It’s hard to believe that the recipe for the best tomato sauce in the world has only three ingredients, but it’s true! Make it today and rock your world…tomato sauce-wise.
Jump to:
why you will love this recipe
In a nutshell, this easy homemade tomato sauce recipe is going to ROCK YOUR WORLD. It’s that easy, and that good.
And to immediately give credit where credit is due, as much as I wish I had come up with this recipe, it was written by the brilliant Marcella Hazan, and is probably her most famous (and easiest) recipe ever. Here’s why I had to share!
First, it tastes AMAZING. I might have mentioned that.
Second, it only involves three ingredients.
Third, it takes less than an hour of cooking, and most of that time it is just doing its own thing simmering away on the stove, turning into homemade tomato sauce gloriousness.
ingredients you need
ingredient notes and substitutions
Salt: Ok, that’s ingredient number 4, but it is totally optional, depending on how sweet you like your tomato sauce.
Tomatoes: I use canned tomatoes, but during fresh tomato season you can use fresh chopped tomatoes as well.
Onion: You want a nice big sweet onion for this sauce…they are sometimes called Vidalia or Walla Walla onions.
how to make this recipe
STEP 1: Put your tomatoes, butter and a peeled halved sweet onion in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer.
STEP 2: Let it simmer for 45 minutes, then take the onion out and toss it (or better still, save it to add to a soup or a stew).
If you like your sauce chunky you are ready to roll. If you like your sauce smooth, you can give it a whirl with the immersion blender, or puree it in your regular blender.
And…you’re done!
recipe FAQ
You can peel fresh tomatoes by cutting a shallow X in the bottom of each tomato, plunging them into boiling water for one minute, scooping them out with a slotted spoon and then peeling with a paring knife when cool enough to handle.
You can, but I think the whole canned tomatoes have a richer flavor. I “chop” them by putting them into the pot and snipping them into pieces with a kitchen scissors.
The onion cooks with the tomatoes and butter and releases just enough onion flavor during the cooking process. If you leave it in (which you can do – you be you!) your sauce will naturally have a little more onion flavor to it.
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
want to round out your meal?
This tomato sauce recipe is of course just plain perfect ladled over a bowl of pasta. But if you want to use it in other ways, we love to use it in this recipe for one pot spaghetti and meatballs.
It’s also perfect with mashed potato gnocchi, and ricotta dumplings!
other pasta sauce recipes we love!
could you leave us some stars?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section. Your thoughts and advice will help both us and your fellow readers. 🥰
PrintThe Best Tomato Sauce in the World!
It’s hard to believe that the recipe for the best tomato sauce in the world has only three ingredients, but it’s true! Make it today and never go back!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped, or one 28 ounce can imported Italian tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Put either the prepared fresh tomatoes or the canned in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir from time to time, mashing up any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon.
- When it is done, scoop out the onion and discard (or better still, save it to eat or stir into soup!)
- If you like your sauce smoother, whirl it with an immersion blender, or pour carefully into a regular blender and blend.
- Taste and and add more salt as needed, and then toss with your favorite pasta. Throw out all other tomato sauce recipes.
Notes
Salt: Ok, that’s ingredient number 4, but it is totally optional, depending on how sweet you like your tomato sauce.
Tomatoes: I use canned tomatoes, but during fresh tomato season you can use fresh chopped tomatoes as well.
Onion: You want a nice big sweet onion for this sauce…they are sometimes called Vidalia or Walla Walla onions.
Keywords: vegetarian tomato sauce, gluten-free best tomato sauce, best tomato sauce in the world, Marcella Hazan tomato sauce
Recipe by Marcella Hazan via Food 52
Bonnie says
This sauce is *chef’s kiss*. It is so good and easy! Plus only one dish to clean?! Doesn’t get any better than that. Loved this recipe!
★★★★★
Chef’s kiss – I love it!!!
Phyllis Vermilyea says
This is similar to the Nick Sparks sauce and I know it is very delicious. Easy and good.
★★★★★
I’ll have to look up that sauce! This one is my all time favorite. :)
I’ll have to look up that sauce! This one is my all time favorite. ?
Elizabeth Fitzmaurice says
I discovered this wonderful and easy sauce through Marcella Hazan, I do believe. It’s great!
Yes, she is the genius behind it. It’s the BEST!
Jackie says
Can you can this sauce? Approximately how much does this recipe make? It looks yummy!
Kate says
Hi Jackie,
I’ve never canned anything in my life (shhh!) so I don’t know about that part. But you get about 4 servings or so from this recipe…and you MUST make it, it really IS the best sauce in the world. :)