Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce
- Makes
- 4 servings
- Time
- 1 hour
- From
- Kim Severson, NYT Cooking
This is perhaps the most famous recipe created by Marcella Hazan, the cookbook author who changed how Americans cook Italian food. It also may be her easiest. Use your favorite canned tomatoes for this and don’t be scared off by the butter. It gives the sauce an unparalleled velvety richness. —The New York Times
Ingredients
Green amounts are scaled. Anything else is as written, so adjust it yourself.
Method
Amounts and times written inside the steps are for the original quantity.
- Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter and the onion halves in a saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt.
- Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about . Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with a spoon. Add salt as needed.
- Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta. This recipe makes enough sauce for a pound of pasta.
Tips
Halving the onion through the root end, rather than across its equator, helps each half hold together. This makes the onion halves easier to remove in Step 3.