Small Batch Tomato Sauce
This small batch tomato sauce is a rich, savory all-purpose sauce made with sautéed onions, carrots, celery, garlic, canned tomatoes, and Italian herbs, finished with butter and honey.
Servings: 2 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 medium carrot (½ cup chopped)
- 1 celery (⅓ cup chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic -minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- ½ teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden at the edges. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices, basil, oregano, and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent sticking. The sauce will thicken and the vegetables will begin to break down.
- Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf. Blend with an immersion blender directly in the saucepan, or carefully transfer to a countertop blender, until mostly smooth but still slightly textured.
- Stir in butter and honey until the butter melts completely. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
Notes
Chop the vegetables into small, even pieces. Smaller pieces cook faster, soften more completely, and blend into a smoother sauce. If the pieces are uneven, some will still be firm when others have broken down.
Don't skip the butter. Olive oil alone won't soften the acidity the same way. Butter contains milk solids that change how the sauce tastes on your tongue. Stir it in off the heat so it melts gently into the sauce rather than separating.
Use a 2-quart saucepan. A larger pot spreads the sauce too thin and it will reduce too quickly. A smaller pot won't give you enough room to stir without splashing. The 2-quart size keeps the sauce at the right depth for an even simmer.
Taste before you blend. Once the sauce is blended, the flavors are locked in. Adjust salt and honey before blending so you know what you're working with.
Recipe yields about 2 cups of sauce.
If doubling the recipe, double all ingredients and cook in a 3.5 to 4-quart pot.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 349mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 215IU | Vitamin C: 2.2mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.2mg
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