The classic simple red tomato sauce primarily for spaghetti noodles or as a dipping marinara but can also be used for pizza.

Ingredients

• 2 - 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 - 6 ounce can of tomato paste
• 8 ounces of water
• 3 tablespoon butter (for onion saute)
• ¹⁄₂ medium onion, chopped fine
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₂ tablespoon basil, ground a bit
• 1 teaspoon thyme, ground well
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon of black pepper, ground fine

Cooking Instructions

Preparation

1. Finely chop ¹⁄₂ of a medium onion
2. Finely chop or press 3 cloves of garlic
3. In a mortar and pestle, gently grind ¹⁄₂ tablespoon basil and 1 teaspoon of thyme until crushed into a coarse powder

Cooking

1. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium sauce pan and add chopped onion
2. Saute chopped onion until soft and slightly translucent
3. Add chopped (or pressed) garlic and cook only until fragrant
4. Once garlic has become fragrant, add a 6 ounce can of tomato paste and cook only until the paste starts to loosen up
   1. Stir well and don’t let the onions, garlic or tomato paste burn
5. Once the paste has loosened, stir in 8 ounces of water and then add 2 cans of diced tomatoes
6. Using an immersion blender, blend the tomato sauce until almost all of the chunks of tomato are reduced
   1. The size of the remaining chunks of tomatoes should be based upon taste preference
7. To the tomato mixture, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon of salt, ¹⁄₄ teaspoon of black pepper and ground basil and thyme mixture
8. Heat until hot all the way through and reduced to the desired consistency

Notes

Revision: 7/7/2023