Chef John's Tomato Sauce

Name: Chef John's Tomato Sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 105 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 onion, finely diced; 1 rib celery, finely diced; 1 pinch salt; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes; 2 teaspoons white sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon anchovy paste; 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs; 1 pinch red pepper flakes; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley; water, or as needed

⏱️ Ready in 2h 🥄 Prep 15 min 🔥 Cook 1h 45m 👥 8 servings 👁️ 17 views

This is one of my most requested food wishes, my all-purpose basic tomato sauce. Whenever I make a meat sauce, this is my base. You can only stir this with a wooden spoon, otherwise it's bad luck.

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🔗 Recipe adapted from AllRecipes

#Lunch

📊 At a Glance

Prep 15 min

Cook 1h 45m

Serves 8

Difficulty Hard

Nutrition Facts

Servings per recipe 8

Serving size 1 serving

Amount per serving

Calories 116

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 7.1g 9%

Saturated Fat 0g 0%

Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 674mg 29%

Total Carbohydrate 13g 5%

Dietary Fiber 2.8g 10%

Total Sugars 7.3g

Protein 2.2g 4%

Vitamin D 0mcg 0%

Calcium 0mg 0%

Iron 0mg 0%

Potassium 0mg 0%

* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

👨‍🍳 Instructions

Place olive oil, onion, celery, and a pinch of salt into a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat.

Cook until onions are very soft, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix garlic into onion mixture and cook just until fragrant, about 1 more minute.

Pour tomatoes and their juice into a large mixing bowl and use your hands to crush the tomatoes until they look pureed.

Mix sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, anchovy paste, white wine vinegar, Italian herbs, and red pepper flakes into vegetable mixture.

Raise heat to medium and cook just until liquid has evaporated.

Stir in tomato paste and bring to a simmer.

Pour in San Marzano tomatoes and parsley.

Bring sauce to a simmer, turn heat to low, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, adding a little water as the sauce cooks down.

Stir occasionally.