Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions

When you come from a family that’s got absolutely no Italian blood whatsoever you’ve got to make do with the tomato sauce that you’re given.  This usually means using store-bought sauces and lots of parmesan cheese, and as I’ve said before I’ll never complain about lots of cheese.

And as much as I enjoy store bought tomato sauce, there are days when I hear stories about friends whose grandparents have forced them to spend hot summer days in their backyards canning tomato sauce. As crazy as it seems I can’t help but be jealous of the delicious tomato sauce that must come out of those hot and messy days.  But like I said, I’ve learned to make do with my lack of Italian heritage and thanks to the internet I’ve found a recipe that’s so easy even a mostly Irish girl like me can make it!

I saw this on SmittenKitchen a long time ago, and after hearing her raving about it I knew I had to try it.  This isn’t your typical tomato sauce, it’s plain and hearty in a way that marinara just isn’t (don’t worry I’m not hating on marinara though).  The sauce itself only requires three ingredients and the flavor that you get from the sauce so much greater than the effort that you put into making the sauce, and even if you’re one of those lucky that knows how to make their own sauce you should try making this sauce at least once.  It’ll knock you off your seat.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)

5 tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium-sized yellow onion

Peel the onion, cut it in half and place it in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Add the butter and the tomatoes.  Allow the sauce to simmer and then lower the heat so that the sauce stays at a steady simmer.  Let the sauce simmer for about 45 minutes, or until you see droplets of fat floating free from the tomatoes.  During the 45 minutes crush the tomatoes against the side of the pot to break them up.

Remove the sauce from heat and take the onion out of the sauce.  Add salt to taste if needed.

And there you have it!  That’s all you need to do for rich, hearty, and amazing tomato sauce that I’m honestly salivating just thinking about!

Peel the onion and cut it in half and place it in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Add the butter and the tomatoes.  Allow the sauce to simmer and then lower the heat so that the sauce stays at a steady simmer.  Let the sauce simmer for about 45 minutes, or until you see droplets of fat floating free from the tomatoes.  During the 45 minutes crush the tomatoes against the side of the pot to break them up.

Remove the sauce from heat and take the onion out of the sauce.  Add salt to taste if needed.