Best tomato sauce for pasta ever

[Shoxfordian]

In case you haven't tried it

www.thekitchn.com/marcella-hazans-amazing-4ingre-144538

It's basically 1 tin of tomatoes cooked on a medium heat with half an onion and 5 tablespoons of butter for 45 minutes or so. A bit of stirring now and then.

It's so so good. Really rich and delicious. We didn't have anything else with it, just parmesan and pasta. Yum.

My favourite is

Chilli oil
Onions
Fresh cherry tomatoes
Seasoning
Sugar
Vegan red pesto

Fry the onions in the chilli oil, when they are softened but not brown add the fresh cherry tomatoes. Allow them to cook down. Season and add a small teaspoon of sugar and then a table spoon of vegan (or regular) red pesto. Cook for a little long to remove the liquid.

I serve through courgetti but works with pasta too.

I knew this would be Marcella's just from the thread title. It is a lovely sauce 🍝

Oh, I do a version of this but cook longer. Best tom sauce ever - rich and no bitterness

2-3 tins toms, half pack (salted) butter, large onion, peeled but not chopped. Throw in pan, simmer for 3-4 hours or low oven for around same time.

I make large quantities and freeze.

Great as a base for bolognaise or any other tomato based sauces.

I gave up making my own when I discovered Asda’s sauce with olives. It’s the best taste ever.

Has anyone tried this but with cheese slices instead of butter? Really nice and a bit less calorific

I use olive oil instead of butter (and not 5 tablespoons per tin!) and add garlic and fresh basil, dried oregano, teaspoon of sugar and some balsamic

OP do you chop the onion or just put it in whole?

Agree that butter tends to make anything taste better. I always laugh when you see chefs cooking a steak (or something else already laden with saturated fat) and then chuck in half a pack of butter to baste it with.

“half pack (salted) butter”

Half a pack?!

Yes, make any ordinary meal, add half a pack of butter and it's suddenly lush, velvety and delicious😋. At least butter isn't unhealthy in itself, just not great if you are on limited calories.

I like using passata. So fry off an onion, garlic, mince; add a little stock at a time until the mince has absorbed most of it; add warm passata. Lower heat then simmer for at least 1.5 hours.

I beg to differ.

Small tomatoes, halved, and garlic cloves drizzled with olive oil, roasted for 20 min. Blitzed with fresh basil.

There will be more calories in a cheese slice than a tablespoon of butter but I take it you don't use 5?

Just chop the onion in half, no need to chop it more than that

It is a truth universally acknowledged that adding butter to anything makes it taste amazing....

Half a pack?! shock Yep, 250 g/4 ozs, with 2-3 tins of tomatoes. The sauce is so rich and delicious you don't use as much. Got to be proper butter though. None of your spreads or spreadables.

Thank you! And for the can of tomatoes, do you use chopped tomatoes or whole? Can’t wait to try this!

Either is ok but you need to just break up the tomatoes occasionally if whole ones. They should disintegrate into sauce on their own though too

Mmmm

I’m making this ASAP! Sounds fab.

To answer your Q, yes Marcella's cookbook is well worth it ten times over. Just wait for the lasagne recipe (and go on the thread telling those 30min shepherds pie makers how much better mince is once it's been cooked for five hours )
Going to dig out her cookbook when I'm home. Seem to remember the risotto was great too.

Thanks, I'll have to get it

I think olive oil would be much healthier, as it's an unsaturated fat.