The Simplest Tomato Sauce Ever (Marcella Hazan)

Submitted by MarraMamba

"In its very simplicity lie the secrets. This sauce is incredible. It has 3 ingredients, and no chopping. The amateurgourmet calls it Marcella Hazan's CRAZY tomato sauce. This is not your thick pasty sauce, it is a light luscious wonder. Add garlic or basil or mozzarella to it as you choose but try it this way first. The butter..DON'T switch to olive oil, it makes the sauce."

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Ready In:: 50mins
Ingredients:: 4
Serves:: 4

ingredients

2 cups canned plum tomatoes (whole, peeled, chopped, with their juices about one 28-oz. can)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
salt, to taste

directions

Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter, and the onion halves in a medium saucepan.
Add a pinch or two of salt. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, at a very slow but steady simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary, for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free from the tomato.
Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and salt as needed.
Discard the onion.

Questions & Replies

Amazingly simple and great as is or as a base. If some one says this is not good, they haven't made it or just do not like tomato sauce!

Mortimer B.
how to make chicken friccasee

Maria N.

Reviews

Simple, straight-forward, no skill required. I had very unpleasant metallic-tasting results with Cento brand tomatoes, but the San Marzano tomatoes (with the white label) work for me every time. I make no changes until the end, when I add a generous squirt of the pulverized Italian herbs that come in a tube in the produce case (just like Grandma....) No matter what I put this sauce on - pasta, frittata, calamari, store-bought! meatballs - my husband seems surprised at how good it tastes and suggests that I make it again. Either the stuff is very versatile, or his memory is even worse than I thought. Freezes well, too. The sauce...not the husband...

Nadacook
Made this today but I used fresh heirloom tomatoes from my garden. Normally, the acidity would need balancing but this recipe is perfection. I believe the butter gave it all the balance it needed. I added meat balls in the last 15 minutes and my husband cried a little tear of joy.

CanadianFarmgal
I've been cooking this sauce occasionally for years. It is simple and delicious and the flavour is wonderful. This is NOT a sauce to use in other recipes, it is only for simply combining with pasta. I have the cookbook it's from and this is very clear in that (Marcella is always very clear, her tone is like a fairly strict schoolteacher I always think!). The recent comment comparing this sauce to Honey Boo Boo's "sketi" is purely idiotic and inappropriate - Marcella Hazan is about as far away from that as you can get. Also, Marcella does not dislike garlic but like most traditional Italian cooks she does not combine onion and garlic in a pasta sauce - it's one or the other.

heatherbelleday
You think this sauce is easy? Sure. But going to the store and buying a can of SpaghettiOs will provide you with the same flavor and is even easier. This sauce is a disgrace. Remember on the riveting show called 'Honey Boo Boo' when they mix ketchup and butter together to make their sauce? Same thing here. Never trust a cook that dislikes garlic.

Cody Tyler Murphy
Looks yummy

Doris C.

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

MarraMamba

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http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/527607/cookswithcattitude.jpg I am a middle aged foodie who has had the luxury of living all over the world except asia. Lived in or grew up in Nigeria, Kenya, Chicago, Russia,and haiti. born in New Zealand, brother born in Austria and many more. I have chronic medication resistant depression after 10 years on anti depressants that worked well but would stop working after a year or two, so now do my best at home living on disabilty. Not a bad thing, many have far worse health issues but i have been able to concentrate on food/cooking. My main passions are my cats. I live in the woods and somehow many starving strays or "dumps" have found the message babies who passed on left in the woods saying "suck lives at xxxx road. Most arrive sick and/or starving. Right now i have 2 that arrived with feline herpes and their attendant 2ndry bacterial infections but are doing beautifully. One old man who was going to be euthanized bc a lady who found him as a stray was moving and didnt want him...well he was a biter and rather grumpy who was in ICU for 3 days with a deadly gut infection which was fixed but he left with a diagnosis of diabetes. 3 months on insulin and finally diet controlled and he caught the herpes virus, respiratory symptom version and turned into a cuddler. Butterscotch must think "why didnt i figure out this cuddle stuff was great before i got sick!" Doing wonderfully even though he has bouts. he and the other kids are my babies. Sadly Butterscotch died of Lymphatic cancer in winter of 2008. A year before Big Boy arrived in my life, starving and weak. Full of affection he jumped into my arms and stayed, turns out he has FIV (cat hiv) so he needs to be watched closely. I love him dearly <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/Adopted1smp.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/smPACp.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <img src="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/Stockingswapcopy.jpg"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/participantbannerzwt5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/cookbookswap.jpg"> <img src="http://www.caymandesigns.com/foodothers/fallswap.jpg">

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