Easy Tomato Sauce Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good tomato sauce? ›

Starting with good quality tomatoes and crushing them by hand offers great flavor and texture later on. The combination of butter and oil releases fat-soluble aromatics and gives the sauce a creamy texture. Slowly cooking the sauce in the oven creates rich caramelization without burning.

Herbs: Add some dried herbs such as oregano, basil, or thyme for some extra flavor. Red pepper flakes: If you like some heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce. Parmesan cheese: Grate some Parmesan cheese over the top of the spaghetti before serving.

Two items Flay loves are Mutti's tomatoes and Mutti's Simply Sugo Sauce. These items will add an authentic flavor to some of your favorite classic Italian dishes like spaghetti alla gricia or your go-to homemade pizza sauce.

Roast the tomatoes first.

This one simple thing will completely change the dynamic of the sauce. Roasted tomatoes give a robust depth of flavor to an otherwise simple sauce. Heat equals flavor, folks.

To ensure a uniform, smooth texture. Tomato skins are tough and hard to chew, so removing them before you make sauces – especially canned sauces – is important. Avoid bitter flavor.

Fresh tomatoes: Try to stick with plum tomatoes, like Roma, San Marzano, and cherry tomatoes. Be sure to peel the tomatoes (and remove the seeds, if you like, but it's not necessary). White sugar: The sugar will balance out the acidity and give the sauce a hint of sweetness.

The reason for sprinkling a pinch of sugar into a simmering saucepan of tomatoes is simple: sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes and creates an overall more balanced sauce. The exact acid levels in tomatoes can vary quite a bit depending on whether they're fresh or canned, the tomato variety, and the time of year.

Add Sugar

The goal is to amplify the natural sweetness of the tomatoes, not to turn the sauce sugary, so start with a pinch and work up if needed.

"I like to add roasted garlic, fresh basil, and sautéed chopped veggies like mushrooms, bell pepper, and onion into my sauce. This combination gives it a garden-variety taste and feel," Chase told Insider. Sometimes they'll also add red chili flakes or a drizzle of garlic oil to the sauce.

Why is my homemade tomato sauce bland? ›

Your spaghetti sauce may taste bland due to insufficient seasoning. Try adding more salt, herbs (like basil, oregano, or thyme), and other flavor enhancers like garlic, onion, or red pepper flakes. Also, a dash of sugar can balance flavors and bring out the natural sweetness of tomatoes.

Nutmeg. Nutmeg is the key to boosting earthiness and adding a touch of nuttiness to your spaghetti sauce. Nutmeg also has a slightly sweet flavor, which we know goes great with acidic canned tomatoes. Overall, it accentuates the other ingredients in the sauce and adds complexity.

In response to Kathy, Garten simply responded, "That's easy! Rao's Marinara Sauce."

More often than not, Italians actually use canned tomatoes for this, and I actually recommend doing the same to recreate it here. Don't fall for the cheapest jar on the shelf, though. Spend a little bit more to buy the good ones, made in Italy, and never marinated.

Toss in Olives or Capers

Briny ingredients like olives or capers are another way to brighten up your pasta sauce while also introducing texture and depth of flavor. Roughly chop a handful and stir them into your sauce while it's heating up on the stove.

The rich, peppery taste of many red wines enhances the other elements found in red sauce, leading to deep, delicious flavor throughout. Plus, depending on the cooking wine you choose, it either adds some sweetness or a dry element, both of which are great for marinara.

Your tomatoes are acidic. Try adding a little baking soda to the sauce, which will negate some of the acidity, or simmering a whole peeled carrot in the sauce. The carrot is an old Italian grandmother's trick. The sweet carrot balances the acidity of the sauce without adding any unwanted flavor.