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Does anyone have a good spaghetti sauce recipe that isn’t complicated?

I am done eating the jar spaghetti sauces sold in the store. They just taste disgusting to me now. Does anyone have a good spaghetti sauce recipe that isn’t too complied make?

by Anonymousreply 51November 30, 2020 4:19 PM

Couple of cans peeled whole tomatoes, a large can of tomato sauce, a can of tomato paste. Simmer for about two hours with dried oregano and basil shaken in. Add salt at the end as necessary.

That's about as simple as it gets, but you can do a first step of sauteing finely minced white or yellow onion and garlic in oil for a bit before adding the tomato products.

by Anonymousreply 1November 22, 2020 3:00 AM

This thread will end in tears....

by Anonymousreply 2November 22, 2020 3:00 AM

NYT Classic Marinara

[bold]Ingredients[/bold]

1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, certified D.O.P. if possible

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

7 garlic cloves, peeled and slivered

Small dried whole chile, or pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large fresh basil sprig, or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, more to taste

[bold]Preparation[/bold] Pour tomatoes into a large bowl and crush with your hands. Pour 1 cup water into can and slosh it around to get tomato juices. Reserve.

In a large skillet (do not use a deep pot) over medium heat, heat the oil. When it is hot, add garlic.

As soon as garlic is sizzling (do not let it brown), add the tomatoes, then the reserved tomato water. Add whole chile or red pepper flakes, oregano (if using) and salt. Stir.

Place basil sprig, including stem, on the surface (like a flower). Let it wilt, then submerge in sauce. Simmer sauce until thickened and oil on surface is a deep orange, about 15 minutes. (If using oregano, taste sauce after 10 minutes of simmering, adding more salt and oregano as needed.) Discard basil and chile (if using).

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by Anonymousreply 3November 22, 2020 3:01 AM

I would never add dried basil to anything.

by Anonymousreply 4November 22, 2020 3:05 AM

The NY Times recipe R3 posted is from Lidia Bastianich. It's the one I usually follow, makes a goodly amount and best of all is pretty darn good. You can also throw a tablespoon of butter at the end for an even richer taste.

by Anonymousreply 5November 22, 2020 3:05 AM

#1 is close to the way I learned it from an Italian-American from Youngstown (which is about as Italian as you can get). The one addition would be the meat--meatballs, pork loin (I believe that was her preference--her dad was a butcher, so it was always good;) and when to add it--meat balls come later than the pork and, of course you could so both.

You also could a simple marinara, which is simpler---San Marzano tomoatos--crush them by hand and add them to already sauteed garlic and a pinch of crushed pepper flakes. Add some oregano and some salt. Simmer.

by Anonymousreply 6November 22, 2020 3:05 AM

Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce #3. I use a can of Cento tomatoes, non-San Marzano, and a stick of butter, the amount we were originally given in Marcella's first book, The Classic Italian Cookbook. Sometimes I get 35-ounce cans of tomatoes, but usually they're 28-ounce.

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by Anonymousreply 7November 22, 2020 3:14 AM

Not Another Cooking Show: Weekday Sauce

I've made this many times now. Fast, easy, and absolutely delicious. And it freezes perfectly, so I usually double the recipe. Don't skimp on the parm.

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by Anonymousreply 8November 22, 2020 3:21 AM

No, OP.

I don't share my recipes with the failures of existence.

by Anonymousreply 9November 22, 2020 3:24 AM

OK. Mama's people came from Calabria. She said people tend to over season and overcomplicate stuff. We used to eat what was loosely described as "Neopolitan style " Italian cooking. Tomato Paste dice tomatoes in a blender, fresh basil, garlic and salt and pepper. Ifyou want to get fancy drop a bay leaf in. Ifyou want it spicy drop some crushed read pepper in it. But the basics a re olive oil, basil and garlic salt & pepper. Tomato Paste, Tomato sauce, and if you want to add fresh tomatoes that you've crushed fine. No wine, no sugar, no oregano. Oregano is for Greeks.

by Anonymousreply 10November 22, 2020 3:37 AM

Yep -R10 speaks truth. Keep it simple, with just a few high-quality ingredients. None of that twenty ingredients and simmer for a week shit. A good sauce is fast and easy and can be made on the spur of the moment, even after a tiring day at work.

by Anonymousreply 11November 22, 2020 3:45 AM

I took a cooking class with Mama Agata and Chiara about six years ago and it changed my life. I only eat sauce I make now.

1 jar of Mama's tomato puree from Ravello (i order a case or more a year) 1 handful of good, locally sourced cherry or grape tomatoes 1 handful of fresh basil 2 cloves of fresh garlic 2 tablespoons of EVOO

You put the oil in the pot on low. toss in the garlic and move the pot around to release oils. Toss in half of the garlic. move it around again. Don't be lazy, bitch. Swirl. Add in the sauce. Add in the tomatoes and cover. After 20 mins use a spoon to smash the tomatoes and swirl. if you're lazy or fancy use a hand blender. Usually i let my sauce summer for hours to absorb all flavors and distill down.

Throw the remaining basil on whatever you user the sauce on.

You are welcome.

by Anonymousreply 12November 22, 2020 3:47 AM

Try Bianco tomatoes, guys. Best canned tomatoes (whole or crushed) I've ever tried.

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by Anonymousreply 13November 22, 2020 4:12 AM

Thanks to those of you who provided recipes! I’m going to try each of them. Keep them coming!

R1 and R10 Would you be so kind as to include measurements? If I just guess, I can assure you I will fuck it up.

by Anonymousreply 14November 22, 2020 4:24 AM

A lot if good info - please keep going!

by Anonymousreply 15November 22, 2020 4:29 AM

I love Giada’s marinara. Haven’t made it in a while. Very simple, quick, forgiving. I can eat it with a spoon, it’s so good.

by Anonymousreply 16November 22, 2020 4:51 AM

I just take some garlic and onions and saute with some butter and olive oil, some anchovy paste, fresh herbs (at the end) or dried herbs if I don't, mushrooms if I have them, deglaze with a little wine and chop up a fresh tomato and cook a little longer, a little olive oil over the dish with some parmesan. I like the taste of half=cooked tomato in the sauce.

by Anonymousreply 17November 22, 2020 5:19 AM

Does anyone have any recipes that include meat?

by Anonymousreply 18November 22, 2020 5:19 AM

R17 Measurements and cooking time, dear.

by Anonymousreply 19November 22, 2020 5:26 AM

Martin Scorsese's Mother's Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

1 large onion, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cans (28 ounces each) whole tomatoes in thick puree

2 cans (16 ounces each) tomato sauce

2 cups water

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

3 large cloves garlic, peeled

2 carrots, peeled

1 all-purpose potato, peeled

5 tablespoons minced fresh basil, or 1 tablespoon dried

5 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, or 1 tablespoon dried

Salt to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste

¼ cup fresh bread crumbs

¼ cup milk

6 ounces ground pork

6 ounces ground veal

6 ounces ground beef

1 large egg, lightly beaten

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preparation

In a 6-quart, or larger, saucepan or casserole, cook the onion in the oil, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, puree tomatoes and sauce. Add tomato mixture to pan along with water, tomato paste, garlic, carrots, potato, 3 tablespoons of basil, 3 tablespoons of parsley, salt and cayenne to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and, stirring occasionally, cook, partly covered, for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the milk until softened.

In a large bowl, combine bread-crumb mixture with meat, egg, Parmesan, remaining 2 tablespoons basil and parsley, salt, cayenne and 1/2 cup of sauce. Gradually shred and add meat mix to sauce, a little at a time. Partly cover, and bring sauce to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Before serving, remove garlic cloves, carrots and potato. Use about 2 cups of sauce for each pound of pasta

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by Anonymousreply 20November 22, 2020 5:47 AM

Martin Scorsese's Mother's Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

1 large onion, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cans (28 ounces each) whole tomatoes in thick puree

2 cans (16 ounces each) tomato sauce

2 cups water

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

3 large cloves garlic, peeled

2 carrots, peeled

1 all-purpose potato, peeled

5 tablespoons minced fresh basil, or 1 tablespoon dried

5 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, or 1 tablespoon dried

Salt to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste

¼ cup fresh bread crumbs

¼ cup milk

6 ounces ground pork

6 ounces ground veal

6 ounces ground beef

1 large egg, lightly beaten

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preparation

In a 6-quart, or larger, saucepan or casserole, cook the onion in the oil, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, puree tomatoes and sauce. Add tomato mixture to pan along with water, tomato paste, garlic, carrots, potato, 3 tablespoons of basil, 3 tablespoons of parsley, salt and cayenne to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and, stirring occasionally, cook, partly covered, for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the milk until softened.

In a large bowl, combine bread-crumb mixture with meat, egg, Parmesan, remaining 2 tablespoons basil and parsley, salt, cayenne and 1/2 cup of sauce. Gradually shred and add meat mix to sauce, a little at a time. Partly cover, and bring sauce to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Before serving, remove garlic cloves, carrots and potato. Use about 2 cups of sauce for each pound of pasta

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by Anonymousreply 21November 22, 2020 5:47 AM

R19, I don't really measure anything or time it, I saute the vegetables until tender but not too soft, the chopped tomato I cook for about 3-4 minutes. It is a very light sauce which I prefer to the heavy ragu type. Mine is sort of a pasta primavera, without the cream. Slice the onions thin, with enough olive oil, butter and wine to make a sauce. Sometimes I will add some chopped bacon. After a few tries you will make it your own. I also make my own pasta, which is very easy to do, but that's another recipe.

The evil Lidia makes a version of it, skip the roasting of the tomato, just throw fresh tomato in the pan.

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by Anonymousreply 22November 22, 2020 6:38 AM

A cook friend taught me this and I've never gone back. (But I never liked those gloopy sauces, anyway.)

For one serving: slice 1-2 cloves of garlic and saute in a good amount of olive oil until soft but not brown. Add about 1/2 cup expensive, high-quality canned tomatoes, some salt, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Swirl your spaghetti in this and serve. The tomatoes must be high-quality. I use an Italian brand of cherry tomatoes.

by Anonymousreply 23November 22, 2020 6:54 AM

For the Veg/Vegans

Lentil Bolognese

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion

4 garlic cloves

2 big carrots (peeled, diced)

400g mushrooms (one variety or a mix)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 bay leaves

2 tsp Italian or Mediterranean seasoning

400g tin crushed tomatoes

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup red wine (merlot, shiraz, cabernet)

3/4 lentils (red or brown or yellow or French/puy)

1 tablespoon sugar (or honey)

1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon dried parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, and cook until soft. Add bay leaves, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, for one more minute.

Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, wine (if using), lentils, and sugar (honey). Stir to incorporate. Heat until the mixture comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer sauce for until the lentils are tender. If the sauce is too thick or lentils not tender, add more water/broth/wine.

Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve over pasta.

by Anonymousreply 24November 22, 2020 7:29 AM

R24 - I'm loving your Vegan spin on a sauce that is substantial enough to serve for a nice dinner. I have two good friends who are Vegan and I always look for new recipes to try that cater to them yet still satiate my other meat eaters who can be picky about plant-only dishes (it's a lot harder than you might imagine at times). I'm loving your addition of citrus as lemon juice is sort of a "secret weapon" when it comes to perfecting so many sauces (even those which you would never assume have any lemon at all). That said, I'm not a fan of two ingredients that you listed - mixed "Italian seasoning" and dried parsley. I think that the dried basil might be the off-putting addition that turns me off to Italian seasoning. Can't stand the stuff, yet I can't seem to get enough fresh basil. The herb just does not lend itself to being dried at all. If I do not have access to fresh, I just omit basil as an ingredient all together. Same goes for dried parsley - fresh Italian (or even curly if that is what you can access) parsley can be an amazing ingredient in many dishes. Once dried, the flavor changes dramatically for the worse. Oregano seems to be the opposite - I don't love it fresh but find it amazing dried. Whatever the case, I plan to try your recipe soon with those omissions - thank you for the recipe!

by Anonymousreply 25November 22, 2020 7:52 AM

R25 Thanx for your comments. Please note the following:

[quote]I'm loving your addition of citrus as lemon juice is sort of a "secret weapon"

I'm a lactoveg, incorporating aspects of Ayurveda in my diet. According to Ayurveda, you always add lemon juice when cooking lentils. Has something to do with helping the body to absorb the iron or protein in the lentils.

[quote]I'm not a fan of two ingredients that you listed - mixed "Italian seasoning" and dried parsley.

I've noted that instead of dried parsley you can use a 1/4 cup of chopped fresh. Instead of dried Italian or Med seasoning, you can add any or a mix of chopped fresh basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram and zatar (hyssop).

by Anonymousreply 26November 22, 2020 8:02 AM

Thanks, R24!

by Anonymousreply 27November 22, 2020 9:59 AM

Try Rao’s sauce

by Anonymousreply 28November 22, 2020 10:02 AM

As a follow-up to R28 - the only jarred sauce that I have ever, ever, ever liked enough to actually eat more than a couple bites of was this one from Trader Joes. I usually buy a few and leave them in the back of the pantry for those days that you just don't have any time, effort or energy left to fix dinner. Don't try the organic version - it's terrible in comparison. The actual cost at Trader Joes was less than $3 the last time I purchased it. Of course, this store-bought sauce is better if you "doctor" it up (or just add it to a homemade sauce), but it's the only one that I would ever recommend (and I have tried many $8/9/10 sauces from Whole Foods, etc. This stuff is subtle and perfectly balanced - not too sweet, not too acidic, not too anything except perfectly pleasant. Another use is for making a FAST lasagna - not an easy feat, but this one will surprise you if you are in a crazy time pinch.

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by Anonymousreply 29November 22, 2020 10:15 AM

I like Classico.

by Anonymousreply 30November 22, 2020 12:08 PM

I prefer my mother's method of dressing up bottled sauce. Basically, all you have to do is take a bottle of Prego, put in some cut up green pepper, onions, drained and diced stewed tomatoes, and add McCormicks powdered spaghetti seasoning.

by Anonymousreply 31November 22, 2020 12:25 PM

Regardless of specifics, the real secret to old school sauce was cooking it slowly on a low heat, basically all day.

by Anonymousreply 32November 22, 2020 12:29 PM

What’s the difference between pizza sauce and pasta sauce?

by Anonymousreply 33November 22, 2020 12:31 PM

I asked my Italian grandmother once how she made her delicious sauce. She began with, “Well, dear, first you have to grow the tomatoes.”

by Anonymousreply 34November 22, 2020 12:37 PM

r33, pizza sauce is thicker, and has more herbs.

by Anonymousreply 35November 22, 2020 1:02 PM

I find basil that I grow and dry myself to be lightyears away from store-bought dried basil in flavor. This is true for home-grown oregano and rosemary and bay leaves. I still prefer fresh basil to dry, but my own is good in winter. Since they are much stronger in flavor, I use less.

by Anonymousreply 36November 22, 2020 1:06 PM

Crushed garlic olive oil mushrooms Mild Italian sausage diced roma tomatoes 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 cup salted pasta water salt and pepper I cup fresh parmesan stirred in slowly add pasta just before al dented to mixture combine until thick serve with more parm and a glass of Cab Sav

by Anonymousreply 37November 22, 2020 1:41 PM

this bro is cute, and the sauce is very good

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by Anonymousreply 38November 22, 2020 1:50 PM

What about adding mushrooms? How would you prepare them to add in?

by Anonymousreply 39November 22, 2020 6:04 PM

For mushrooms, I would slice semi-thin if adding to a fine-textured sauce. I'd slice in quarters if adding to a chunky sauce. I would not par-cook or pre-cook before adding to the sauce.

I would wash mushrooms right before slicing.

by Anonymousreply 40November 22, 2020 6:24 PM

Thank you, R40. I assumed I should sauté them first.

by Anonymousreply 41November 22, 2020 6:30 PM

R41, sauteing in advance wouldn't hurt, but, IMO, it's not necessary and this thread is about an uncomplicated sauce.

by Anonymousreply 42November 22, 2020 6:32 PM

Some of you must have missed the part about wanting recipes that are NOT complicated.

by Anonymousreply 43November 22, 2020 6:42 PM

I missed that "uncomplicated" part until after I posted Martin Scorsese's Mother's recipe.

Sorry.

My easy non-recipe recipe which is basically like all the non-recipe recipes for a simple tomato sauce for pasta:

Heat some olive oil in a pan, saute onions and garlic to soften (you can throw in some chopped green peppers, mushrooms, olives or whatever you like), add a squidge of tomato paste with a couple of teaspoons of water to loosen it up and cook it out until it turns a little brownish in color, add basil/oregano/whatever you like and chopped tomatoes of some kind or canned or whatever you have, salt and pepper, and cook for five or ten minutes, serve on pasta, add freshly grated cheese.

Sometimes I'll make this sauce early and let it sit in the fridge, re-heating it later for dinner. Gives the flavors a bit of time to blend but it's more for my own convenience than flavor. I like it freshly made just as much.

The key to my mother's all-day cooking spaghetti sauce was throwing everything in the fridge into it. Leftover chicken - toss it in. A pork chop? Throw that in there too. A chunk of pot roast? Sure! Also old, frozen rinds of parmesan cheese. I still do that one.

by Anonymousreply 44November 22, 2020 7:59 PM

For meat, my Sicilian grandma's mix was one part ground pork, one part ground beef, and one part ground spicy Italian sausage.

by Anonymousreply 45November 30, 2020 4:50 AM

You can make easy meatballs by splitting open Italian sausages and taking the filling out of the casing, rolling into a golf ball size and then drop them into the sauce to cook (I use the NYT basic marinara from R3). Sometimes I brown them first but they are good either way.

by Anonymousreply 46November 30, 2020 5:02 AM

My ex partner’s mom was Italian, born and raised in Naples. She made the best Italian sauce ever, making it in bulk every two to three weeks. She told me her recipe, but mine never turned out like her’s, so she would come over and cook for us regularly. Until the one fateful day when I saw her adding the one ingredient she neglected to inform me about.........Nearly half a box of organic chicken stock

by Anonymousreply 47November 30, 2020 8:01 AM

R47 So what’s the rest of the recipe?

by Anonymousreply 48November 30, 2020 8:20 AM

Garlic and oil with one anchovy, 6 cloves of garlic and 1/8 cup of oil for each 2 oz serving of dry pasta. Get the oil warm, not hot and simmer the slivers of garlic while you boil your water, keep an eye on it so that the garlic does not burn or over brown.

Easiest sauce for spaghetti ever.

by Anonymousreply 49November 30, 2020 8:22 AM

R48, the rest of the recipe was pretty basic, as I recall - garlic (lots) onion, thyme, bay leaf, a bit of red and black pepper, and the tomatoes - she liked Roma that were just beyond their prime. She would get them in bulk, cheap. She preferred to freeze tomatoes and then plunge into warm water just before cooking and simply squeeze off the skins

by Anonymousreply 50November 30, 2020 9:40 AM

Have to admit I use sauce in a jar (Prego), but I also add onions and minced garlic, a small amount of sugar and milk (to cut the acid). And a bay leaf if I have any on hand.

by Anonymousreply 51November 30, 2020 4:19 PM
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