There are many red sauces out there in the grocery stores. When I was growing up, there wasn’t a lot of selection, but today, you can find dozens, it seems. Lots of brands and lots of flavors. Marinara, bolognese, arrabiata, amatriciana, vodka, never mind the tomato basil, garlic and herb, etc… It can make your head spin! But to make a basic, homemade red sauce? I got you! It’s easy to make your own and it’ll smell up your house in the best of ways. I’ve been making this sauce recipe since the kids were little, and it never disappoints!
60 minutes or longer/easy/8 servings
nutrition per serving:
143 calories, 2g protein, 14g carbs, 9g fat, 8g sugar
ingredients
- ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion (yellow or Spanish), finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon of dried thyme
(use basil OR oregano INSTEAD of thyme, your personal preference!) - ½ medium carrot, finely shredded
(or teaspoon of sugar) - 2 28-ounce cans of San Marzano peeled whole tomatoes OR crushed tomatoes OR ripe local tomatoes
- Salt, to taste
directions
- In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, 8-10 minutes. Do not burn!
- Add the thyme and carrot and cook for 5 minutes, or until the carrot is quite soft.
- Add the tomatoes: if using whole tomatoes, carefully crush them with your hands, adding them with their juices into the pot.
- Bring the ingredients to a boil, stirring often, and then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the sauce thickens to your preference. You can keep it on low for a few hours if you would like – just stir it occasionally so it doesn’t burn the pot on the bottom. That would be bad. 😉
- Season with salt to taste.
notes
What is so special about San Marzano tomatoes? Let me tell ya. These tomatoes come from a specific region in Italy – first cultivated in the town San Marzano sul Sarno in southern Italy. The growing conditions there ideal – fertile volcanic soil, a Mediterranean microclimate and a high water table. San Marzano tomatoes are like the champagne of the tomato world and is regarded as the best of the best when you are cooking. So if you can find these in your market, try cooking with them! They are known for their sweetness, low acidity and robust flavor and they will never let you down!
Of course you can use ripe, local tomatoes from your local market or farm! There is NOTHING like using fresh ingredients – I’m a big fan! Make sure they are sweet and delicious!
Thyme.
Not everyone is a fan of thyme. This sauce really works with thyme, but if you like basil or oregano, try one of those instead. Your preference. I’ve tried some homemade sauces with basil or oregano and they definitely work. Use what you like. Do me a favor though – do NOT use too much herbs in the sauce – you can ruin it, seriously. I used too much thyme one time and it wasn’t ideal. It’s not gross, but it overtakes the tomato flavor, so don’t do that. Constantly taste the sauce as it cooks so you are happy with the flavor by the time you serve it.
FYI, a good fresh to dried herb ratio rule of thumb to remember is this:
3:1 ratio. 3 parts fresh is equal to 1 part of dried.
Carrot.
This shocked me when I first started using carrots in a red sauce, but it’s a sweetener! Just make sure you finely shred the carrot and you really cook it down until it’s soft. It really works, and it helps with the texture of the sauce as well. If you are in a rush, you can use sugar, but take my word for it – try the carrot. It won’t do you wrong!
So get a nice pot of sauce on the stove, cook it LOW AND SLOW and stink up your house. Go on…
