Have you made this sauce yet? Marcella Hazen's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter? Easy, quick, delicious, and only four ingredients. Who needs jarred sauce when you can make a sauce this easy and delicious?
One dish I made was Marcella Hazen's now-famous Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter. Just so you know all of the reviews you might have read about this sauce are simply true. It is smooth, rich, easy, and delicious!
I chose a simple meal of pan-grilled chicken, baked polenta, along with two different vegetable side dishes. Oven Roasted Cauliflower and Braised Swiss Chard. And of course Marcella Hazen's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter. It was delicious over both the polenta and the chicken.
Like many of the best recipes, all the needed ingredients are pantry staples.
Which means if you are like me, you will be making this wonderful sauce time and time again. And the best part is, Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter is so deliciously good, you will want to! It is definitely a recipe I return to when time is tight and we are hungry!
I have made this sauce with whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and crushed tomatoes.
And every time, it is exactly how you want it to be, flavorful, easy, and delicious. Now you might think that flavorful and delicious do not need to be in the same sentence, but I ask that you think of it this way...sometimes flavorful is not the delicious that you want or need to go along with what else you might be cooking. Because...
Sometimes the most flavorful red sauces are in competition with what you serve them with. But not this easy, flavorful, and delicious Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter! It is the perfect flavor companion to many dishes you will serve. And the best part, it is perfect over polenta...which is my favorite!
Here, let me tell you how easy this is!
This sauce is so simple, I like to melt the butter, add the onion cut in half, with the cut side down. When the onion becomes fragrant I add the tomatoes and brown sugar. Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 35-45 minutes and that is it!Don't you just love it when something this simple is also this delicious?
Some thoughts on this recipe:
The type of tomatoes used will determine the cooking time, I have noticed that when using crushed tomatoes, you may not need the full 45 minutes to simmer.
So easy, just start this sauce and let it simmer mostly unattended while you complete the rest of the meal.
While the original recipe does not call for any herbs or garlic, feel free once you have the basics down, to make this your own!
Ingredients needed for this recipe:
- canned tomatoes
- onion
- butter
- brown sugar
You will also need:
- medium-sized saucepan
- kitchen knife
- cutting board
- potato masher
Now we are ready to begin!
Marcella Hazen's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
inspired by Marcella Hazen
Makes about 3 cups*
UPDATED 01.01.2024
1 28 oz. can of top-quality tomatoes, whole, crushed, or diced. or 2 14 oz. cans
1 medium to large onion, peeled then cut in half crosswise
1/2 stick butter
1 T brown sugar (this is my addition, you may certainly leave this out)
Place the butter into a medium-large saucepan, over medium heat. When melted add the cut onion, cut side down. Let sizzle until fragrant, add the tomatoes and the brown sugar.
1 28 oz. can of top-quality tomatoes, whole, crushed, or diced. or 2 14 oz. cans
1 medium to large onion, peeled then cut in half crosswise
1/2 stick butter
1 T brown sugar (this is my addition, you may certainly leave this out)
Place the butter into a medium-large saucepan, over medium heat. When melted add the cut onion, cut side down. Let sizzle until fragrant, add the tomatoes and the brown sugar.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for 35-45 minutes.
I like to stir at 15 minutes and again at 30 minutes to check that it is not scorching or getting too thick.
Discard the onion halves (or for the frugal-minded like myself, save it to add to your next pot of vegetable soup, just chop, bag and freezer.).
Depending upon the style of tomatoes used, for a chunky sauce serve as it, or for a smoother sauce, mash the tomato pieces with a potato masher, if desired.
Serve over hot pasta, baked polenta, or even grilled chicken.
Serve over hot pasta, baked polenta, or even grilled chicken.
* Marcella says this is enough for one pound of pasta.
Storage options for Marcella Hazen's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter. This sauce will keep three to five days covered in the refrigerator. This sauce would be perfect to make ahead and freeze.
UPDATE: For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of Marcella Hazen's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter has been included below.
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Printable "copy and paste" version:
Marcella Hazen's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
inspired by Marcella Hazen
Makes about 3 cups*
inspired by Marcella Hazen
Makes about 3 cups*
UPDATED 01.01.2024
1 28 oz. can of top-quality tomatoes, whole, crushed, or diced. or 2 14 oz. cans
1 medium to large onion, peeled then cut in half crosswise
1/2 stick butter
1 T brown sugar (this is my addition, you may certainly leave this out)
Place the butter into a medium-large saucepan, over medium heat. When melted add the cut onion, cut side down. Let sizzle until fragrant, add the tomatoes and the brown sugar.
1 28 oz. can of top-quality tomatoes, whole, crushed, or diced. or 2 14 oz. cans
1 medium to large onion, peeled then cut in half crosswise
1/2 stick butter
1 T brown sugar (this is my addition, you may certainly leave this out)
Place the butter into a medium-large saucepan, over medium heat. When melted add the cut onion, cut side down. Let sizzle until fragrant, add the tomatoes and the brown sugar.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for 35-45 minutes.
I like to stir at 15 minutes and again at 30 minutes to check that it is not scorching or getting too thick.
Discard the onion halves (or for the frugal-minded like myself, save it to add to your next pot of vegetable soup, just chop, bag and freezer.).
Depending upon the style of tomatoes used, for a chunky sauce serve as it, or for a smoother sauce, mash the tomato pieces with a potato masher, if desired.
Serve over hot pasta, baked polenta, or even grilled chicken.
Serve over hot pasta, baked polenta, or even grilled chicken.
* Marcella says this is enough for one pound of pasta.
Storage options for Marcella Hazen's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter. This sauce will keep three to five days covered in the refrigerator. This sauce would be perfect to make ahead and freeze.
~~~~
Her sauce is a standard in this house.
ReplyDeleteI was amazed when I made it the first time!
DeleteIt sounds great and easy too. I'd probably just toss it all in the blender.
ReplyDeleteYep, it makes a lovely smooth sauce as well, thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI think I will try this!
ReplyDeleteMarg, it is good chunky right from the pan, or as Claudia states, throw it in the blender for a smooth sauce!
DeleteI love Marcella Hazen recipes but haven;;t tried this one. I can see this being a staple in our house.
ReplyDeleteIt is so simple to make, and so good, it can be a regular on the table and no one would get tired of it!
DeleteMy friend sent us a grocery delivery with all the fixings to make her spaghetti sauce and it was so delicious. I love a good sauce recipe!
ReplyDeleteWhen I made this the first time, I was a skeptic...not any more! Have a great week ahead!
DeleteA little late, but - Thanks for sharing at last week's What's for Dinner party! Hope to see you this week too! Enjoy your day.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! Thanks for hosting and dropping by to say hello!
DeleteSounds good! Thanks so much for linking up at the 25 and Done Link Party 8! 25 entries in 25 hours!! Shared on Fb, Pn, and Tw.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dee, and thanks so for hosting. 25 and Done has become a favorite link party to share with, so fun!
DeleteMelynda, I love that you encourage readers to try it Marcella's way before tinkering with it. So many cooks these days don't understand subtlety the way Marcella did. They mistakenly subscribe to the false notion that garlic equals gourmet, and it does not! And many go way overboard on the herbs and spices so that they completely obliterate the tomato. Love this post! #SSPS
ReplyDeleteJean, thanks for taking the time to stop by, I appreciate it. This recipe is just about perfect the way it is, Marcella knows good food! And you are so correct, it is too easy to over season a sauce. Have a great week ahead, take care.
DeleteI particularly enjoyed Marcella Hazan’s autobiography, about how her cooking talents were developed and discovered decades ago. Although she died in 2013, she’s remembered especially by the many repetitions of this recipe.
ReplyDeletebest… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
HI Mae, thanks for stopping by, I will need to find that book!
DeleteThere's no like a quick, tomato-ey red sauce.
ReplyDeleteMichele, I agree!
DeleteI've never put butter in tomato sauce. I bet it's wonderfully rich! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party! Enjoy the rest of your week.
ReplyDeleteThe butter seems to melt into the sauce, it is quite delicious! Thank you Helen, and the same to you, have a great week ahead!
DeleteThis does look easy! I like that! And I like smooth!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing at the Sunday Sunshine Blog Hop
Laurie
Laurie, you are welcome!
DeleteThis does sound like a nice, easy sauce to whip up! Thank you so much for sharing with us at Talking About It Tuesdays!
ReplyDeleteJoanne, you are very welcome, I am so glad you are once again part of the Link-up hostesses!
DeleteThis sounds very easy to make indeed, thanks for sharing! I think the butter makes for a lovely addition to the tomato, as does the brown sugar you decided to add to the original recipe. #TTMT
ReplyDeleteAstrid, I usually add a touch of sugar in one form or another to my tomato based recipes, it helps ease the acid taste. I don't think I am alone in that, commercial recipes have tons of sugar, to appeal to a wider consumer group. But they are way to sweet for me, and I prefer cooking up a good dish! Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.
Delete