We love fresh tomatoes, so what better way to use them up then make fresh tomato sauce? No better way. And when I say we love tomatoes, we do, we really love them. Especially homegrown tomatoes, you just can’t beat the size and flavour compared to store-bought.
The key to great tomato sauce starts with the ingredients. I know, I know, everyone says that but it’s true: your sauce will only be as good as your tomatoes (and your olive oil).
Since I’m half Italian, I grew up eating tomato sauce at least once a week. There was always a fresh batch in the making, resulting in a lovely smell throughout the kitchen. My parent’s sauces were good, but there was no way you could make a sauce as good as my nonno.
There is just something about a good plate of pasta that can’t be beat, but only if the sauce is good. Even most restaurants, unless you’re in Italy, can’t make a good tomato sauce to save their life!! So let’s get into this super, super easy recipe – I know you’ll love it.
A quick note, this recipe really comes alive when you use fresh tomatoes, but if you didn’t grow any or don’t have enough, you can always use canned tomatoes. Again, quality is key. Use San Marzano tomatoes preferably, they are so sweet. I usually use whole tomatoes without the peel. Please don’t buy hunts tomatoes… I did that once – the sauce was awful.
How to Make the Sauce
The easiest way to get the peel off the tomato is to blanch it in hot water for about 40 seconds, and then straight to cold water for about 30 seconds. The peel will just slip right off – its super cool to watch.
Literally, it’s the easiest thing!! And it makes all the difference, using fresh sauce. It is a little more time consuming, but so worth it. You could leave the peel on, but I don’t really like the texture of it in the sauce. The next part is cool as well, once you have all your skinless tomatoes ready, place them in the pan with your oil, garlic, and oregano, and start mashing!
The more the tomatoes cook, the more they break down, so when you mash the more sauce like it becomes. Now is when you’ll need to mash every 5 mins to get that perfect consistency. You can cover your pan after each mash.
That’s pretty much what you’re looking for. You need to cook it until all of the watery liquid has evaporated. You’ll notice a difference as it starts to thicken up. And that’s it! Enjoy the best sauce you’ll ever taste. You can freeze it, can it, refrigerate it, can it, or eat it all at once. I like making big batches and then freezing it for quick meals.
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
-Abbagail
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