TOMATO SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
one 28-ounce can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes (see Recipe Notes) OR any fresh tomatoes you have on hand
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6–8 cloves garlic, crushed & roughly chopped
optional: up to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2–3 sprigs fresh basil (about 6–8 leaves)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
INSTRUCTIONS
Chop the tomatoes: Place the San Marzano tomatoes & their juices in a food processor. Pulse to chop the tomatoes as chunky or smooth as you’d like – I like a good rough chop with some texture. Set aside.
Perfume the olive oil: Add the olive oil & garlic to a medium skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring often to prevent browning, until the garlic is golden & fragrant. If desired, add crushed red pepper flakes & cook 30 seconds – 1 minute longer, stirring often.
Assemble & quickly simmer the San Marzano tomato sauce: Add the chopped tomatoes from Step 1 to the skillet, along with the fresh basil, granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine. Increase the heat under the skillet to medium, & simmer, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes. Once simmered, remove & discard the spent garlic & basil as desired.
Serve: Once the San Marzano tomato sauce is simmered, you can use immediately (toss into your favorite pasta, serve with meatballs, layer into a lasagna, etc.) or you can cool & store for later use (see Recipe Notes for storage & freezing directions). Enjoy!
NOTES
Freezing Instructions: This quick and simple San Marzano tomato sauce is also incredibly freezer-friendly. To freeze, transfer the cooled San Marzano tomato sauce to a freezer container (or divide it up between multiple freezer containers for smaller portions – these are my absolute favorite freezer containers!). Freeze up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen San Marzano tomato sauce in the refrigerator overnight or submerge the freezer container in room temperature water for a quicker thaw. Reheat the tomato sauce in a skillet. If the thawed sauce is a little watery at first, simply allow any residual water to simmer out. If the thawed sauce is too thick, simply add in a splash of water or stock until your desired consistency is reached.E
Thank you Plays Well With Butter for this awesome recipe. SEE THE FULL RECIPE AND NOTES HERE!
