Simple Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 28oz cans whole tomatoes
- 8 garlic cloves
- Salt and pepper
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 oz basil leaves
Instructions
- Place the tomatoes in a large pot over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, oregano and sugar. Cook for about 15 minutes, then using a potato masher, press them gently.
- Reduce the heat to medium- low and add the garlic. Simmer for about 1 hour, then using the masher again, press until obtain the consistency desired.
- Add the basil and olive oil and continue simmering for about 1 ½ hour more.
- Serve with your favorite pasta.
Nutrition
Pasta with Tomato sauce is a classic dish and I think that everyone should have a good tomato sauce recipe. This one is simple and easy to make and is delicious!
Growing up in Colombia, the only tomato sauce that I had was from a jar, so when I met my husband, whose grandmothers were Italian, I realized that I needed to make a homemade tomato sauce for him. He can pretty much eat pasta with tomato sauce every day and be happy!
One day when we first met, I wanted to surprise him with a nice Italian dinner, so I made a delicious tomato sauce, so I thought. As he began eating it, he made a strange face and asked me what I put in the sauce? I told him the list of ingredients... tomatoes, garlic, cilantro... "Cilantro?!" he said. "No wonder why it tastes like salsa. You don't put cilantro in tomato sauce!" He has been making fun of me for that ever since.
It is so normal for me to add cilantro to every dish, that I though it was going to be delicious. What he doesn't know is that I forgot to add cumin 😉 Anyway, after that Colombian-Italian tomato suace, I made a variety of different tomato sauce recipes until I came out with this one just recently and he said that this is the best tomato sauce that he has ever had. Enjoy!
grace
meh., so it might not be the most traditional thing, but i'd love cilantro in my spaghetti sauce. i also add it to everything, from a regular ol' salad to a bowl of grits. 🙂
nora@ffr
soo easy and simple!!!! id love to tryyy!!! yummmmmmmm
Fearless Kitchen
I see no problem using cilantro in sauce. While it's not traditional for us Italians, it's still tasty! I like your more recent version too, though. 🙂
Erica
Thank you everyone for visiting!
norma
Funny story....I will add this sauce to my list
Joanne
You are so right that everyone needs a good version of tomato sauce. And even though it's not traditional, I am going to try the whole cilantro addition. It might be heresy. But I don't care. I love that herb so much.
Kim
Very cute story about the cilantro. I love cilantro, so I could probably eat it in a tomato sauce. I like that you use 8 cloves of garlic in your sauce. It looks gorgeous.
Joy
It is hot and tiring in Melbourne today and this just seemed a perfect post to link to on fb Comfort Food.
Cheers.
rebecca subbiah
looks great we all need to make it from scratch so much better
Chris
Hilarious story and great lesson learned.
I'd use cilantro a lot more but my older son has that "cilantro tastes like soap" gene. He can taste it even when I sneak it in. It's one of my favorite flavors but usually only finds its way into dishes I'm only making for myself and Alexis or as a garnish.
Joan Nova
Very funny. Yes, as tasty as cilantro and cumino are, you must leave them out of Italian dishes.
Erica
Thank all for the comments 🙂
Anna
I can see why he was surprised, cilantro is not a hit for the Italians. But if tasted like salsa wasn't that bad, right? It looks very yummy and garlicky. 🙂
Sandra g
Thanks For The Recipe Erica, I was always afraid of making a tomato sauce, because it always seemed so complicated, one of my Italian friends sauce takes the whole day to make!
Simply Life
I'm saving this recipe as I still haven't figured out how to make a good sauce!
Bo
That looks so delicious.