Making tomato sauce 🥰
A version of self-care
Why make your own tomato sauce?
Because it tastes infinitely better IMO, and you can control the flavor more to your liking.
It’s actually pretty easy, and meditative!
Standing over a pot of simmering something with a glass of wine in hand is a desirable form of domestication. It’s fun to pretend like you’re the stay-at-home partner who has all the time in the world to make their own sauce from scratch.
Best of all, making tomato sauce is an approachable way to understand the beauty of cooking - which is being able to constantly improvise and optimize a recipe until ✨it’s perfect for you✨ (could I be more Virgo?).
But first, choose your tomatoes wisely.
This is ¡¡VERY important!! And it will make or break your sauce. I’m not here to rank canned tomato brands. Instead, I’m here to tell you that you should only use Antonella Whole Peeled Tomatoes, which is typically sold at Eataly and not your usual grocery store. They’re my absolute favorite, and the balance between acidity x sweetness x depth of flavor is just right. However, if I’m in a pinch, Cento is my go-to, but I always doctor it up with diced onions and tomato paste to bring in more depth of flavor.
The recipe
I prefer to use Missy Robbins’ simple red sauce recipe from her Pasta cookbook, but with anchovies, less garlic, and adapted for two people. It comes together in ~25 minutes and is one of my favorite weeknight recipes for when I’m craving pasta, need to get rid of random veggies in my fridge, and/or need a distraction in between work meetings (teehee).
Serves 2-3 people
EVOO - I’m loyal to Kirkland’s Organic EVOO in case you’re wondering
3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced - use 3 if you’re using chonkier cloves
1 28oz can of Antonella Whole Peeled Tomatoes, crushed by hand
1-2 anchovies - leave this out if you’re not a fan
Dried red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt (only Diamond Kosher bb), to taste
As always, start your mise en place. Have everything prepped and situated nearby, and be sure that your tomatoes are crushed to the smallest bits possible with juices included.
Place a large sauce pot or Dutch oven over low heat. Add enough EVOO to cover the bottom and then some, along with the garlic and anchovies (if using). Sautè the garlic for about 30s, or until aromatic but without color. Use the back of your spatula to crush up the anchovies into smaller pieces and sautè for a minute longer.
Add red pepper flakes to taste. Be careful, as even a teaspoonful can be quite spicy. You can always add more later on.
Add the tomatoes and simmer, uncovered, over low heat for ~15 minutes. If you’re making this recipe for 4+ people, you’ll need to simmer for 25-30 minutes. Here, you are looking to bring the flavors together vs. reduce the sauce. Now this is my favorite part. I like to stand over my pot with a glass of (red) wine and focus on the sauce - stirring it occasionally, seasoning with salt and/or more chili flakes, tasting it a bunch, experiencing the flavors evolve and come together. And I can’t really walk away and self-distract since this sauce comes together pretty quickly - nor do I want to. IMO this is the focus time we all deserve.
And if you feel like I’m over-romanticizing these 15 minutes - which I absolutely am - then you can get started on cooking the pasta (which is probably ideal and more efficient, but who’s taking notes).
You’ll know when your sauce is done when the consistency is smooth-ish (small tomato chunks are ok) and the flavors have reached a cohesive balance. In other words, your sauce tastes just the way you like it. I typically add this sauce right on top of my pasta and store leftovers in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, OR I’ll double the recipe and store the rest in the freezer in an airtight container for up to two months. Note that freezing may result in a more watery sauce, so I’d suggest reheating the sauce in a pot (simmering, uncovered) to help evaporate some of that water.
Sauce pairings
Well, obviously pasta. My favorites to pair this sauce with are cavatelli, gemelli, rigatoni, bucatini, or ravioli from my lovely local pasta shop where the owner yells at me every time (Savino’s), but really it’s your personal preference. The night I made this sauce, I was in the mood for a flat noodle that gave me something to chew on, so I went with fettuccini. I sautéed diced cremini mushrooms and shallots with Lots of Butter™️ in a separate pan, and then combined it all in my Favorite Bowls Ever™️ with a healthy sprinkling of parm, EVOO, and freshly cracked black pepper 😋😋😋😋😋!
Other ways to pair this sauce include:
Chicken / eggplant parm
Spaghetti (or spaghetti squash) and meatballs
Shakshuka
Focaccia or literally just toasted bread
Honestly anything that needs a savory, spicy, acidic burst of flavor
Anyway, this is my love letter to homemade tomato sauce. I hope this inspires you to go make some. Enjoy bb’s!
I was waiting for you to pour some of your red wine in the sauce. 😈