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Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
Sauces & Condiments
Family Recipe

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

45 minutes

Servings

6

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, prepared as described — OR 2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
  • Salt
  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds pasta
  • Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese for the table

Instructions

  1. Put either the prepared fresh tomatoes or the canned in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt.
  2. Cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for 45 minutes, or until the fat floats free from the tomato.
  3. Stir from time to time, mashing any large piece of tomato in the pan with the back of a wooden spoon.
  4. Taste and correct for salt.
  5. Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta.

Notes

This is the simplest of all sauces to make, and none has a purer, more irresistibly sweet tomato taste. An unsurpassed sauce for potato gnocchi, but also delicious with spaghetti, penne, or rigatoni. Serve with grated Parmesan. May be frozen when done — discard the onion before freezing.