Tomato Sauce

DrygastDrygast, 2021-01-08

Simple and tasty tomato sauce.

 

  • Servings4 Portions

 

  • Cook Time15 min

Simple and tasty tomato sauce that I sometimes use for pizza, cooked pasta or gratins. I have also used this as a base to make minced meat sauce, which will be really good if you need one a quickly. It is also possible to add a little hot chili and / or sambal oelek to use this as a strong sauce for e.g. kebab or falafel.

In the recipe, I do not use onions, which may be a little different from other recipes, but in this case it is intended to be a quick-cooked and smooth tomato sauce. But otherwise there is no problem to slice up 2 small red onions and fry them in a little oil before adding the other ingredients. If I want to make a sauce specifically for pizza, I usually use passed tomatoes instead so I get as smooth a sauce as possible. For tomato sauce specifically for pizza, it happens that I do not even use more ingredients than passed tomatoes and salt - this is because most toppings on pizzas still taste more than the tomato sauce so it basically disappears in the background anyway. And if you have high quality passed tomatoes, you do not need so many other flavors anyway.

You can use fresh tomatoes to make this simple tomato sauce, but some ingredients are actually at least as good in a jar as fresh. In the case of tomatoes, I would venture to say that canned tomatoes of good quality are better than fresh tomatoes. This is because canned tomatoes (those of high quality) have been picked perfectly ripe and processed immediately, which means that the customer gets almost perfect canned tomatoes instead of fresh ones that may have been picked before they are fully ripe and then stored for a long time in a warehouse before they end up on the grocery store shelves. If you grow your own tomatoes, you can use them instead of canned as you get the best of two worlds. Try to choose tomatoes of the best quality possible - preferably organic. I usually use tomatoes from Mutti, San Marzano or änglamark.

If you have a lot of time, you can let the tomato sauce simmer on low heat for an hour - this will be really good. Keep an eye out and dilute with water if necessary. The sauce will also be better if it is allowed to rest in the fridge for a while - feel free to make it the day before.

Variants
  • You can add a little red wine which gives a slightly darker color and full-bodied taste.
  • Add herbs of various kinds (basil, thyme, rosemary and oregano). Basil is perfect if you want to use the sauce for Italian dishes.
  • With some curry and turmeric you get an Indian touch.
  • With some paprika powder, sugar and smokey chipotle you get a sauce that can be used for BBQ.

Ingredients

Sauce

Nutrition Facts*

 TotalServing100 g
Energy189.84 kcal47.46 kcal42 kcal
Carbohydrates42.8 g10.7 g9.47 g
Fat1.18 g0.29 g0.26 g
Protein4.66 g1.16 g1.03 g
Sugar30.65 g7.66 g6.78 g
Salt5.51 g1.38 g1.22 g

* The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using the ingredients available in the database. Info will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Directions

  1. Toss all ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat.
  2. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
  3. Use directly for e.g. cooked pasta or save in the fridge if the sauce is to be used for pizza.
  4. The sauce is excellent to freeze and I usually count that I use a batch of this recipe for about 8 smaller homemade pizzas. However, this depends a lot on what other ingredients I have on the pizza.