Are you looking to make really good tomato sauce. Like the best tomato sauce ever? Look no further than Marcella Hanzan's recipe. This recipe is simple, you can probably make it with ingredients you have at home, and it tastes amazing.
Italian Seasoning is what BBQ Rub is to Americans, Sofrito is to Cubans, and Herbes de Provence are to the French, it’s their version of a House Blend. Its uses are endless and the flavor addition that it makes to a simple pizza or sauce is extraordinary.
Recently, we made Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce. This sauce is legendary in its own right, has five stars anytime you look it up online, and also has reviews and comments to prove that her method of making Italian sauce is incredible and unmatched.
Her slow cooking method of tomatoes allows secondary flavors to develop and blend with the welcome additions of onion and butter. Truly, the secret to this sauce is in the time that it spends simmering on the stove. But of course, the touch of butter and onion don't hurt either.
The sauce is deep, full of flavor, rich, and thick. A sure bet and crowd pleaser on its own. But not everyone is a purest and there are those who want their tomato sauce like they have always had it, full of black dots, aka, sprinkled with Italian Seasoning.
Perhaps this can partially be attributed to our childhood Prego, their sauce was always filled with specks and is what gave most of us an actual concept of Italian food.
There is also the visual component. Yes, Marcella's tomato sauce, while plain, is a stunning, beautiful, red color. But those little colored pieces of oregano, garlic, basil and more are like glitter on a kids painting or a cool new old car. It's just fun and it adds something.
Finally, we have to admit, Italian Seasoning just tastes good. It's Italy in a blend. It's familiar taste screams, "I'm Italian food, therefore I'm gonna be good." So we figured, why not add a bit to try it out.
And guess what, it's good.
Really good!
Yes, it does change the original essence of Marcella's sauce but instead of taking something away it adds news aromas and takes the sauce in a totally new dimension. It's like a little trip for your mouth.
Italian Seasoning
Italian Herb Blend
When you think Italy, flavors like basil, garlic, oregano, and more come to mind. Our MarnaMaria Italian Seasoning brings together the best of these flavors to create a seasoning blend that is typically and traditionally Italian. We mix together garlic, oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley, thyme, marjoram, and sage for an unbeatably array of flavor.
Add Italian Seasoning to tomato sauces, white pasta, on pizza, or when roasting vegetables. Combine with bread crumbs and use to bread chicken or fried treats. Also terrific to use as a garnish seasoning to finish your dish!
Get the recipe!
Print📖 Recipe
The Best Tomato Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 28-ounce can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter
- 1 large onion, peeled and cut in half
- 1 tbsp. MarnaMaria Italian Seasoning
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 tsp. sugar
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the tomatoes, butter, onion, and MarnaMaria Italian Seasoning, salt and sugar.
- Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
- Cook, uncovered, for about 90 minutes. Stir occasionally, using a wooden spoon to breakdown the tomatoes.
- Remove the onion before serving and taste to check for seasoning. Add more salt if needed.
Notes
This recipe is adapted from the NYT article on Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce.
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