Tomato sauce recipe is one of the basic recipes of Italian cuisine. A good tomato sauce is a perfect starting point to prepare a delicious plate of spaghetti with fresh tomatoes or make one of the most famous Italian recipes, like lasagna alla bolognese, spaghetti meatballs, eggplant parmigiana and many others.

There are different variations of this recipe in Italy. Below you will find the easiest one which includes a few simple ingredients and enhances the flavor of fresh tomatoes. However, if you want you can enrich the sauce adding sautéed onions or a clove of garlic.

The great thing about this recipe is that once it’s prepared, you can freeze the homemade tomato sauce in order to have a ready taste of summer even out of season.

Method

First of all to prepare tomato sauce recipe remove the stalk and cut in half the tomatoes and with a small knife remove the green part of the stem from the center of the tomatoes. In a bowl, squeeze out each the seeds and excess water from each half and remove with a spoon any remaining seeds from the tomatoes.

Put the tomatoes in a large saucepan with a lid and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until the are wilted. Once cooked, transfer the tomatoes to a food mill placed over a saucepan and pass them through the food mill to produce a silky, smooth sauce. Put the pot back on the heat and cook for another 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Then drizzle with oil, add pinch of salt and if you like, black pepper also. Finally, after turned off the stove, add the coarsely chopped basil to finish your tomato sauce.

Cooking Tips

The perfect time to prepare tomato sauce is from June to September, when the tomatoes are ripe and more tasty. How to pick the best tomatoes at the grocery store or farmers market? Choose between the most red and unpretty ones: those with little cracks, dented and soft to the touch.

Storage

Tomato sauce can be stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Alternatively it can be frozen and stored in the freezer for 1 month. In this case we suggest you to freeze the tomato sauce in portions, as you can defrost the right amount of sauce that you need.