Marcella Hazan’s 3-Ingredient Tomato Sauce
It's touted as the World's Best Pasta Sauce recipe, yet it's incredibly simple to make! Created by renowned food writer and chef Marcella Hazan, this easy, 3-ingredient tomato sauce, once you've made it, is tossed with fresh pasta, and you'll never make another tomato pasta sauce recipe again!
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Marcella Hazan's famous 3-ingredient tomato sauce proves that a truly delicious pasta sauce doesn't need a long list of ingredients. Made with canned whole tomatoes, butter, and onion, it simmers gently for 45 minutes into a rich, silky sauce that's perfect for tossing with your favorite pasta.
What Is Marcella Hazan's 3-Ingredient Tomato Sauce?
Marcella Hazan's classic tomato sauce is made with just whole tomatoes, butter, and a halved onion. The ingredients simmer together uncovered for 45 minutes; then the onion is removed and the sauce is seasoned with salt before serving with pasta.
It may be one of the simplest pasta sauces you'll ever make-and it has long been celebrated as one of the best.
Why This Simple Pasta Sauce Works
There's no chopping, sautéing, garlic, or long ingredient list. The onion gently flavors the tomatoes as they cook, while the butter softens their acidity and gives the sauce a rich, silky texture.
And most of the cooking time is hands-off. Once everything is in the saucepan, you simply let it simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally.
Ingredients for This 3-Ingredient Pasta Sauce
You need only three main ingredients:
- Whole peeled tomatoes: Canned whole tomatoes give the sauce wonderful flavor and texture.
- Onion: Peel and halve the onion, but don't chop it. It flavors the sauce as it simmers and is removed before serving.
- Butter: Unsalted butter adds richness and mellows the tomatoes beautifully.
You'll also want a pinch of salt for seasoning.
Hazan's Most Important Tip
Keep the saucepan uncovered while the sauce simmers. This allows excess moisture to evaporate, making the tomato flavor richer and more concentrated.
After about 45 minutes, remove the onion, season the sauce to taste, and toss it with your favorite pasta. It really is that simple.
Who is Marcella Hazan?
Marcella Hazan was one of the most influential Italian cookbook authors in America, often compared to Julia Child for the role she played in introducing home cooks to traditional Italian cooking.
Her landmark cookbooks emphasized good ingredients, straightforward techniques, and letting simple flavors speak for themselves. In a New Yorker essay, David Sipress writes about how profoundly Hazan's recipes changed the way he cooked.
And it all began with a simple, 3-ingredient sauce and 45 minutes to simmer.
Then all you need to do is add pasta or use it in place of marinara sauce in recipes like my Simple Baked Rigatoni or my Easy Italian Mac and Cheese.
Marcella Hazan's 3-Ingredient Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 (28-oz) can whole peeled Italian tomatoes with juices
- 1 medium onion peeled and halved
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Add the tomatoes and their juices, onion halves, and butter to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat as needed to maintain a gentle, uncovered simmer.
- Cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon as they soften.
- Discard the onion halves and season the sauce to taste with salt. Toss with your favorite hot pasta and serve.
Notes
- Tomatoes: Whole peeled canned tomatoes work especially well here because they have a lovely texture and break down naturally as the sauce simmers. Use the tomatoes along with all of their juices.
- Butter: I prefer unsalted butter so you can season the finished sauce to taste.
- Onion: Leave the onion in halves rather than chopping it. It gently flavors the sauce as it cooks and is discarded before serving.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftover sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Freezing: The sauce freezes well. Let it cool completely, transfer it to a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and gently reheat before serving.
- Canning: This recipe is not formulated or tested for home canning and should not be stored at room temperature.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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I love this easy, delicious recipe! Soooo good. No need to buy a jar of spaghetti sauce. It freezes well. I add fresh thyme and rosemary.
Thank you, Diane! I’m so glad this simple sauce has become a favorite. Fresh thyme and rosemary sound like delicious additions, and it’s wonderful to have a homemade sauce tucked into the freezer for another meal!
I have been wanting to try this for some time... I am now considering making a large jar of this for each of my co-workers for Christmas. Can this be made ahead (without regular "canning" techniques) and put in a jar as a gift? Would it be O.K. to leave out of the fridge for a few days or should it be refrigerated? I am worried about what the butter will do if chilled.
Hi Sue! That is such a creative and great idea for gifting. I'm going to add that to my list too! Unfortunately, because homemade tomato sauce isn't made with shelf-stable preservatives, it has a shorter life in the fridge-- plan on 3 to 5 days.