Tomato Sauce
Is it sauce or gravy? That is the question amongst American-Italian families in New Jersey and maybe elsewhere but I don’t get out much. Until growing up I had never even heard of delicious crushed and seasoned tomatoes being called gravy. Gravy was a brown sauce served over meat. The most convincing argument for the difference I’ve ever heard was that sauce is just tomatoes, and gravy has some form of meat added to the tomato sauce. This made sense to me because my mom wouldn’t dare put meat in her sauce. She was an “almost vegetarian” when I was growing up and now has sworn off all meat. So I grew up in a meat-free sauce world and gravy was only served at Thanksgiving.
That’s all to say the way I make sauce is accidentally very vegetarian friendly just like my mom did. While I will throw my meatballs into the sauce if I happen to coordinate the cooking of the two; generally speaking I’ll whip up this very easy tomato sauce and portion it out for the freezer to use on future raviolis and rotinis. I also love to use my mom’s sauce for lasagna, baked ziti and eggplant parmesan. All recipes that she taught me and have become part of this cook’s soul.
To make the sauce you’ll want to start by cutting up one medium yellow onion. How finely you dice is up to your taste. I like a little bit of crunch in mine and want to know an onion was involved. Place a larger pot over medium heat and add the oil and garlic and cook until fragrant. I’ve gotten lazy and started using minced garlic which works just fine for this recipe but if you want to impress yourself go for it and use a clove of fresh garlic and finely chop it. After you’ve got some good sizzle going, add the onion and cook until translucent. While the onion is cooking you can use your (hopefully automatic) can opener to open all four cans. Pour the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste into the pot and stir to combine everything. Add your spices and give it another couple good stirs before covering the pot and reducing the heat to low. Simmer for 1-2 hours and enjoy.
[grace]
Mom’s Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion about 1 medium onion
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 cans crushed tomatoes 28 oz each
- 1 can tomato sauce 8 oz
- 1 can tomato paste 3 oz
- 1 tsp basil
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a saucepan and add garlic. Cook until fragrant for about 1-2 minutes.
- Add onion and saute over medium heat about 10 minutes until translucent.
- Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano, salt pepper stir until combined.
- Cover and cook for 1-2 hours.
Video
Notes
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