Basic Tomato Sauce
A good basic tomato sauce is a must have pantry item. Whether you buy a good quality one in a jar or make your own, basic tomato sauce makes pasta into a meal, eggplant into an entrée, and is always a thoughtful gift.
Category
Condiment
Servings/Yield
2 quarts
Author
Helen Park
Ingredients
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¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, finely dice
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4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced OR 2 Tbsp garlic slices
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¼ tsp peperoncini
2 Tbsp tomato paste, see notes below
2 (28oz) cans diced tomato
2 sprigs fresh basil
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1 tsp fine sea salt
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½ tsp ground black pepper
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1⁄4 cup olive oil
Directions
In a heavy bottom sauce pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onion, garlic, and pepperoncini until tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and stir to combine well.
Add the tomato, 1 cup of water, basil, salt, and pepper and bring the pot to boil.
Reduce the heat to simmer for 1 hour or until the sauce is well flavored and lightly reduced to a sauce consistency.
Recipe Note
Recipe Notes
My go-to tomato paste is the double concentrate type in the tube. It keeps well and has great intense flavor. A good tip is to keep it on a tube holder (like the kind for metal tubes of hand lotion or toothpaste). It stands neatly on the door of the refrigerator and easily gets the last drop of tomato paste out.
There are so many ways to use a good tomato sauce:
Brown Butter Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti
Questions? Contact helen@laboiteny.com
