Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce
Updated August 4, 2024
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 cups tomatoes, in addition to their juices (for example, a 28-ounce can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes)
5 tablespoons butter
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
Salt
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
6 grams carbs; 38 milligrams cholesterol; 153 calories; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 287 milligrams sodium; 1 gram protein; 3 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter and the onion halves in a saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt.
- Step 2
Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with a spoon. Add salt as needed.
- Step 3
Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta. This recipe makes enough sauce for a pound of pasta.
Private Notes
Comments
Such endless tinkering! My daughter turned me on to this. She said that its simplicity allows the primary ingredients--the tomatoes and the pasta--to shine. The onion is a whisper, not a shout (or, God forbid, a partner with garlic in a mugging). The butter, astonishingly, adds an unctuousness, a luxurious velvety taste and feel that perfectly complement the tomatoes.
If anyone else had told me this, I would have reached for my herb garden, the olive oil. But I trust her, and she was right.
The recipe from the first edition of The Classic Italian Cookbook (1973) calls for 2 lbs of tomatoes, 1/4 lb butter, one medium yellow onion, peeled and halved, salt and 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar. I can't imagine why the amount of butter has been reduced from 8 tablespoons to 5 tablespoons. Stick with the original.
I don't know why you would want to discard the onion. Eating it is one of the highlights of this dish!
Made this last night as written, though the onion was gigantic so I only used half of it. The sauce was so simple and had a wonderful depth of flavor. I ate it as-is on some spaghetti so I could appreciate it fully. Froze the remaining three portions for future quick meals. The sauce could easily be used as a blank canvas for additional ingredients--dried wild mushrooms??
Since my garden is overflowing with tomatoes, I used fresh, and it was fabulous. Yes, I took out the onion and discarded after simmering for about an hour. I also put in a large clove of garlic and removed that at the end, too. Neither were over powering, and the fresh tomatoes shine.
I could not believe how tasteless this sauce turned out. What a waste of good San Marzano tomatoes.