Basic Tomato Sauce

One of life’s treasures is knowing how to make the perfect basic tomato sauce. Just about every culture has its own version of basic tomato sauce. Although most of us think “Italy,” tomato sauce is prominent in Louisiana, Mexican, French, and South African cuisines, among others.

Interestingly, the earliest recipe found using tomato sauce wasn’t a recipe from Italians, but from the French in 1797. Up until the mid-1800s most of Europe feared the “poisonous apple” only to discover it shouldn’t have been the amazing fruit they feared, but the pewter on which they were eating.

Tomatoes are the quintessential food of summer in the South and are never to be feared. Even non-gardeners grow tomatoes. It’s just what we do! To me, the perfect sauce is thick and packed with flavor from fresh herbs. One of the main ways to draw the flavor from the sauce is to allow it to reduce, which concentrates the amazing flavor of the tomatoes and herbs.

Basic Tomato Sauce

Basic Tomato Sauce
Basic Tomato Sauce Recipe

Basic Tomato Sauce is perfect over pasta, for poaching eggs, on meatball sandwiches, pizza, or open-faced sandwiches for brunch! The sky’s the limit!!

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4 Comments

  1. Janine Pruitt says:

    Can this sauce be canned?

    1. It sure can!! You can use a pressure canner or water bath method. Some tomatoes do not have as much acid as others. My rule of thumb is to add more lemon juice (2 Tablespoons per quart) and let 4 oz cans boil for 40 minutes in a waterbath. I think it is much better to pressure can tomatoes if you haven’t checked the pH. Here’s a link about canning it:https://stacylynharris.com/preserving-your-harvest-how-to-can-and-freeze/

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