Classic Italian Tomato Sauce
March 2021
If you want a classic Italian tomato sauce let the flavours concentrate over time as the sauce reduces. Don’t skimp on the oil: if you don’t use a generous amount you cannot cook the onions for long enough to get the sweetness out of them that balances the acidity of the tomatoes, and they would burn at the edges instead of sweating slowly and becoming translucent.
Use an Italian brand of plum tomatoes, they usually taste better than from anywhere else and always buy whole tomatoes instead of chopped which can be watery. This sauce doesn’t freeze brilliantly due to the water content but it will last up to 5 days in the fridge.
Ingredients - Serves 6
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 x 400 g (14 oz) tins plum tomatoes
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened.
Add the tomatoes and crush them in the pan with a potato masher to break them up. Rinse each can out with a ¼ can of cold water and add this to the saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer over a low heat, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
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