The other day I had some celery, carrots, and a can of tomatoes I wanted to use up. I thought I'd make a tomato sauce out of them and see what happened, and the result was one of the best tomato sauces I've ever made. I think the key was the last ingredient I added, one tablespoon of butter to cut the acidity, since it made the sauce taste like the kind you get in a restaurant. If you don't have all the ingredients don't worry; the most important ones are the tomatoes and butter.
The ONE Simple Trick to Making the BEST Tomato Sauce
Add additional vegetables you have lying around and want to use up. I pureed my sauce at the end but it is not necessary. The butter on the other hand, definitely necessary! This sauce works really well in other recipes, or on it's own. If you use ingredients you have on hand the only thing you need to buy is a can of tomatoes, making this one of the most inexpensive recipes you will make all week!
Ingredients
Add canola oil to a large pot and place over medium high heat. Add onion and allow to cook for five minutes, do not allow the onion to burn. Add garlic, cook for another minute. Do not allow garlic to burn. Add celery and carrots and other vegetables if you are using. Allow to cook for 8-10 minutes, or until vegetables soften. Add can of tomatoes. If tomatoes are whole, break into pieces by pressing them with the back of a long spoon. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered for 1 hour. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon butter. Stir slowly until butter melts. Allow sauce to cook for 30-60 minutes. Place half of sauce in a blender and process until smooth. Then puree the other half of the sauce. Sauce can be used right away or frozen in smaller batches for a later use.
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