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How I make easy, fresh tomato sauce from scratch
Here’s what I do whenever I have too many ripe tomatoes and I don’t want to waste a single one: I make the easiest tomato sauce in the world.
This is more like a tomato fresca, in that the flavors are bright and fresh -- perfect for coating pasta or a pizza crust on a muggy summer day. It’s a thin sauce due to the moisture in the very ripe tomatoes. If you want a thicker sauce, either simmer it forever or use only Roma tomatoes.
For getting in and out of the kitchen fast, the very best part of this recipe is that you don’t have to peel the tomatoes. Everything just gets tossed into a food processor and it’s ready for a nice long simmer.
The inspiration for this recipe came from Janet Grennes of Raleigh, N.C., a friend, food stylist and former cooking teacher. Here’s what you do:
Put all of this into a food processor or blender:
1 ½ pounds very ripe tomatoes, any variety, (about 4 medium), seeds, peeling and everything except do remove the core
1 small onion, peeled
1 or 2 large cloves garlic, to taste
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
(if you have fresh oregano, use 1/4 cup leaves, loosely packed)
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Pour this mixture into a medium saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil. (I use extra-virgin.) Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered until the desired thickness, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the juiciness of the tomatoes. Stir every now and then.
This will make about 1 ½ cups of sauce, and it will keep refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months. (Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.)
Do you have a homemade tomato sauce to share? Let us know since we’re always on the lookout for new ones!
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Comments
This is really great recipe, well tomato sauce is superb. It is very popular for it’s unique test, it will go with any dish. I am very happy that now I can make it, surely gonna try this very soon. My friends will like this.
At the peak of the season when I realize that, “Yes, it IS possible that I may have gone just a bit overboard with the number of tomato plants I put in the vegetable garden again this year” I make a roasted tomato sauce—- almost as easy as your stove top recipe.
I gather nearly a roaster pan full of tomatoes. Wash all of the tomatoes (not necessary to core them!) and put them into the roaster pan, add a couple of onions, cut in half, but not peeled, a couple heads of garlic (I break these up, but don’t bother to peel them, either)—- pop into a 400 degree oven and let roast for about 3 hours. If canning, I process through a food mill to remove skins while hot, put in canning jars and hot water bath. If freezing, I let the mixture cool before food mill, then pour into containers and freeze.
Last summer I made this in my roaster oven out on the back deck instead of getting the house warm with the oven. I may try adding some basil to it this year.
This sounds Yum! I’m going to have to try this version.
I like to grow my own plum tomatoes (san marzano, roma, amish paste, opalka) and make my own tomato sauce. I am intrigued by this recipe. The ingredients are similar to many other tomato sauce recipes - except for the food processor part and that it’s not calling for paste/plum tomatoes. This year, when my tomatoes are ripe, I am tempted to try my blender. Everyone has a blender and if a simple and easily applicable recipe could devised that was fast to make, I think it would be appealing. I have no idea if it will work.