Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce
Updated August 4, 2024
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 cups tomatoes, in addition to their juices (for example, a 28-ounce can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes)
5 tablespoons butter
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
Salt
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
6 grams carbs; 38 milligrams cholesterol; 153 calories; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 287 milligrams sodium; 1 gram protein; 3 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter and the onion halves in a saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt.
- Step 2
Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with a spoon. Add salt as needed.
- Step 3
Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta. This recipe makes enough sauce for a pound of pasta.
Private Notes
Comments
Such endless tinkering! My daughter turned me on to this. She said that its simplicity allows the primary ingredients--the tomatoes and the pasta--to shine. The onion is a whisper, not a shout (or, God forbid, a partner with garlic in a mugging). The butter, astonishingly, adds an unctuousness, a luxurious velvety taste and feel that perfectly complement the tomatoes.
If anyone else had told me this, I would have reached for my herb garden, the olive oil. But I trust her, and she was right.
The recipe from the first edition of The Classic Italian Cookbook (1973) calls for 2 lbs of tomatoes, 1/4 lb butter, one medium yellow onion, peeled and halved, salt and 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar. I can't imagine why the amount of butter has been reduced from 8 tablespoons to 5 tablespoons. Stick with the original.
I don't know why you would want to discard the onion. Eating it is one of the highlights of this dish!
People, end the debate. This is called Tomato Sauce for a reason. If it had all the other stuff mentioned it would be Marinara sauce.
Made this last night as written, though the onion was gigantic so I only used half of it. The sauce was so simple and had a wonderful depth of flavor. I ate it as-is on some spaghetti so I could appreciate it fully. Froze the remaining three portions for future quick meals. The sauce could easily be used as a blank canvas for additional ingredients--dried wild mushrooms??
Since my garden is overflowing with tomatoes, I used fresh, and it was fabulous. Yes, I took out the onion and discarded after simmering for about an hour. I also put in a large clove of garlic and removed that at the end, too. Neither were over powering, and the fresh tomatoes shine.