free of gluten and top 9 allergens
A good tomato sauce is the basis for so many dishes from pasta and pizza, to meatballs, soups and more.
This pandemic has caused a shortage on grocery shelves of many things, including tomato sauce. Now’s the perfect time to skip the prepared sauce and make your own.
Here’s a delicious basic tomato sauce that’s easy to cook up.
Fresh or Canned Tomatoes
The first consideration is whether to use fresh or canned tomatoes. We only use fresh during peak tomato season. If tomatoes are not in season, it’s best to use canned tomatoes. Thankfully, we don’t have to rely on fresh tomatoes for a good sauce.
mise en place
It’s not quite peak tomato season in our area, so this batch of sauce welcomed canned tomatoes.
Steps
- Cook diced onions and carrots in a little oil over medium heat for about 8 minutes, until slightly softened and they take on a light golden color. Add minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add fresh roma or plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped. If not tomato season, add canned whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped or chopped or crushed canned tomatoes (and their juices). Add tomato puree, a bay leaf, and dried thyme.
- Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally until a good sauce-like consistency develops, about 45 minutes. The exact cooking time will depend on the size of your saucepan and the quality of the tomatoes and their natural moisture content.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf. If you prefer a smooth sauce, blend in batches in a blender or use a hand-held immersion blender. We prefer using an immersion blender. It’s much safer and easier than transferring hot sauce to a blender.
- Add a teaspoon or two of sugar (2 tsp if tomatoes are super acidic), fresh chiffonade of basil, fresh chopped rosemary, and simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust with a little salt and pepper, if needed.
The sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months. Just transfer into freezer containers or freezer bags.
Chef Joel’s Tips
- To cut a chiffonade of basil, stack several basil leaves and roll lengthwise into a cylinder. Cut crosswise into thin strips or shreds while holding the leaf roll tightly.
- When it comes to canned tomatoes, using poor quality tomatoes can leave an acidic or tinny taste in your mouth. We like to use Pomi brand chopped tomatoes…the ones in the box.
- When it comes to fresh tomatoes, core the tomatoes. With a paring knife, cut an “X” through the skin at the bottom of the tomato. Drop in boiling, salted water and blanch for 30 seconds to a minute, just to loosen the skins. Transfer to an ice bath (bowl of ice and water) to stop the cooking. When the tomatoes have cooled, remove from ice bath and peel the skin off the tomato starting from the “X” at the bottom. Cut the tomato in half crosswise through the middle. Remove seeds and coarsely chop.
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Tomato Sauce
Yield 6 Cups
Free of: gluten and top 9 allergens.
A delicious tomato sauce that's easy to cook up!
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 tbsp minced garlic
4-1/2 cups plum or roma tomatoes, canned or fresh, coarsely chopped (or chopped or crushed canned tomatoes) - see recipe notes
1 (15-ounce) can tomato puree (or tomato sauce)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup chiffonade of basil - see recipe notes
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 - 2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan or stockpot over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened and just starting to take on a light golden color, about 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and continue to sauté, stirring frequently for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and their juices, tomato purée, bay leaf and thyme. Increase heat to medium-high. When the sauce comes to a simmer reduce heat to medium-low, stirring occasionally until a good sauce-like consistency develops, about 45 minutes. Exact cooking time depends on size of saucepan and on the quality of the tomatoes and their natural moisture content. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- You can leave the sauce chunky, just as it is or break it up with a whisk. If you prefer a smooth sauce, puree using an immersion blender, in batches in a food processor or blender, or through a food mill fitted with a coarse disc. We prefer using an immersion blender. It's much safer and easier than transferring hot sauce to a blender or food processor.
- Add the basil and rosemary and simmer for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Add sugar (2 teaspoons if the tomatoes are super acidic). Taste and adjust seasoning with a little salt and pepper.
Notes
- To cut a chiffonade of basil, stack several basil leaves and roll lengthwise into a cylinder. Cut crosswise into thin strips or shreds while holding the leaf roll tightly.
- If using fresh tomatoes, core the tomatoes. With a paring knife, cut an "X" through the skin at the bottom of the tomato. Drop in boiling, salted water and blanch for 30 seconds to a minute, just to loosen the skins. Transfer to an ice bath (bowl of ice and water) to stop the cooking. When the tomatoes have cooled, remove from ice bath and peel the skin off the tomato starting from the "X" at the bottom. Cut the tomato in half crosswise through the middle. Remove seeds and coarsely chop.
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