{"title":"How to Make Tomato Sauce","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/cooking/how-to-make-tomato-sauce","category":{"slug":"cooking","name":"Cooking"},"creator":{"name":"Epicurious","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcjhYlL1WRBjKaJsMH_h7Lg","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQvQaDuqIvM"},"tldr":"Make restaurant-quality tomato sauce at home with whole canned tomatoes, garlic, onion, and a parm rind. The classic Italian Pomodoro - hands-off and freezable.","totalDurationSeconds":400,"difficulty":"easy","tools":["stainless steel saucepan","wooden spoon","chef's knife","cutting board","mixing bowl","can opener","tongs","vegetable peeler","immersion blender (optional)"],"materials":["whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes (28 oz can)","red onion","carrot","garlic","parmesan rind","extra virgin olive oil","fresh basil","kosher salt"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Prep the Aromatics","text":"The whole point of Pomodoro is that you skip the fine chopping. Halve and peel a red onion, peel a whole carrot, smash and peel 3 or 4 garlic cloves, and pull a parmesan rind out of the cheese drawer. Everything stays in big pieces so you can fish it back out at the end. If you start chopping it small, you've made a marinara, not a Pomodoro."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Crush the Tomatoes by Hand","text":"Open the can of whole peeled San Marzanos and pour the whole thing into a bowl - juice and all. Then sink your hand in and squish them. You're looking for a rough texture where you can still see chunks but everything's coated. The nonnas in Italy have been doing it this way for centuries. If it ain't broke."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Bloom the Garlic in Olive Oil","text":"Set a stainless steel saucepan over medium heat with a generous pour of extra virgin olive oil. You want the oil to dance in the pan when it's ready - that means it's warm enough to bloom the garlic without burning it. Drop in the smashed cloves with a pinch of salt and let them turn lightly golden. The kitchen is about to smell incredible."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Add the Tomatoes and Aromatics","text":"Pour the crushed tomatoes into the pan over a wooden spoon - it cuts the splatter so you don't end up wearing your dinner. Nestle the halved onion and the whole carrot into the sauce, drop in the parmesan rind, tear a few basil leaves on top, and add one more glug of olive oil. That extra fat is what gives the finished sauce its silky body."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Simmer for 25 to 30 Minutes","text":"Bring the sauce up to a gentle simmer and leave it alone. You're looking for lazy bubbles, not a hard rolling boil - that breaks the texture down too fast. The carrot needs about 25 to 30 minutes to fully soften, which is exactly long enough for all those aromatics to dissolve their flavor into the tomato base. Get your pasta water going while you wait."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Taste, Salt, and Fish Out the Aromatics","text":"Spoon up a taste. If the sweetness isn't popping yet, add salt - the only way to know if something's seasoned right is to taste it. Then grab tongs and pull out the onion halves and the carrot. Both should be tender enough to slide a fork through. Scrape what's left of the soft parmesan rind back into the sauce - it's edible and packed with flavor."},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7: Blend Smooth (Optional) and Serve","text":"Taste it and call it. If you want a chunky rustic sauce, you're done. For a velvety restaurant-style finish, pulse it a few times with an immersion blender until it looks emulsified and almost creamy. Toss with cooked spaghetti and a splash of pasta water, finish with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and one more drizzle of olive oil, and try not to eat it straight from the pan."}],"recipe":{"servings":"Makes about 4 cups (serves 4-6)","prepMinutes":10,"cookMinutes":35,"cuisine":"Italian","ingredients":[{"name":"whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano if you can find them)","amount":"1 can (28 oz)"},{"name":"red onion","notes":"halved, peeled, kept whole","amount":"1 medium"},{"name":"carrot","notes":"peeled, kept whole","amount":"1"},{"name":"garlic cloves","notes":"smashed and peeled","amount":"3-4"},{"name":"parmesan rind","notes":"save it from a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano","amount":"1 piece"},{"name":"extra virgin olive oil","notes":"plus more for finishing","amount":"3 tbsp"},{"name":"fresh basil leaves","notes":"torn","amount":"small handful"},{"name":"kosher salt","amount":"to taste"}]},"lastUpdated":"2026-05-24T15:05:18.352Z","published":"2026-05-24T15:05:04.576Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}