Teach me to make awesome spaghetti sauce!

[mamaofprincesses]

Cause mine is totally hit or miss. I can't figure out how to consistently season it well. I don't even know for sure what I want to start with! Help!

[mamadelbosque]

Well, I'll tell you how I make mine. We think its pretty good

First, dice some onion (like 1/2-1 whole yellow, depending on how big it is an how much you like onion )

Saute onion in olive oil w/ a clove or two of garlic (crushed/minced/whatever)

Once its nice'n soft, dump in one (28oz) can of diced tomatoes and 1 can/jar of tomato paste (6-8oz). Add 1tspish of: garlic powder, oregano, basil, onion powder. A dash of salt an about 1 tbsp dried parsley (or a couple tbsp fresh), and a bit of wine/wine vinegar (like maybe 1/4 cup?) Cook down till its thick'n saucy - about 30minutes.


If you like a smoother sauce, throw the tomatoes in a blender first, or if your lucky enough to have an immersion blender, use that '

If you want/like a sweeter sauce add a bit (1-2tbsp) sugar.

This is my 'basic marinara' - if I want meat sauce, I cook 1/2 pound of ground turkey along w/ the onion first, an then do the above. I sometimes also add in diced green pepper, mushrooms, etc if I'm feeling adventurous

[Martha27]

I first sautee all my veggies (i use lots of different veggies, diced up, to make it a good full meal for my kids) in olive oil- carrots, mushrooms, peppers and onions and of course garlic! when those are soft I add tomatos and spices: bayleaf, oregeno, basil and whatever else makes it smell yummy I also add tomato paste but before I add the paste I put it in a seperate frying pan and burn it black! Very important step and I swear makes the sauce taste sooooo much better in the end! I also add red wine (or balsamic vin. if I have no wine) and browned up hamburger and sausage if i am making it meat sauce. once all the ingredients are in the same pot I simmer it for at least an hour. I find the longer spag. sauce simmers the better it will taste

[Jaxinator]

Sugar. It needs a spoonful of sugar to balance the tomatoes.
I pretty much make mine the same way as mamadelbosque, with the addition of a bay leaf.

Martha27, I think I might try your "burnt tomato paste" trick next time...

[velochic]

About 20 years ago, I was living in Russia and a kind American woman taught me how to make spaghetti sauce because... guess what, you couldn't get it in a jar over there!! And I was learning how to cook from scratch frantically because I had yet to learn to cook from anything but a box. I have always loved this recipe/method (the recipe is flexible based on your tastes) but it might be sentimental.

Ingredients:
onions
carrots
celery
garlic
basil
oregano
bay leaf
salt
pepper
sugar
tomatoes (I use whole, canned, and crushed by hand)
olive oil

Method:
Finely dice the vegetables and saute until soft, making sure not to burn the garlic (this will make the sauce bitter). Add spices, tomatoes and cook down, breaking up tomatoes as you go. Remove bay leaves then blend for a smooth sauce. Don't add the sugar until you have finished your sauce. Taste for acidity and if you want it a bit sweeter, add the sugar and cook a little longer. I never need the sugar because the carrots and onion make it sweet enough for me. I do, however, like to cook this down to a very dense consistency, add a bit of sugar and use as pizza sauce. It's also a good base for a pink sauce (when you combine it with béchamel).

[Martha27]

Originally Posted by Jaxinator

Martha27, I think I might try your "burnt tomato paste" trick next time...

nice! It sounds wierd but really does seem to give it a fuller flavor

[nomadmom]

When I first made this recipe years ago, my family told me to never buy jarred sauce again. We like a smooth sauce, and I often purée in some veggies. A favorite version includes sautéed spinach and roasted red pepper. The basic recipe is fresh-tasting and delicious on its own, and we use it for pizza as well as pasta.

It makes a huge batch, so I halve it if I don't have room in the freezer for the extra. You can make it on the stove top, or simmer it all day in a crock pot.

Sauté 1 large onion, chopped, and 3 cloves garlic, minced, in 1/4 cup olive oil.

Add: 4 28 oz. cans tomatoes (whole, crushed, chopped -- whatever you like)
3 12 oz. cans tomato paste
3 TBS. brown sugar
1 TBS. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Bring to a boil, partially cover and simmer 2 hours.

[nomadmom]

Originally Posted by velochic

I never need the sugar because the carrots and onion make it sweet enough for me.

Yeah, when I use carrots I omit the sugar and taste the sauce when it's done to see if it needs any.

[sophiesgrandma]

I use a tble of pure maple syrup to take out the acidity.

[mamaofprincesses]

Thanks so much for all the replies! I'm excited to experiment. . .

[Addie]

Foolproof and unbelievably delicious:

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes (spring for the good ones - San Marzano if you can find them)
5 TB butter
1 onion, peeled and sliced in half

Put everything in a saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes. Every once in a while, give it a stir and smash some of the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove the onion (we usually eat it) and serve.

Seriously, it's some sort of culinary alchemy. You won't believe how good this tastes. It's originally a Maecella Hazan recipe, but has been written up in a lot of food blogs.

[ju1ia]

Does anyone have any tricks to use fresh tomatoes to make pasta sauce? I always seem to end up with a grainy texture... even after cooking for hours and hours! Ideas?

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by ju1ia

Does anyone have any tricks to use fresh tomatoes to make pasta sauce? I always seem to end up with a grainy texture... even after cooking for hours and hours! Ideas?

I would think you'd need to process them in some way first...like, vinegar or something (I have NO idea if I'm right)


OP: sometimes I toss some cream in mine. Cream + Tomato = love

[Llyra]

Originally Posted by ju1ia

Does anyone have any tricks to use fresh tomatoes to make pasta sauce? I always seem to end up with a grainy texture... even after cooking for hours and hours! Ideas?

Blanch them briefly in boiling water, and peel them. Cut out any green parts, or hard cores. Then cook them for about thirty minutes, to soften the fibrous parts. Then run them through a food mill, and then use them in the recipe.

[LiamsMommy]

We don't ever add sugar.

Burnt tomato paste? I would think that would really destroy many of the good things in the tomato that would want to eat :~)

We do the typical like the other posters. One whole onion sauteed only until clear, set aside. Saute turkey, red pepper, 2 tbsp olive oil, a shake of lawry's, then add chopped 6-8 tomatoes, simmer for one hour with Italian seasoning 1 tbsp,

[LiamsMommy]

BTW like idea of adding the veggies.

[AJC23]

Using Fresh Tomatoes

Originally Posted by ju1ia

Does anyone have any tricks to use fresh tomatoes to make pasta sauce? I always seem to end up with a grainy texture... even after cooking for hours and hours! Ideas?

I use Roma tomatoes. Peel them (boil them for about 10-20 seconds, then slide the peel off) and seed them. You want to remove the seeds and any other runny parts and just use the flesh. Then I would cook them like in all these other recipes and just cook them until it is the right consistency. It usually takes longer to cook down than canned tomatoes, but the Roma (or plum) tomatoes work best.

[zebaby]

[amnesiac]

This is basically how I make mine. I use whatever kind of onion I have around & I also like to add oregano. I don't usually follow the recipe exactly, just the general process.

I saw Mario make it on tv once & the way he described the steps made sense to me. I especially like the hand crushed tomato & the carrot as the sweetening agent. I think you might be able to follow the same process using fresh tomatoes if you blanch & peel them first, then crush.

[witchygrrl]

we don't ever add sugar to ours. DH is half-Italian, and from the NY/NJ area to boot where they don't do that. Our cheat is using canned tomatoes that are diced as well as tomato paste. I do want to use Roma tomatoes next time they are in season.

But we use Turkish bay leaves to sweeten the sauce.

I do want to try the America's Test Kitchen version, which sautees the onions in butter, and then adds oregano. They use Eden's organic diced tomatoes and after cooking for ten minutes, add the basil. They do add sugar in theirs, but I plan on leaving that out and just adding the bay leaf. The olive oil isn't added until the finish.