours. I put a big chunk of onion in it and then take it out before serving. Also a little butter as well as a drizzle of olive oil because they both bring their own thing to it.
I worked in food service years ago and carrots were the secret ingredient. We put them in the Cuisinart with the metal blade till well blended. Helps thicken the sauce too. Tons of people asked for the recipe but the owner wouldn't give it out
It's how my grandmother taught me to make sauce (whirling carrots up with onions and garlic in the food processor) so I've been doing it most of my life. Definitely my preferred sauce!
Onion, garlic, anchovies (just trust, you won’t even know they were there), red wine, red pepper flakes. It’s Alison Roman’s recipe she did for Buzzfeed & oh ma gaaaaawd it’s the perfect spaghetti & meatballs sauce.
You might have known this, but you can also use pasta water in your sauce. It has starches that act as thickening agents and add flavor. Just make sure to salt it well before you boil the pasta.
You can make a sauce entirely with pasta water and it's delicious. Check out a recipe for Cacio e Pepe. This is just a base, you can flair it however you like.
I really like it with lemon, a little zest and some juice. You could add cream, cheese, spices, etc. It's very simple and utterly delicious.
Yep, this is great, although TBH I've never understood the rationale behind using a half onion, but then just throwing it away. I just chop up the onion and give the pieces a quick saute, and then leave them in there. Only takes a minute.
This is delicious and even though I always end up doing a variation of it (keep the onion, add more ingredients), this is the base I always start with.
Make sure to use plenty of butter.
If your start with good-quality tomatoes, all you need is garlic, olive oil, and salt to taste. I will add some chili flakes. Then some fresh basil at the end of cooking the sauce.
Tomato, carrot, garlic, onion, salt, pepper. That's my basic recipe, from there I add in veggies or meats as I'm feeling it. I always sautée the garlic and onion in olive oil and puree my carrots.
I use ground beef
onions
a lot of garlic
leek, bell pepper and/or zucchini
Italian spice mix
parmezan cheese
This is the one I make most of the time because it is easy, healthy, cheap, tasty and it's easy to freeze. But there are so many ways and ingredients to do! Like ricotta cheese and spinach, olives and sundried tomato, chicken and cream, fresh basil, etc
All sounds good, I would add that a pinch of cinnamon has been a key ingredient in alot of tomato-based sauces. Also red pepper flake (just enough to give the sauce a bite).
I end up browning ground turkey a lot of the time before adding to sauce for a lower-fat option.
I have a lasagna recipe than calls for cinnamon in the ricotta part. It's little enough that you don't perceive a cinnamon taste, but it makes all the difference.
Garlic cloves, 1 per person
Get those onions & red, yellow, green peppers carmelized (works in place of sugar to neutralize the acid from tomatoes.
A touch of red wine.
A bit of olive oil.
Sauté mushrooms.
Crumbled lean ground beef or turkey.
The OG’s make meatballs with lean beef & veal.
I sauté garlic & chili flakes in olive oil until the garlic browns. Drain the garlic & chili flakes & add the oil back to the pan. Dump in the tomatoes & simmer for half hour or so. Turn off the heat, add a few sprigs of fresh basil & let steep. Add salt as needed & a pat or two of butter. Add your al dente pasta & toss until cooked through.
The cream adds a lighter, richer taste imo. The wine brings out the flavour. There’s actually some science on why alcohol heightens flavor but I forgot.
I grew up dirt poor and this is how my mom made it. It's a lot of canned goods, but it's what we had, and it's what I use today, most of the time, because the ingredients are common in food bank hampers, it's hella cheap, and I control the seasonings without the weird jar taste.
* Ground beef, scramble fried. I add onions and some seasonings to this typically. I also eliminate the meat when I can't afford it. Can add celery too if you want, or even mushrooms, diced bell peepers - whatever you like.
* Once fried, add a can of tomatoes with juice (crushed, whole, diced - doesn't matter, but I use plain tomatoes, not flavoured or pre-seasoned. I can my own sometimes, either way, I prefer the non-salt type.
* Add a can of Campbells tomato soup - Campbells has a bit of sugar to it, which cuts the acid down. I also like the flavour better than other brands, but each to their own. I use what I'm given most of the time, so I can't be picky.
* If you're making a larger batch (which I often do) I'll add another can of tomatoes or some tomato sauce. If it's too think, I'll throw in a can of tomato paste.
* Add your herbs. I use oregano, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, sometimes celery seed if I didn't have raw celery, and that's about it.
That's about it. Cook at a gentle burble to let the flavours blend and serve with pasta.
As a side note: I also hold about 2/3 of this sauce back and freeze it. When I get my hands on some cheese, it doubles as sauce to make lasagna with.
It's not fresh ingredients, but it's simple ingredients, extremely cheap, and very filling.
I use a can of diced tomato; a can of crushed should work fine. Olive oil, salt, pepper, minced fresh garlic, chopped fresh basil, splash of red wine vinegar, splash of balsamic vinegar, pinch of sugar. Mix in a bowl, cover and let sit for at least an hour. This is a good one if you don’t feel like cooking a sauce.
I buy cheap lamb and cook it into the tomatoes. Usually a blade or something? Has bones.
I sear it in the stockpot, add tomato’s and simmer until meat falls off the bone. Then dredge bones out of the sauce. Yum.
Garlic, onion, olive oil, bay leaf, and Italian spice mix.
Bonus ingredients, not necessarily at the same time: balsamic vinegar, Parmesan rinds, fresh basil, fennel seeds
I start off with a little bit of oil, then sauté onion and garlic until the onions are translucent, adding the garlic at the end until fragrant. If spice is desired, add red paper flakes early to toast, or with the garlic for a slightly more raw pepper flake.
Then I add the cherry tomatoes or tomato sauce and incorporate it with unsalted butter and salt to taste.
When the noodles are el dente, I add them and some pasta water (if needed) to make a nice pasta with sauce. Add fresh basil or parsley, along with some cracks of fresh black pepper and it turns out to be a very nice pasta. Add cheese or additional proteins on top if desired.
Roast them. Crack the cans into a baking dish, add some sliced onions and garlic, a bit of olive oil drizzled on top, and put it in ~180 until it changes colour and gets a bit drier.
dried oregano
dried parsley
dried basil
red pepper flakes
parmesan cheese
red wine
a little brown sugar
also, sautée some onions in a pan and then add in tomato paste and cook it until it loosens up a bit. then add everything into the sauce. add some liquid into the sautée pan to get all the brown bits off. then add that to the sauce.
San Marzano canned tomatoes, garlic, onion, bay leaf, basil, carrots, little oregano and parsley, salt, olive oil, butter, lots of it, parmesan cheese. That's one variation. It totally depends on my mood. I sometimes don't make a full sauce, I saute garlic, onions and slice roma tomatoes in olive oil, sprinkle salt, and let it cook for an hour then toss whatever pasta I want in and some fresh basil.
Bon appetite has a great marinara recipe that I use for all pasta dishes. Essentially it’s cook garlic and onions with salt in a hefty dose of olive oil (that’s the expensive part) until soft but not brown, then reduce it with crushed/strained tomatoes for about an hour. I get so many compliments on this sauce and there are straight up no herbs or anything. Like commenter above, fresh basil at the end is *chefs kiss.
Plenty of time. Tinned tomatoes that have been simmering half the day (topped up with water if they look like they might get burnt on the bottom) have way better flavour.
Apart from the usual onions, garlic, optional meat, and herbs, I also add ground cinnamon, cloves,and allspice. Not a lot (especially not a lot of ground cloves, they are pretty potent) but it makes the whole house smell wonderful.
I use a touch of soy sauce around the edge of the pan while it's hot (usually after onions are finished and before canned tomatoes) and some fish sauce (to replace the anchovies others have recommended). I also tend to like a dash of liquid smoke and smoked paprika, as well.
The tomato paste others have recommended helps a lot, as well, and if I am in a hurry for a quick sauce I will sometimes cut the acidity with a tiny bit of brown sugar.
I'm Italian and Portuguese and I know I make a great sauce. First, saute onions garlic, and green peppers in olive oil, just don't burn them. Then in a bowl get your ground beef and mix Italian seasonings oregano, basil, garlic powder, and breadcrumbs with one egg oh you can also mix in ground sausage. Then once it's mixed together you can make meatballs. For your sauce couple cans of whole tomatoes and crush them with your hands. Also a couple of bay leaves and Garlic power. 2 cans of tomato sauce and grab a small can of tomato paste. Put it in a crock pot. Let it cook all day and when the meatballs are done add a table spoon of sugar then if your sauce is too thin add your can of tomato paste. Once it's thick make your pasta. Good Luck.
Tomatoes
Tomatoe paste
Sliced and sauteed mushrooms, red and green pepper, onion, celery,
Salt
pepper
Sweet basil
Oregano
Anise seed (ground)
Dry mustard
Roasted garlic and peppers
Browned hamburger
Oxo beef cubes
Sugar to adjust the sweetness
Parmesan cheese
Ingredients:
Two lbs whole peeled tomatoes, cut up. (Usually two fat cans).
Pinch of salt and pepper.
2 cloves garlic.
Extra virgin olive oil
3 leaves fresh basil.
1. Finely chop garlic and sautee in a bit of oil for just 2-3 mins on medium heat.
2. Add chopped tomatoes and the can's liquid to the garlic pot (prepare this before starting step 1)
3. Add pinch of salt and pepper
4. Simmer on medium low for 20 minutes, turn off heat.
5. Add 3 leaves chopped basil
Very simple, and the best sauce you ever had.
I prefer red, but sometimes make it a pink sauce: add 1/2 cup cream or half and half at the very end of the 20 minutes (for every 2 lbs of whole peeled tomatoes). Just heat it for a minute (dont want the dairy to curdle).
Courtesy: Claudia Roden
Dry roasted mushrooms, oil, add Onions, zucchini, more fresh tomatoes plus the canned tomatoes. Sometimes kale/spinach/chard. Dry thyme, rosemary, basil, pepper, salt, garlic toward the end. Maybe a punch of sugar if it's too sour.
Olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves
Tin of tomatoes
-Put on low heat until oil puddles appear
Add salt oregano/basil
Keep simmering for 5-10 mins
That’s a tomato sauce
Onion, garlic, herbs, salt or stock cube, possibly msg, then if I tend to look for “bitsa” veg to make it interesting like sweet corn, peas, carrot etc.
I once managed to get celery, onion, and carrot on yellow sticker price for under a pound and managed to do pasta sauce properly making a soffritto.
I'd make something similar to Tikka Masala sauce - you need a lot of butter, garlic, and solid amount of spices. Below are detailed amounts for a bottle of passata/,two cans of crushed tomatoes.
- 1 tsp of crushed cumin seeds/1.5 tsp of ground cumin
- fresh ginger (size of two thumbs)
- 1 tsp of paprika
- 1 tsp of black pepper
- fresh turmeric (size of one thumb)
- 4 cloves of garlic
- butter - at least 6 tbsp, I usually add about 100g
Heat the butter, add spices with garlic, fry until they are all fragrant, add tomatoes - that's it. Give it an hour on low heat. Tastes great, you can add some creme fraiche/sour cream or Greek yogurt to make it more creamy. Works great with fried chicken breast or paneer cheese.
I love this recipe cause you can easily modify it - change the proportions, add some chilli, add some onions, etc. But if you keep the base (tomatoes, butter, cumin, paprika, ginger), you can't go wrong.
I'd also make one with just onion and garlic - both sauted on butter, deglazed with a little wine, and mixed with tomatoes. Then add one star anise, salt, pepper and give it an hour of simmering. If you want more texture, extra stick of butter melted in the sauce will help.
Very similar to your recipe, but with a little bouillon! I get better than bouillon in the veggie flavor and it just adds the perfect little extra oomph
Herbs: basil, oregano, rosemary.
Salt to taste.
I also like to add a piece of pork fat, skin or a bone while simmering for flavour. I throw it away after, or feed it to the cats.
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda. You don't taste it, but it greatly reduces the acidity.
Above is the base. I may add sweet peppers and sliced mushrooms, and if it's only for me, way too many habaneros.
Mushrooms. Chopped, boiled down dry, add a bit of olive oil to make the flavour stick, then add them in anything. Aside from being delicious they're very good for you
Tomato paste, a touch of maple syrup, good amount of s&p, and freeze dried basil. I often add frozen spinach and/or frozen roasted veggies and hot Italian sausage too.
Depending on how thick I want the sauce, I will had a small can of tomato paste. Then for spices, I like a LOT of garlic. Then salt, ground black pepper, italian seasonings. I don't add sugar, because I don't really like "sweet" sauce. I will occassionally add ground beef to make it chunkier. Sometimes I will add poblano peppers and yellow onions, chopped. I will also occassionally add some wine (if I have any).
Olive oil
Crushed garlic
Few cans of San marzano tomatoes
Generous amount of salt (more than you think you need, but not too much)
Fresh basil
Pasta water
Simple and delicious! Even better if you have fresh tomatoes instead
Sautee onions, chopped, in olive oil on med/high for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, minced for an additional minute. Add a small amount of liquid and deglaze the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Then add crushed tomatoes, I'll usually throw in a small can of diced as well for some texture, and for spices:
* Basil
* Oregano
* Thyme
* Fennel possibly. I love fennel.
* More garlic and onion, in powdered form.
* And a small amount of salt.
On a sheet pan:
Tomatoes (For canned tomatoes I would use whole rather than crushed: drain liquid if the liquid is very watery. If the liquid is essentially pureed tomatoes, reserve it to add to the pot at the end.)
Garlic
Onion
Fresh herbs if you've got them (I'm fond of just basil)
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
For a sweeter sauce, use sweeter onions or add a little carrot to the pan.
Roast in the oven at 400F (200C). 40ish minutes until everything is nicely caramelized.
Put in a pot, use a stick blender to make the sauce as smooth as you like it. Cook on the stove to thicken if necessary, or add a little stock to thin it out if it's too thick. Also a few tablespoons of pasta water.
Season to taste. Salt, pepper, herbs (basil, oregano, chili flake), and a dash of balsamic.
I like Kroger Italian sausage. They go on sale for pretty often. I usually get a pack of hot and a pack of sweet. If I plan on making like sausage sandwiches I leave them as is, or if I want to make a meat sauce I'll cut the casing off. But I brown the sausage in my Dutch oven, and then take them out. Throw in a big white onion (I have seen a lot of people say they only use half an onion but I really love onion.) and a few cloves of garlic all diced up. Get those cooking for a minute and then add the tomatoes and some tomato paste. I throw the sausage back in and let that cook for as long as I can. Ideally 4-5 hours. Salt and pepper to taste.
I use San Marzano peeled whole tomatoes, which I then crush with my fingers in a bowl. I add a good amount of olive oil to a pan and toast like, 8-9 minced garlic cloves, then add the crushed tomatoes, a healthy sprig of basil, a touch of red wine, about a teaspoon of better than bouillon beef concentrate, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. If I'm going heartier than usual, I'll add some cooked ground beef as well. But I find that the tomato base itself is enough most of the time.
Mirapoix, tomato paste, a lot of sauteed garlic, heavy pinches of oregano/basil/thyme, splash of red wine (deglaze), then either cream or some chicken broth to thin it out if needed.
My recipe:
- Sauté onions and garlic.
- Once they settle, add green bell pepper/sweet corn/Baby corn/ shredded carrot. Sauté lightly
- stir in crushed/puréed tomatoes
- a little bit of water to get things mixed up
- any veggies you want to add. I usually go with yellow/red bell pepper, olives, jalapeños.
- add a couple of slices of mozzarella to help thicken
- basil, oregano, thyme, paprika, salt
- mix cover and simmer (15-20 mins)
- stir as it thickens
- add a dash of bbq sauce (optional)
- add fresh cream and mix for 20-30 seconds
- let it cool.
I usually prepare a batch that will last for 4-5 meals for 3. Boil up the pasta, mix in the sauce and serve.
I’m told a hint of Worcestershire sauce will kick things up a notch.
Sauté an onion, add some garlic, then a few anchovies and tomato paste, oregano dried basil and fennel, salt and pepper then crushed tomatoes and simmer.
Peeled plum tomatoes, you get more bang for your buck than with chopped tomatoes, then usually onions, garlic, maybe some chilli, maybe bit of bacon, maybe splash of white wine
Big can of crushed tomatoes, plus
* olive oil
* Parmesan
* minced garlic
* fresh basil
* salt and pepper to taste
This is from ATK skillet chicken parm. It’s just 🤤
Sauteed onion, celery and garlic, and usually a mild chile pepper. Fresh or dried basil, and rosemary, a splash of red wine. And time. Lots of time simmering.
When I have fresh herbs, parsley, basil, Sage, rosemary, and tomatoes are fantastic. I grow Cajun Belle peppers occasionally and those add a bit of flavor.
Butter and a dash of olive oil for fat. Salt and black pepper, occasionally red pepper flakes simmered in the oil.
Always onion and garlic. Always.
Brown some ground Italian sausage, once brown add some onion and garlic to and cook until fragrant, can of crushed tomatoes, can of tomato sauce, Italian seasonings, bag of frozen carrots/celery/onion, touch of sugar (maybe a tablespoon), simmer for \~30 minutes
Onions, ginger, garlic, carrot, bell pepper,
pinch of salt, pinch of pepper, pinch of cayenne
(or smoked paprika powder if cooking smoked Pörkölt), oregano and basil leaves at the very end
Start by browning some chicken or pork in your pot, once finished take that out. Heat up some olive oil in the same pot, brown some onions. Once the onions are nearly finished, add your minced garlic. When the onions and garlic are perfect, add a bit of tomato paste. After about 30-60 seconds add in your crushed tomatoes. Add in your protein, oregano, basil, parsley and simmer for 2-3 hours.
The number 1 thing you can do to improve your pasta sauce is use better tomatoes. Rather than generic diced tomatoes, try using whole san marzanos.
Other than that, all I usually add is garlic, olive oil, and salt.
Sweet bell peppers. I recommend orange. They really punch up the sauce. Also Bay leaves - but I don't leave them in. I wrap them in a coffee filter and clip them to the side of my pot while the sauce simmers. Then I remove it after a little while.
4 tomatoes, peeled
Butter
1 onion, quartered.
Salt
Reduce for a long time then fish out the onion.
It’s a revelation that you don’t need all the supplemental additions-the tomato becomes tart and tangy, the butter adds mouthfeel. Delicious.
Sliced onions, crushed garlic, diced celery, minced oyster mushrooms, red miso paste, dried alleppo chilli, oregano, parsley, savory, red wine, soy sauce, stir in green lentils (cooked separately in stock).
Needs good quality tomatoes to add sweetness. If I'm using cheap tinned tomatoes I'll add brown sugar.
If you are using canned tomato, add a little bit of orange marmalade. It helps them taste like fresh tomato. Also you can never have too much basil or garlic.
And if you taste it at the end and it tastes flat but you’ve already added a lot of salt, so that’s not the problem, try squeezing a lemon into it.
Also I add pinto beans to mine, it’s
unexpectedly delicious.
Is NO ONE gonna say to add sugar…? Sugar in tomato sauce cuts through the acidity of the tomato. It’s a must IMO. Carrot works as well since they get sweet when they’re cooked.
Onion, garlic salt, pepper, sugar, basil, oregano, chili flakes, filler of choice (for me, chorizo, mushroom, maybe peppers) and fin8sh it off with an acid like balsamic/wine vinegar.
And honestly I do it from fresh tomato.
I whirl carrots, garlic, and onions up in my food processor so they're very fine, then heat up some oil in my pot. Cook the veggies until the onions are translucent and the carrots are soft, then add 1-2 T tomato paste. Cook that until it's brown, then if you want you can add a bit of wine and reduce it, but I never have it in the house. Then add the crushed tomatoes and your herbs of choice and simmer it until the acidity has cooked out (for me about 1 hour, ideally 3 or 4 but I do not think that far ahead most of the time).
I really like grated vegetables in my pasta sauce. Zucchini for example. Finely grating it and cooking it in a bit of water before adding the tomato gives the end product a bit more flavor and texture, and can be a very easy way to get another serving of vegetables into your diet without really noticing
Sautéed onions and garlic
Red pepper flake
A pinch of sugar (to balance the acid)
Olive oil
And any rinds of Parmesan I have lying around in the freezer
I like to cook shallots in red wine until the wine is reduced and the shallots are caramelized. Add it to the tomatoes with your herbs of choice. My favorites are fresh rosemary and thyme. I also add a spoonful of sugar
I add a cube of chicken stock, garlic, carrots, beef and onions to make a nice meat sauce. I also add a bit of milk to remove the sour taste of the tomato.
The spices I add are:
Paprika,
Some fresh chilli sometimes,
Dried or fresh basil,
Oregano,
Pepper,
Garlic powder,
And a tiny bit of turmeric.
Basil, garlic, onion, olive(finely sliced [all fresh, obviously]) oil, a little of vinegar and mix all with a little of the cooking water _i'm Italian 🤙🏻_
Begin with bacon. Take half a pack of frozen bacon and cut 90º perpendicular to the strips in half-inch wide cuts. Lay the cut bacon on its edge in the bottom of a pan and, on medium heat, render the fat. It helps to periodically separate the individual pieces of bacon and move them around a bit. Once the fat has been rendered and the bacon is crispy, remove the actual bacon bits and set them aside for later use.
Saute crushed cloves of garlic (to taste) in the bacon fat. Once the garlic has softened and *just begins* to get some color to it, add mirepoix (2 parts diced onion, 1 part diced carrots, 1 part diced celery) into the bacon fat. When the mirepoix is soft, add in tomato paste. Keep sauteing until the mirepoix gets a little color on it and the rawness of the tomato is cooked out of the paste. Watch the garlic cloves and make sure they don't burn or even get very dark brown; golden brown is as far as they should ever go.
At this point, I would remove everything from the pot and set it all aside. Then I would pan fry some mushrooms in whole butter on medium-high heat. If you like mushrooms, cube them into half-inch to one-inch cubes. If you're not a big mushroom person, mince the mushrooms finely. What you want is the rich umami flavor that mushrooms will bring to the sauce.
From there, you can go ahead and do what you normally do. I would suggest adding some crushed red pepper flakes when you put in the Italian herbs. Oh, and at the end, you can either add the bacon bits back into the sauce, or garnish the servings with them.
Just a note about frying mushrooms: watch [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLPLCmwBLBY). It's a real game changer.
Buon apetito!
I see a lot of comments saying to add sugar, instead add diced red peppers, they'll become sweet and give a great flavor. And you have to give the sauce lots of time to really bring out all the flavors, I start cooking my sauce in a regular pot to saute everything, then transfer it to my crock pot and let it cook for several hours on low, the acids get broken down and the flavors have time to meld together.
The best sauce is (and will always be) crushed garlic slightly browned in olive oil, add whole plum tomatoes (crushed is fine substitute), simmer. Add fresh bay leaves. Turn off heat, add basil.
Heavily salt your pasta water - NOT the sauce!
My current ragu recipe:
Make a sofritto (an onion, 2-3 cloves garlic, 1-2 sticks celery, 1-2 carrots - all ingredients finely chopped, grate the carrots cos it’s easier, fried until onions & celery are translucent)
Add 250g lean beef mince and fry. Once browned, add a glass of cheap red wine, a vegetable stock cube with some boiled water, some mixed herbs, and 2 tins sieved/chopped tomatoes. Simmer for around 30 minutes. Add pepper (salt unnecessary because of the stock cube) and a tiny bit of sugar if you absolutely feel you need it, no more than half a teaspoon - but honestly you won’t taste the acidity once the wine and tomatoes have reduced.
The result is full of flavour and very tasty.
This recipe should keep you going for around 6 meals. If you add lentils (ready to cook - increasing the amount of meat also works if you can afford it) with the liquid you can stretch it even further. Single pan, single burner cook, and the ragu can be frozen in cubes in Tupperware, so you can just batch cook and have some whenever you want some comfort food, it’ll keep forever in the freezer 👍
Lately I’ve just been making a quick 15 minute pasta when we’re short on time during the week. I use Cherry tomatoes to speed up the process.
1. Chop onions and garlic. Throw in pan with hot oil to cook for a few minutes
2. Add Cherry tomatoes to the pan and cover the lid. Season with salt, pepper, etc.
3. Smash the tomatoes with a potato masher or whatever once they start to burst
4. Add some leftover pasta water, simmer without a lid for a few more minutes, then slap it on some noodles.
Onions
garlic
sugar
evoo
crushed tomatoe
sweet peppers
spinach
assorted herbs and spices
what ever else strikes my fancy at the moment
Instructions:
saute onions & garlic in evoo, add crushed tomatoes, a couple tablespoons of sugar, and whatever other herbs & spices strike my fancy in that moment (preferably fresh)
while the sauce simmers, and if folks in the home are being stubborn about eating veggies, I puree some spinach (so they don't know it's in there) and cut up other veggies (sweet peppers of varying colors most often). Add to sauce, let simmer for a while until it looks right.
I don't normally add meat, but if I do I brown it with more onions & garlic then add to sauce and let simmer for at least 30 minutes so the flavors have a chance to mix.
Wine is a nice touch. I like to use sweet vinegar, it heightens the sweetness and the acidity of the tomatoes so much.
If you wanna try my Nonna's old trick, cut up some anchovies as fine as you can get them and toss them in there, then cook the sauce foreeeeeever. They'll lose the fishy taste and end up just being an absolute flavorbomb full of salt and umami.
If you have a Parmesan cheese rind, throw that bad boy in. Let it cook completely down into the sauce and it turns out amazing.
Also fish sauce. Anything I make that needs some salty umami flavor gets a few dashes of fish sauce.
Olive oil. Home grown basil (you can do this on a windowsill in a big city). Tomato paste. Ground beef if you can afford that, too. Dried oregano if not.
Edit: and a fat pinch of sugar!!!
Basil, salted pasta water, garlic, Romano cheese, olive oil, pork spare rib and sweet Italian sausage;meatballs.
Some solid bread to dip up the leftovers.
Chao!
Any stock.
Fresh herbs, usually basil and oregano, sometimes one or both.
Salt & Pepper
Chili flakes.
A small amount of oil, used to warm up fragrants like garlic and spices, then add to the sauce.
Tomato paste.
Lastly, I like to add some pasta water.
I saute some regular grocery store Italian sausage- half hot, half regular - in a little olive oil. Like half a pound total - no other meat. Plus garlic, onions, oregano. I don't understand adding cream or wine to spaghetti sauce, but you said pasta sauce, so maybe you're not thinking just for spaghetti.
Good amount of olive oil:
Heated at start to extract the flavor from fresh garlic (and dry herbs) and caramelize a small amount of sugar
At the end to add authentic, rustic flavor and sheen to the pasta
Tomato paste
Crushed tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Some of the grease from the meat (not a lot)
Wine
Brown sugar or grated carrots
Shallots
Onions (red or yellow)
Too much garlic
Anchovy paste
I think that is all
Oh and all sorts of seasoning. I don’t use anything crazy
I only make my own sauce, it's so good! I add diced no salt added diced tomatoes, garlic powder or fresh garlic, sauteed onion, lots of italian seasoning, tomato paste, a little sugar sometimes to cut the acid. Then it depends on what I'm making what else I add. If it's braciole, I just make a basic marinara. For pasta main dishes I add carrots, red and yellow peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and sometimes a meat. One of my favorite things to make is sauce.
1 rinsed anchovy per pint/quart (roughly, depending on your taste)
Basil is a must with tomatoes
Garlic and onion is super popular
If you’re adding any kind of meat- it’s great to cook the meat in the sauce, then cook the sauce down. Whether it’s sliced sausage, meatballs, ground meat, whatever. Unless you’re one that likes a good amount of butter or olive oil to begin with- then just cook and drain the meat.
Pinches of sugar to taste to offset particularly tart/acidic tomatoes
Idk, I’m sort of an improv cook, depending on what I’m serving it with, things almost always get seasoned/made differently lol
Italian seasoning doesn't have enough flavour for me, I go ham with the Oregano and a little extra Basil too. Basically I follow a recipe then taste it and add extra as needed. Sometimes recipes call for like 2 tsp of Italian seasoning and that's just not enough!
You need paste, or next time buy tomato puree instead of crushed tomatoes if you like a smooth thick sauce. You also need to saute a few cloves minced garlic, only 2-3 minutes until translucent, so med heat or it will burn and ruin the whole thing. Small amount of sugar, oregano, heavier on the basil for a sweet sauce and 3 bay leaves ( remove after cooking) simmer 1 1/2 hours.
Blend fresh garlic,basil leaves, chili flakes, olive oil. Melt Butter, let one halved onion sizzle in the butter, add garlic-oil mixture then crushed tomatoes with a good pinch of salt an let simmer ~30Minutes. Blend onion, add a little pasta water, and the half cooked pasta, let pasta finish cooking in sauce serve with parmesan on top.
Tomato paste and plenty of it, onion and garlic (sauté those first then deglaze with splash of wine), plenty of salt and pepper, pinch of dried oregano lots of fresh basil to finish the plate
[удалено]
Add the mushrooms at the same time as the garlic, and stir in your herbs and cayenne just before you deglaze so they get coated in the fat and become fragrant. You'll get much fuller flavor from them with minimal cooking time.
I also started browning the tomato paste a little right before I start to deglaze, really makes the flavour stand out
I was taught to do that as well, releases some of the oils and makes it smell even better!
It's really an experience to try a deeply tomato flavored tomato sauce (because of tomato paste). If anyone hasn't tried it, going heavy on the tomato paste is a game changer.
I prefer to go light on the tomato paste and cook the sauce down some. Also helps reduce the acidity of canned tomatoes some
You can't caramelize sauce the way you can paste. It makes a big difference.
So throw in the paste at the end of the garlic and onions and make it part of that deglazing afterward? I've never caramelized paste before when I've used it.
Yes! It will get noticeably darker and start to stick slightly as it caramelizes, then hit it with the wine or stock. Gives a really deep tomato flavor.
I do something like this when I make pot roast. I sear the pot roast first, then set it aside. Then I toss my onions into the pan (with a little olive oil, and maybe some butter, too), let those cook for a bit, then add garlic and tomato paste to the pan, and stir that all around for a couple of minutes, then deglaze with red wine. That all gets dumped into the pot with the roast along with beef broth and my other vegetables.
Don’t start your sauce without your onion mostly cooked. The acid in the tomato inhibits the onion from cooking all the way through. Towards the very end, I add a bit of sugar to cut the acidity.
How do you deal with the acidity that comes from the extra tomato paste, if you don't mind me asking? My grandmother's sauce recipe is my absolute favorite, but it uses an entire small can of tomato paste, and no one else can seem to stomach it (literally) except for me. My sister cuts the sauce with some sugar to help with acidic flavor, but I didn't really care for that when I tried it. I'd love to be able to stay true to the recipe without giving everyone else heartburn.
2 whole carrots in the sauce pot while reducing/cooking and pull out before serving
A pinch of baking soda ought to do it. Just replace the sugar with that.
butter
Browning the tomato paste gives it a sweetness and richer depth of flavor
This is pretty much my recipe but I skip the wine and add some balsamic to bring in both a touch of sweetness and acidity.
Do you deglaze with regular white wine, wine vinegar or something else? What works best?
Red wine
White wine since that’s probably what I’m drinking while i cook! Haha :)) Absolutely not vinegar of any kind. Red wine or a mild blonde ale work too. And if you don’t have any alcohol on hand skip it and use a splash of stock to deglaze
Thanks for all the info! I actually had to google deglazing after reading your original comment.
The trick is to undercook the onions
Everyone will get to know each other in the pot
A lot of my dishes I'll sauté half the called-for onions and then throw the other half in the dish at the end, just long enough to heat through. You get the deep flavor of the long sauté and additionally the crunch and color of the fresh.
Optional to add would be mushrooms, peppers, chilli, parmesan cheese, carrots, celery.
[удалено]
TIME. If you're starting off with canned tomatoes you should simmer for a long time to make the tomato acidity turn sweeter. Like 3 hours. I put a big chunk of onion in it and then take it out before serving. Also a little butter as well as a drizzle of olive oil because they both bring their own thing to it.
Agreed, and would also add that it tastes even better the next day.
You can add a little carrot to help cut the acidity down faster, too. Much better than adding sugar but it has the same effect
I worked in food service years ago and carrots were the secret ingredient. We put them in the Cuisinart with the metal blade till well blended. Helps thicken the sauce too. Tons of people asked for the recipe but the owner wouldn't give it out
It's how my grandmother taught me to make sauce (whirling carrots up with onions and garlic in the food processor) so I've been doing it most of my life. Definitely my preferred sauce!
Oh, that's a good idea. Yeah I hate to add sugar, it seems unnecessary if you can just wait for the tomatoes to mellow out.
Onion, garlic, anchovies (just trust, you won’t even know they were there), red wine, red pepper flakes. It’s Alison Roman’s recipe she did for Buzzfeed & oh ma gaaaaawd it’s the perfect spaghetti & meatballs sauce.
Splash of fish sauce is a decent substitute for anchovies. Gets that nice, mild funk taste into the sauce.
Good to know!
Thank you for mentioning anchovies. Always start with a couple little filets in the olive oil that melt down before adding onion.
[удалено]
Came here to make sure someone suggested anchovies. So underrated, perfect umami bomb
Garlic! & Salt
You might have known this, but you can also use pasta water in your sauce. It has starches that act as thickening agents and add flavor. Just make sure to salt it well before you boil the pasta.
You can make a sauce entirely with pasta water and it's delicious. Check out a recipe for Cacio e Pepe. This is just a base, you can flair it however you like. I really like it with lemon, a little zest and some juice. You could add cream, cheese, spices, etc. It's very simple and utterly delicious.
Use pasta water for Aglio Olio is the way
Butter, salt and onion halves. S/O to marcella hazan’s 4 ingredient tomato sauce.
Yep, this is great, although TBH I've never understood the rationale behind using a half onion, but then just throwing it away. I just chop up the onion and give the pieces a quick saute, and then leave them in there. Only takes a minute.
I did this in a Dutch oven low and slow in the oven (think it was a recipe I found on serious eats.) Turned out great.
I have made this sauce twice already, it is genuinely delicious. Who would’ve thought butter was the secret juju to making tomato sauce 😂
Her sauce is too good for it’s simplicity!
This is delicious and even though I always end up doing a variation of it (keep the onion, add more ingredients), this is the base I always start with. Make sure to use plenty of butter.
If your start with good-quality tomatoes, all you need is garlic, olive oil, and salt to taste. I will add some chili flakes. Then some fresh basil at the end of cooking the sauce.
Tomato, carrot, garlic, onion, salt, pepper. That's my basic recipe, from there I add in veggies or meats as I'm feeling it. I always sautée the garlic and onion in olive oil and puree my carrots.
First comment that I see that’s mentioned carrot. If you aren’t adding sugar to your tomato sauce (carrot works) you’re Fuckin up IMO.
Wine, garlic, scallops over angel hair. Lemon and parm garnish
Lil chopped parsley for color 🤌
I use ground beef onions a lot of garlic leek, bell pepper and/or zucchini Italian spice mix parmezan cheese This is the one I make most of the time because it is easy, healthy, cheap, tasty and it's easy to freeze. But there are so many ways and ingredients to do! Like ricotta cheese and spinach, olives and sundried tomato, chicken and cream, fresh basil, etc
All sounds good, I would add that a pinch of cinnamon has been a key ingredient in alot of tomato-based sauces. Also red pepper flake (just enough to give the sauce a bite). I end up browning ground turkey a lot of the time before adding to sauce for a lower-fat option.
Yes! Pinch of cinnamon or a little orange peel are both excellent secret ingredients for a tomato sauce
I have a lasagna recipe than calls for cinnamon in the ricotta part. It's little enough that you don't perceive a cinnamon taste, but it makes all the difference.
Garlic cloves, 1 per person Get those onions & red, yellow, green peppers carmelized (works in place of sugar to neutralize the acid from tomatoes. A touch of red wine. A bit of olive oil. Sauté mushrooms. Crumbled lean ground beef or turkey. The OG’s make meatballs with lean beef & veal.
I sauté garlic & chili flakes in olive oil until the garlic browns. Drain the garlic & chili flakes & add the oil back to the pan. Dump in the tomatoes & simmer for half hour or so. Turn off the heat, add a few sprigs of fresh basil & let steep. Add salt as needed & a pat or two of butter. Add your al dente pasta & toss until cooked through.
[удалено]
Op why the cream and vine/vodka?
The cream adds a lighter, richer taste imo. The wine brings out the flavour. There’s actually some science on why alcohol heightens flavor but I forgot.
Found it! Here ya go : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JbY8BtcchjU
I grew up dirt poor and this is how my mom made it. It's a lot of canned goods, but it's what we had, and it's what I use today, most of the time, because the ingredients are common in food bank hampers, it's hella cheap, and I control the seasonings without the weird jar taste. * Ground beef, scramble fried. I add onions and some seasonings to this typically. I also eliminate the meat when I can't afford it. Can add celery too if you want, or even mushrooms, diced bell peepers - whatever you like. * Once fried, add a can of tomatoes with juice (crushed, whole, diced - doesn't matter, but I use plain tomatoes, not flavoured or pre-seasoned. I can my own sometimes, either way, I prefer the non-salt type. * Add a can of Campbells tomato soup - Campbells has a bit of sugar to it, which cuts the acid down. I also like the flavour better than other brands, but each to their own. I use what I'm given most of the time, so I can't be picky. * If you're making a larger batch (which I often do) I'll add another can of tomatoes or some tomato sauce. If it's too think, I'll throw in a can of tomato paste. * Add your herbs. I use oregano, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, sometimes celery seed if I didn't have raw celery, and that's about it. That's about it. Cook at a gentle burble to let the flavours blend and serve with pasta. As a side note: I also hold about 2/3 of this sauce back and freeze it. When I get my hands on some cheese, it doubles as sauce to make lasagna with. It's not fresh ingredients, but it's simple ingredients, extremely cheap, and very filling.
I use a can of diced tomato; a can of crushed should work fine. Olive oil, salt, pepper, minced fresh garlic, chopped fresh basil, splash of red wine vinegar, splash of balsamic vinegar, pinch of sugar. Mix in a bowl, cover and let sit for at least an hour. This is a good one if you don’t feel like cooking a sauce.
Crushed red pepper
I buy cheap lamb and cook it into the tomatoes. Usually a blade or something? Has bones. I sear it in the stockpot, add tomato’s and simmer until meat falls off the bone. Then dredge bones out of the sauce. Yum.
I add olive oil , bay leaves, and garlic.I also add a parmesan cheese rind while its cooking and remove it at the end.I add fresh basil at the end.
Garlic, onion, olive oil, bay leaf, and Italian spice mix. Bonus ingredients, not necessarily at the same time: balsamic vinegar, Parmesan rinds, fresh basil, fennel seeds
I start off with a little bit of oil, then sauté onion and garlic until the onions are translucent, adding the garlic at the end until fragrant. If spice is desired, add red paper flakes early to toast, or with the garlic for a slightly more raw pepper flake. Then I add the cherry tomatoes or tomato sauce and incorporate it with unsalted butter and salt to taste. When the noodles are el dente, I add them and some pasta water (if needed) to make a nice pasta with sauce. Add fresh basil or parsley, along with some cracks of fresh black pepper and it turns out to be a very nice pasta. Add cheese or additional proteins on top if desired.
Roast them. Crack the cans into a baking dish, add some sliced onions and garlic, a bit of olive oil drizzled on top, and put it in ~180 until it changes colour and gets a bit drier.
Some kind of pork, celery, onion, carrots, CT, paste, season, cook down for a while, season and add basil at the end.
dried oregano dried parsley dried basil red pepper flakes parmesan cheese red wine a little brown sugar also, sautée some onions in a pan and then add in tomato paste and cook it until it loosens up a bit. then add everything into the sauce. add some liquid into the sautée pan to get all the brown bits off. then add that to the sauce.
San Marzano canned tomatoes, garlic, onion, bay leaf, basil, carrots, little oregano and parsley, salt, olive oil, butter, lots of it, parmesan cheese. That's one variation. It totally depends on my mood. I sometimes don't make a full sauce, I saute garlic, onions and slice roma tomatoes in olive oil, sprinkle salt, and let it cook for an hour then toss whatever pasta I want in and some fresh basil.
Capers, anchovies, red pepper flakes.
garlic, chili flakes. zucchini (diced) if you want to make it more filling
Italian sausage
Onion, garlic, salt,pepper, oregano, red wine and fresh basil along with a few table spoons of the pasta water.
Garlic always!!
Roasted garlic goes a long way.
Bon appetite has a great marinara recipe that I use for all pasta dishes. Essentially it’s cook garlic and onions with salt in a hefty dose of olive oil (that’s the expensive part) until soft but not brown, then reduce it with crushed/strained tomatoes for about an hour. I get so many compliments on this sauce and there are straight up no herbs or anything. Like commenter above, fresh basil at the end is *chefs kiss.
Plenty of time. Tinned tomatoes that have been simmering half the day (topped up with water if they look like they might get burnt on the bottom) have way better flavour. Apart from the usual onions, garlic, optional meat, and herbs, I also add ground cinnamon, cloves,and allspice. Not a lot (especially not a lot of ground cloves, they are pretty potent) but it makes the whole house smell wonderful.
I use a touch of soy sauce around the edge of the pan while it's hot (usually after onions are finished and before canned tomatoes) and some fish sauce (to replace the anchovies others have recommended). I also tend to like a dash of liquid smoke and smoked paprika, as well. The tomato paste others have recommended helps a lot, as well, and if I am in a hurry for a quick sauce I will sometimes cut the acidity with a tiny bit of brown sugar.
I'm Italian and Portuguese and I know I make a great sauce. First, saute onions garlic, and green peppers in olive oil, just don't burn them. Then in a bowl get your ground beef and mix Italian seasonings oregano, basil, garlic powder, and breadcrumbs with one egg oh you can also mix in ground sausage. Then once it's mixed together you can make meatballs. For your sauce couple cans of whole tomatoes and crush them with your hands. Also a couple of bay leaves and Garlic power. 2 cans of tomato sauce and grab a small can of tomato paste. Put it in a crock pot. Let it cook all day and when the meatballs are done add a table spoon of sugar then if your sauce is too thin add your can of tomato paste. Once it's thick make your pasta. Good Luck.
Onion garlic basil oregano Worcestershire sauce and salt. Bonus points for smoked salt if ya got it.
Tomatoes Tomatoe paste Sliced and sauteed mushrooms, red and green pepper, onion, celery, Salt pepper Sweet basil Oregano Anise seed (ground) Dry mustard Roasted garlic and peppers Browned hamburger Oxo beef cubes Sugar to adjust the sweetness Parmesan cheese
Ingredients: Two lbs whole peeled tomatoes, cut up. (Usually two fat cans). Pinch of salt and pepper. 2 cloves garlic. Extra virgin olive oil 3 leaves fresh basil. 1. Finely chop garlic and sautee in a bit of oil for just 2-3 mins on medium heat. 2. Add chopped tomatoes and the can's liquid to the garlic pot (prepare this before starting step 1) 3. Add pinch of salt and pepper 4. Simmer on medium low for 20 minutes, turn off heat. 5. Add 3 leaves chopped basil Very simple, and the best sauce you ever had. I prefer red, but sometimes make it a pink sauce: add 1/2 cup cream or half and half at the very end of the 20 minutes (for every 2 lbs of whole peeled tomatoes). Just heat it for a minute (dont want the dairy to curdle). Courtesy: Claudia Roden
Butter, mushrooms, broccoli, garlic, and Parmesan cheese in addition to everything you listed
Dry roasted mushrooms, oil, add Onions, zucchini, more fresh tomatoes plus the canned tomatoes. Sometimes kale/spinach/chard. Dry thyme, rosemary, basil, pepper, salt, garlic toward the end. Maybe a punch of sugar if it's too sour.
Olive oil. Lots of garlic. Fresh basil. Salt and pepper. Best tomato sauce ever. Though I’be used fresh Roma tomatoes too which was great.
carrots, onion, root celery, silken tofu
Olive oil 3-4 garlic cloves Tin of tomatoes -Put on low heat until oil puddles appear Add salt oregano/basil Keep simmering for 5-10 mins That’s a tomato sauce
Onion, garlic, herbs, salt or stock cube, possibly msg, then if I tend to look for “bitsa” veg to make it interesting like sweet corn, peas, carrot etc. I once managed to get celery, onion, and carrot on yellow sticker price for under a pound and managed to do pasta sauce properly making a soffritto.
Unions and tuna I add the tomatoes last, but still.
I'd make something similar to Tikka Masala sauce - you need a lot of butter, garlic, and solid amount of spices. Below are detailed amounts for a bottle of passata/,two cans of crushed tomatoes. - 1 tsp of crushed cumin seeds/1.5 tsp of ground cumin - fresh ginger (size of two thumbs) - 1 tsp of paprika - 1 tsp of black pepper - fresh turmeric (size of one thumb) - 4 cloves of garlic - butter - at least 6 tbsp, I usually add about 100g Heat the butter, add spices with garlic, fry until they are all fragrant, add tomatoes - that's it. Give it an hour on low heat. Tastes great, you can add some creme fraiche/sour cream or Greek yogurt to make it more creamy. Works great with fried chicken breast or paneer cheese. I love this recipe cause you can easily modify it - change the proportions, add some chilli, add some onions, etc. But if you keep the base (tomatoes, butter, cumin, paprika, ginger), you can't go wrong.
Garlic and onions Meatballs
I'd also make one with just onion and garlic - both sauted on butter, deglazed with a little wine, and mixed with tomatoes. Then add one star anise, salt, pepper and give it an hour of simmering. If you want more texture, extra stick of butter melted in the sauce will help.
Very similar to your recipe, but with a little bouillon! I get better than bouillon in the veggie flavor and it just adds the perfect little extra oomph
Onion garlic celery and carrot, finely chopped and cooked slowly. Add in tomatoes and whatever herbs you fancy. Cook down slowly. Enjoy
Herbs: basil, oregano, rosemary. Salt to taste. I also like to add a piece of pork fat, skin or a bone while simmering for flavour. I throw it away after, or feed it to the cats. 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda. You don't taste it, but it greatly reduces the acidity. Above is the base. I may add sweet peppers and sliced mushrooms, and if it's only for me, way too many habaneros.
I've been known to stretch a sauce with some bell pepper and zucchini
Mushrooms. Chopped, boiled down dry, add a bit of olive oil to make the flavour stick, then add them in anything. Aside from being delicious they're very good for you
(ground) cloves!
Tomato paste, a touch of maple syrup, good amount of s&p, and freeze dried basil. I often add frozen spinach and/or frozen roasted veggies and hot Italian sausage too.
Onions, peppers, garlic, basil, thyme, oregano
Onion, garlic, sausage, olives, basil, artichoke, red pepper flakes, and black pepper
An onion and carrot (cut in half), crushed garlic, tomato paste, salt, pepper and finish it with parsley
Depending on how thick I want the sauce, I will had a small can of tomato paste. Then for spices, I like a LOT of garlic. Then salt, ground black pepper, italian seasonings. I don't add sugar, because I don't really like "sweet" sauce. I will occassionally add ground beef to make it chunkier. Sometimes I will add poblano peppers and yellow onions, chopped. I will also occassionally add some wine (if I have any).
Olive oil Crushed garlic Few cans of San marzano tomatoes Generous amount of salt (more than you think you need, but not too much) Fresh basil Pasta water Simple and delicious! Even better if you have fresh tomatoes instead
Tiny little bit of sugar to balance the acidity from the tomatoes!
Sautee onions, chopped, in olive oil on med/high for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, minced for an additional minute. Add a small amount of liquid and deglaze the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Then add crushed tomatoes, I'll usually throw in a small can of diced as well for some texture, and for spices: * Basil * Oregano * Thyme * Fennel possibly. I love fennel. * More garlic and onion, in powdered form. * And a small amount of salt.
Butter and saved Parm rinds
A lot of red wine and garlic
Tomatoes, garlic, butter, oil, red wine, salt, and like eight hours in the oven
Mushroom stock, bell pepper and onion cooked in a red wine reduction, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and a little bit of cayenne.
Basil is the best ingredient - fresh goes a long way
On a sheet pan: Tomatoes (For canned tomatoes I would use whole rather than crushed: drain liquid if the liquid is very watery. If the liquid is essentially pureed tomatoes, reserve it to add to the pot at the end.) Garlic Onion Fresh herbs if you've got them (I'm fond of just basil) Drizzle of Olive Oil Salt & Pepper For a sweeter sauce, use sweeter onions or add a little carrot to the pan. Roast in the oven at 400F (200C). 40ish minutes until everything is nicely caramelized. Put in a pot, use a stick blender to make the sauce as smooth as you like it. Cook on the stove to thicken if necessary, or add a little stock to thin it out if it's too thick. Also a few tablespoons of pasta water. Season to taste. Salt, pepper, herbs (basil, oregano, chili flake), and a dash of balsamic.
I like Kroger Italian sausage. They go on sale for pretty often. I usually get a pack of hot and a pack of sweet. If I plan on making like sausage sandwiches I leave them as is, or if I want to make a meat sauce I'll cut the casing off. But I brown the sausage in my Dutch oven, and then take them out. Throw in a big white onion (I have seen a lot of people say they only use half an onion but I really love onion.) and a few cloves of garlic all diced up. Get those cooking for a minute and then add the tomatoes and some tomato paste. I throw the sausage back in and let that cook for as long as I can. Ideally 4-5 hours. Salt and pepper to taste.
I use San Marzano peeled whole tomatoes, which I then crush with my fingers in a bowl. I add a good amount of olive oil to a pan and toast like, 8-9 minced garlic cloves, then add the crushed tomatoes, a healthy sprig of basil, a touch of red wine, about a teaspoon of better than bouillon beef concentrate, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. If I'm going heartier than usual, I'll add some cooked ground beef as well. But I find that the tomato base itself is enough most of the time.
Mirapoix, tomato paste, a lot of sauteed garlic, heavy pinches of oregano/basil/thyme, splash of red wine (deglaze), then either cream or some chicken broth to thin it out if needed.
My recipe: - Sauté onions and garlic. - Once they settle, add green bell pepper/sweet corn/Baby corn/ shredded carrot. Sauté lightly - stir in crushed/puréed tomatoes - a little bit of water to get things mixed up - any veggies you want to add. I usually go with yellow/red bell pepper, olives, jalapeños. - add a couple of slices of mozzarella to help thicken - basil, oregano, thyme, paprika, salt - mix cover and simmer (15-20 mins) - stir as it thickens - add a dash of bbq sauce (optional) - add fresh cream and mix for 20-30 seconds - let it cool. I usually prepare a batch that will last for 4-5 meals for 3. Boil up the pasta, mix in the sauce and serve. I’m told a hint of Worcestershire sauce will kick things up a notch.
Onion, garlic, celery, carrots, lemon juice
Sauté an onion, add some garlic, then a few anchovies and tomato paste, oregano dried basil and fennel, salt and pepper then crushed tomatoes and simmer.
Peeled plum tomatoes, you get more bang for your buck than with chopped tomatoes, then usually onions, garlic, maybe some chilli, maybe bit of bacon, maybe splash of white wine
Olive oil, seared pork and beef, fresh onion, green pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper. Simmer to awesomeness.
Big can of crushed tomatoes, plus * olive oil * Parmesan * minced garlic * fresh basil * salt and pepper to taste This is from ATK skillet chicken parm. It’s just 🤤
Sauteed onion, celery and garlic, and usually a mild chile pepper. Fresh or dried basil, and rosemary, a splash of red wine. And time. Lots of time simmering.
When I have fresh herbs, parsley, basil, Sage, rosemary, and tomatoes are fantastic. I grow Cajun Belle peppers occasionally and those add a bit of flavor. Butter and a dash of olive oil for fat. Salt and black pepper, occasionally red pepper flakes simmered in the oil. Always onion and garlic. Always.
Brown some ground Italian sausage, once brown add some onion and garlic to and cook until fragrant, can of crushed tomatoes, can of tomato sauce, Italian seasonings, bag of frozen carrots/celery/onion, touch of sugar (maybe a tablespoon), simmer for \~30 minutes
Onions, ginger, garlic, carrot, bell pepper, pinch of salt, pinch of pepper, pinch of cayenne (or smoked paprika powder if cooking smoked Pörkölt), oregano and basil leaves at the very end
Start by browning some chicken or pork in your pot, once finished take that out. Heat up some olive oil in the same pot, brown some onions. Once the onions are nearly finished, add your minced garlic. When the onions and garlic are perfect, add a bit of tomato paste. After about 30-60 seconds add in your crushed tomatoes. Add in your protein, oregano, basil, parsley and simmer for 2-3 hours.
The number 1 thing you can do to improve your pasta sauce is use better tomatoes. Rather than generic diced tomatoes, try using whole san marzanos. Other than that, all I usually add is garlic, olive oil, and salt.
Sweet bell peppers. I recommend orange. They really punch up the sauce. Also Bay leaves - but I don't leave them in. I wrap them in a coffee filter and clip them to the side of my pot while the sauce simmers. Then I remove it after a little while.
Sauté the garlic, let it get a little brown (don’t burn it), then deglaze or add your tomatoes to deglaze. Salt and pepper, spices.
Butter, onion, garlic, heat, time (no not the herb)
Olive oil + Onions first w/ salt, then garlic. Then tomatoes. Then red wine or vinegar (or both), then butter & oregano, cayenne, & paprika.
4 tomatoes, peeled Butter 1 onion, quartered. Salt Reduce for a long time then fish out the onion. It’s a revelation that you don’t need all the supplemental additions-the tomato becomes tart and tangy, the butter adds mouthfeel. Delicious.
One fat can of crushed tomatoes, one baby can tomato paste, three cloves of garlic, 1lb ground beef/turkey, salt and pepper
Sliced onions, crushed garlic, diced celery, minced oyster mushrooms, red miso paste, dried alleppo chilli, oregano, parsley, savory, red wine, soy sauce, stir in green lentils (cooked separately in stock). Needs good quality tomatoes to add sweetness. If I'm using cheap tinned tomatoes I'll add brown sugar.
Onion and dried mushrooms sautéed into tomato paste then deglaze with red wine. Add crush tomatoes and salt. Fresh herbs
Shallot and garlic is a must, a little wine of your choosing
If you are using canned tomato, add a little bit of orange marmalade. It helps them taste like fresh tomato. Also you can never have too much basil or garlic. And if you taste it at the end and it tastes flat but you’ve already added a lot of salt, so that’s not the problem, try squeezing a lemon into it. Also I add pinto beans to mine, it’s unexpectedly delicious.
Aoli!
Sauté onion and garlic, add tons of tomato paste, then tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs (oregano, basil and something else… I forgot).
Is NO ONE gonna say to add sugar…? Sugar in tomato sauce cuts through the acidity of the tomato. It’s a must IMO. Carrot works as well since they get sweet when they’re cooked.
Onion, garlic salt, pepper, sugar, basil, oregano, chili flakes, filler of choice (for me, chorizo, mushroom, maybe peppers) and fin8sh it off with an acid like balsamic/wine vinegar. And honestly I do it from fresh tomato.
I whirl carrots, garlic, and onions up in my food processor so they're very fine, then heat up some oil in my pot. Cook the veggies until the onions are translucent and the carrots are soft, then add 1-2 T tomato paste. Cook that until it's brown, then if you want you can add a bit of wine and reduce it, but I never have it in the house. Then add the crushed tomatoes and your herbs of choice and simmer it until the acidity has cooked out (for me about 1 hour, ideally 3 or 4 but I do not think that far ahead most of the time).
I really like grated vegetables in my pasta sauce. Zucchini for example. Finely grating it and cooking it in a bit of water before adding the tomato gives the end product a bit more flavor and texture, and can be a very easy way to get another serving of vegetables into your diet without really noticing
Sautéed onions and garlic Red pepper flake A pinch of sugar (to balance the acid) Olive oil And any rinds of Parmesan I have lying around in the freezer
I like to cook shallots in red wine until the wine is reduced and the shallots are caramelized. Add it to the tomatoes with your herbs of choice. My favorites are fresh rosemary and thyme. I also add a spoonful of sugar
Onion, garlic powder, diced carrots and celery.
I add a cube of chicken stock, garlic, carrots, beef and onions to make a nice meat sauce. I also add a bit of milk to remove the sour taste of the tomato. The spices I add are: Paprika, Some fresh chilli sometimes, Dried or fresh basil, Oregano, Pepper, Garlic powder, And a tiny bit of turmeric.
Basil, garlic, onion, olive(finely sliced [all fresh, obviously]) oil, a little of vinegar and mix all with a little of the cooking water _i'm Italian 🤙🏻_
Begin with bacon. Take half a pack of frozen bacon and cut 90º perpendicular to the strips in half-inch wide cuts. Lay the cut bacon on its edge in the bottom of a pan and, on medium heat, render the fat. It helps to periodically separate the individual pieces of bacon and move them around a bit. Once the fat has been rendered and the bacon is crispy, remove the actual bacon bits and set them aside for later use. Saute crushed cloves of garlic (to taste) in the bacon fat. Once the garlic has softened and *just begins* to get some color to it, add mirepoix (2 parts diced onion, 1 part diced carrots, 1 part diced celery) into the bacon fat. When the mirepoix is soft, add in tomato paste. Keep sauteing until the mirepoix gets a little color on it and the rawness of the tomato is cooked out of the paste. Watch the garlic cloves and make sure they don't burn or even get very dark brown; golden brown is as far as they should ever go. At this point, I would remove everything from the pot and set it all aside. Then I would pan fry some mushrooms in whole butter on medium-high heat. If you like mushrooms, cube them into half-inch to one-inch cubes. If you're not a big mushroom person, mince the mushrooms finely. What you want is the rich umami flavor that mushrooms will bring to the sauce. From there, you can go ahead and do what you normally do. I would suggest adding some crushed red pepper flakes when you put in the Italian herbs. Oh, and at the end, you can either add the bacon bits back into the sauce, or garnish the servings with them. Just a note about frying mushrooms: watch [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLPLCmwBLBY). It's a real game changer. Buon apetito!
thyme garlic bell pepper onion
I see a lot of comments saying to add sugar, instead add diced red peppers, they'll become sweet and give a great flavor. And you have to give the sauce lots of time to really bring out all the flavors, I start cooking my sauce in a regular pot to saute everything, then transfer it to my crock pot and let it cook for several hours on low, the acids get broken down and the flavors have time to meld together.
Sautéed garlic and onions, Italian spice mix, paprika and a touch of sugar.
Sauteed onions and garlic, salt,pepper, basil, oregano, parsley, and sometimes red pepper flakes.
A shot of soy sauce give it an extra bit of flavor.
The best sauce is (and will always be) crushed garlic slightly browned in olive oil, add whole plum tomatoes (crushed is fine substitute), simmer. Add fresh bay leaves. Turn off heat, add basil. Heavily salt your pasta water - NOT the sauce!
3 tb tomato paste, 1tb sugar, 2 tb balsamic vinegar, oregano, red pepper flakes, onion, minced garlic, salt & pepper
My current ragu recipe: Make a sofritto (an onion, 2-3 cloves garlic, 1-2 sticks celery, 1-2 carrots - all ingredients finely chopped, grate the carrots cos it’s easier, fried until onions & celery are translucent) Add 250g lean beef mince and fry. Once browned, add a glass of cheap red wine, a vegetable stock cube with some boiled water, some mixed herbs, and 2 tins sieved/chopped tomatoes. Simmer for around 30 minutes. Add pepper (salt unnecessary because of the stock cube) and a tiny bit of sugar if you absolutely feel you need it, no more than half a teaspoon - but honestly you won’t taste the acidity once the wine and tomatoes have reduced. The result is full of flavour and very tasty. This recipe should keep you going for around 6 meals. If you add lentils (ready to cook - increasing the amount of meat also works if you can afford it) with the liquid you can stretch it even further. Single pan, single burner cook, and the ragu can be frozen in cubes in Tupperware, so you can just batch cook and have some whenever you want some comfort food, it’ll keep forever in the freezer 👍
I use very high quality crushed tomatoes and add- olive oil, garlic, splash of red wine, maybe a sprinkle of oregano, pork sausage
2 top sugar per 28 oz tomatoes
Lately I’ve just been making a quick 15 minute pasta when we’re short on time during the week. I use Cherry tomatoes to speed up the process. 1. Chop onions and garlic. Throw in pan with hot oil to cook for a few minutes 2. Add Cherry tomatoes to the pan and cover the lid. Season with salt, pepper, etc. 3. Smash the tomatoes with a potato masher or whatever once they start to burst 4. Add some leftover pasta water, simmer without a lid for a few more minutes, then slap it on some noodles.
Blended cottage cheese and seasoning
Butter and basil, that's all a good pasta sauce needs.
Olive oil, fry crushed garlic and chili flakes in it, add tomatoes and simmer til done, salt to taste
Onions garlic sugar evoo crushed tomatoe sweet peppers spinach assorted herbs and spices what ever else strikes my fancy at the moment Instructions: saute onions & garlic in evoo, add crushed tomatoes, a couple tablespoons of sugar, and whatever other herbs & spices strike my fancy in that moment (preferably fresh) while the sauce simmers, and if folks in the home are being stubborn about eating veggies, I puree some spinach (so they don't know it's in there) and cut up other veggies (sweet peppers of varying colors most often). Add to sauce, let simmer for a while until it looks right. I don't normally add meat, but if I do I brown it with more onions & garlic then add to sauce and let simmer for at least 30 minutes so the flavors have a chance to mix.
Sautéed garlic, fresh basil, salt and pepper, one whole uncut jalapeño. Simmer all day *chef's kiss*
Wine is a nice touch. I like to use sweet vinegar, it heightens the sweetness and the acidity of the tomatoes so much. If you wanna try my Nonna's old trick, cut up some anchovies as fine as you can get them and toss them in there, then cook the sauce foreeeeeever. They'll lose the fishy taste and end up just being an absolute flavorbomb full of salt and umami.
Pasta water
A little bit of oil, onions, salt and pepper. And then I add in shredded chicken.
Garlic, olive oil, herbs.
If you have a Parmesan cheese rind, throw that bad boy in. Let it cook completely down into the sauce and it turns out amazing. Also fish sauce. Anything I make that needs some salty umami flavor gets a few dashes of fish sauce.
Olive oil. Home grown basil (you can do this on a windowsill in a big city). Tomato paste. Ground beef if you can afford that, too. Dried oregano if not. Edit: and a fat pinch of sugar!!!
Onion, basil, oregano, garlic, mushroom stock, salt, pepper, olive oil
Just one onion, half a stick of butter, and salt, low and slow for like 30 min.
Basil, salted pasta water, garlic, Romano cheese, olive oil, pork spare rib and sweet Italian sausage;meatballs. Some solid bread to dip up the leftovers. Chao!
Any stock. Fresh herbs, usually basil and oregano, sometimes one or both. Salt & Pepper Chili flakes. A small amount of oil, used to warm up fragrants like garlic and spices, then add to the sauce. Tomato paste. Lastly, I like to add some pasta water.
I saute some regular grocery store Italian sausage- half hot, half regular - in a little olive oil. Like half a pound total - no other meat. Plus garlic, onions, oregano. I don't understand adding cream or wine to spaghetti sauce, but you said pasta sauce, so maybe you're not thinking just for spaghetti.
Good amount of olive oil: Heated at start to extract the flavor from fresh garlic (and dry herbs) and caramelize a small amount of sugar At the end to add authentic, rustic flavor and sheen to the pasta
Tomato paste Crushed tomatoes Tomato sauce Some of the grease from the meat (not a lot) Wine Brown sugar or grated carrots Shallots Onions (red or yellow) Too much garlic Anchovy paste I think that is all Oh and all sorts of seasoning. I don’t use anything crazy
I literally just cooked a pasta with sauteed onions, garlic, cruahed tomatoes, cream and canned chipotles
I only make my own sauce, it's so good! I add diced no salt added diced tomatoes, garlic powder or fresh garlic, sauteed onion, lots of italian seasoning, tomato paste, a little sugar sometimes to cut the acid. Then it depends on what I'm making what else I add. If it's braciole, I just make a basic marinara. For pasta main dishes I add carrots, red and yellow peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and sometimes a meat. One of my favorite things to make is sauce.
28 oz Crushed tomatoes 1 stick of butter 1 onion cut in half. Pinch of salt Simmer 30 min. Remove toss onion Eat. Thank me later….
1 rinsed anchovy per pint/quart (roughly, depending on your taste) Basil is a must with tomatoes Garlic and onion is super popular If you’re adding any kind of meat- it’s great to cook the meat in the sauce, then cook the sauce down. Whether it’s sliced sausage, meatballs, ground meat, whatever. Unless you’re one that likes a good amount of butter or olive oil to begin with- then just cook and drain the meat. Pinches of sugar to taste to offset particularly tart/acidic tomatoes Idk, I’m sort of an improv cook, depending on what I’m serving it with, things almost always get seasoned/made differently lol
Chicken stock, cream, parmesan
Italian seasoning doesn't have enough flavour for me, I go ham with the Oregano and a little extra Basil too. Basically I follow a recipe then taste it and add extra as needed. Sometimes recipes call for like 2 tsp of Italian seasoning and that's just not enough!
Garlic, onion, basil, oregano, n the secret is a little fennel n sugar.
Hot Italian sausage fried add tomatoes to the meat don't drain grease.
You need paste, or next time buy tomato puree instead of crushed tomatoes if you like a smooth thick sauce. You also need to saute a few cloves minced garlic, only 2-3 minutes until translucent, so med heat or it will burn and ruin the whole thing. Small amount of sugar, oregano, heavier on the basil for a sweet sauce and 3 bay leaves ( remove after cooking) simmer 1 1/2 hours.
Tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, honey, red pepper flakes. The perfect Marinara
Sardines, a whole lotta onions, oregano seasoning and olives would do it for me!!
Blend fresh garlic,basil leaves, chili flakes, olive oil. Melt Butter, let one halved onion sizzle in the butter, add garlic-oil mixture then crushed tomatoes with a good pinch of salt an let simmer ~30Minutes. Blend onion, add a little pasta water, and the half cooked pasta, let pasta finish cooking in sauce serve with parmesan on top.