Simple Tomato Sauce

Submitted by seahorse73

"Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis Show: Everyday Italian Episode: All About Lasagna"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 35mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 6 cups

ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 2 (32 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)

directions

1. In a large casserole pot or Dutch over, heat oil over medium high heat.
2. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper.
4. Sauté until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick.
6. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning.
7. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
8. Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor.
9. Process until smooth.
10. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
11. If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags.
12. This will freeze up to 6 months.

Reviews

[Lil Bollington]

I've made this dozens of times and it is the perfect base for so many dishes. Searched for this on Food.com so I could easily retrieve it when I'm not at home because I prepare this when traveling. Thanks Seahorse73!

 

[Shesamazingnyc]

This recipe was terrrrrrific! Or at least the way it turned out because I didn't have *two* cans of tomatoes or bay leaves. I also didn't have a lot of time, so it only simmered for half an hour and didn't puree it, either. It was so delicious, I couldn't believe it. I ate spoonfuls of it as if it were soup... My husband thought it was from a jar - high praise, since I can't make sauce for the life of me. Or so I thought, until this recipe.

 

[Vegwife]

When my friend came back from a year in Italy she made this sauce and I never knew how. Thank you for this delicious recipe.

 

[Vino p.o. prn]

Excellent! I have been making this recipe for some time now and we always have a container of it in the freezer. It is great to have on hand for those quick weekday meals...great to toss with pasta or for a quick chicken parmesan. You can even spice it up a bit and make a quick dipping sauce too! The uses are endless! When I have the time, I let it simmer for at least 2 hours before processing...the flavor is even better.

 

[HailFoodies]

This sauce is wonderful, I substitute a few things though, I put the carrots in cheesecloth when I cook them because I blend the whole sauce when done, and if you don't extract the carrots, all of the sudden your pasta sauce is orange. Also, I substitute one of the cans of crushed tomatoes with itallian seasoned crushed tomatoes, and the other I substitute three fresh Roma tomatoes. I've also tried making this with Vodka and a little paprika and it comes out wonderful. If you own a Food Saver, this is the sauce for you!!