Whether you are new to cooking or a seasoned chef, use one of the easiest tomato pasta sauce recipes to impress yourself and the people at your table. The sauce calls for just four ingredients: tomatoes, butter, salt, and onions. Pair this recipe with your favorite pasta shape and Parmigiano-Reggiano or another hard cheese for the best experience. Since we are gonna let the sauce simmer, it will get thick and rich. Thicker tomato sauces pair best with shapes like Gemelli, rigatoni, and spaghetti.
What You’ll Need
- 2 pounds tomatoes, crushed or chopped, fresh or canned
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium red onion, peeled and halved
- 1 pound pasta
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or another cheese of your choice
- Salt
- 1 saucepan
- 1 wooden spoon
- A pot for pasta
The tomatoes should be as fresh as possible. At the grocery store, tomatoes on the vine are your best option. You might also want to shake things up by including multiple kinds of tomatoes. If you must go for canned tomatoes, try an imported option, like San Marzano tomatoes.
The onion makes this sauce special. Tomato sauces are made unique by their secondary ingredients if they have any at all. Shallots, basil, garlic, and red pepper flakes are all common additions. If you want to experiment with this recipe, the only rule is to add what you think tastes good.
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Directions
For this classic Italian tomato sauce, place a saucepan over low heat and add the butter. Once the butter melts, add a generous amount of salt and cook each onion half face down. After about 20 seconds, when the onions start to give off a pleasant aroma, add the tomatoes. Let the concoction cook slowly for about 45 minutes. Stir using a wooden spoon and crush any large pieces of tomato. Discard the onions once the sauce has finished cooking. The sauce will look consistent, and the butter will float to the top.
While you are cooking the sauce, prepare a pot of boiling water. You want the pasta to finish cooking just before the sauce so you can strain and toss it with the sauce. Keep in mind that the pasta can continue to cook in the sauce.
That is all there is to this recipe. Eat it with Parmigiano-Reggiano or freshly chopped basil for an unmatched experience. This recipe will transport you to the Tuscan countryside with its simple blend of fresh flavors.
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