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Sauce · Italian

Basic tomato sauce

Marcella Hazan's 3-ingredient miracle. Tomatoes, butter, onion, no garlic, no fuss.

50 min 10 min hands-on Serves 4 Italian Kid friendly

A basic tomato sauce is the foundation of countless meals, from pasta to pizza to braises. Marcella Hazan's version needs only good tinned tomatoes, butter, and a halved onion, left to simmer gently until it thickens. Master this and you always have dinner within reach.

Ingredients

  • 800 g tinned tomatoes, whole, San Marzano if you can
  • 80 g butter
  • 1 onion, peeled and halved
  • salt, to taste

Method

  1. Tip the tomatoes and all their juice into a wide, heavy saucepan and crush each one with your hand or a potato masher into rough pieces. A wide pan lets the sauce reduce evenly.
  2. Add the butter, the onion halves cut side down and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, until the butter has melted and the first bubbles break the surface, 4 to 6 minutes.
  3. Turn the heat to low so the sauce bubbles only lazily, uncovered, and cook for 40 to 45 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes, mashing any large pieces. It is ready when droplets of butter float free around the edges and the sauce is thick and glossy.
  4. Taste and add salt. It should be sweet, round and mellow, not sharp. If it still tastes sharp, simmer it lazily for 5 minutes more, or add a pinch of sugar. Then lift out the onion halves with a slotted spoon and discard them, or eat them as the cook's treat.
  5. Toss with 400 to 500g of hot cooked pasta and a splash of its cooking water, with parmesan at the table. It also works spooned over eggs or bread, and freezes well for 3 months.

Tips

  • Use the best tinned whole tomatoes you can find, since with so few ingredients there is nowhere for a poor one to hide.
  • Simmer long enough to reduce and concentrate, which deepens the flavour and thickens the sauce.
  • A pinch of sugar can balance the acidity of the tomatoes if the sauce tastes too sharp.

Common questions

Can I freeze tomato sauce?

Yes, it freezes beautifully for up to three months. Make a big batch and portion it for quick future meals.

Why is my tomato sauce bitter?

Under-ripe tomatoes are the usual cause, and letting the sauce catch on the base of the pan will do it too. Keep the heat low, stir now and then, and add a small pinch of sugar to balance the acidity.