Marcella Hazan's 3-Ingredient Tomato Sauce

Marcella Hazan's famous 3-ingredient tomato sauce is made with whole tomatoes, butter, and onion, then gently simmered for 45 minutes. It's an incredibly simple, rich, silky pasta sauce with pure tomato flavor.

Prep Time1

Cook Time45

Total Time46

Servings: servings

Calories: 113kcal

Author: Stephanie Wilson

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.

Nutrition