This San Marzano tomato sauce is perfect for pasta, risottos, meatball subs - you name it! The sauce is bright and ideal to make ahead and keep in the fridge or freezer. San Marzano tomatoes are the star ingredient in this recipe - and yes, they make all the difference in this sauce! Alongside basil, onions and garlic, this recipe will definitely be a staple in your kitchen.
What are San Marzano Tomatoes?
The San Marzano tomato is a strain of tomato that typically has dense flesh and a thin skin, yielding a tastier, less watery tomato. This is important for tomato sauce as you don't want a watered-down sauce. San Marzano also may refer to the region in Italy where this tomato is grown.
With that being said, you can technically have a San Marzano tomato grown outside of Italy because San Marzano denotes the strain or type of tomato, too. However, for the sake of cooking and tomato-based recipes, you should aim to use canned DOP San Marzano tomatoes.
Why should I use DOP San Marzano Tomatoes?
In Italian, DOP stands for Denominazione d' Origine Protetta which roughly translates to "protected designation of origin." Only DOP San Marzano tomatoes are truly of the San Marzano variety and grown in the San Marzano region of Italy. San Marzano tomatoes are arguably the tastiest and best kind of tomatoes for this recipe and any recipe calling for canned tomatoes.
In short, opt for canned DOP San Marzano tomatoes for this any savory recipe that calls for tomatoes. Look at the back of the can for the yellow and red DOP seal (pictured below) as the ultimate sign of whether or not you're buying true DOP San Marzano tomatoes. And finally, remember that true DOP San Marzano canned tomatoes come peeled, not diced, chopped or crushed.
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Why You'll Love This Tomato Sauce
- Freezer friendly. Once you make this homemade sauce, feel free to freeze it and thaw as needed. This recipe makes enough for plenty of servings so freezing it is the way to go.
- Great base for many dishes. This San Marzano tomato sauce is perfect for pastas but it's a great base for many dishes like risotto, pizza and subs. I like to eat it as-is for a delicious tomato basil soup, too!
- Relatively hands-off recipe. Since this sauce needs to simmer for a few hours, it's a great recipe to make when you don't want to be monitoring your stove all the time - simply 30 min or so and be on your way!
Ingredients You'll Need
- DOP San Marzano tomatoes. I highly recommend using DOP San Marzano tomato cans for this and any recipe that calls for canned tomatoes. See above for what DOP means and why these are the best tomatoes for this recipe. PS - true DOP San Marzano tomato cans will never be in any form other than peeled. If you see them diced or chopped, know that this is likely not truly a DOP San Marzano variety and/or region. Keep an eye for the red and yellow DOP circular seal on the can!
- Extra virgin olive oil. Necessary in any savory Italian recipe!
- Butter. Not the norm for a homemade Italian tomato sauce recipe but the combination of butter and olive oil is perfect for this sauce.
- Garlic. This perfumes the sauce nicely and adds depth to the flavor. I prefer mincing the garlic so I can keep it in the sauce but keep as whole cloves if you prefer removing at the end.
- Onion. Truly helpful for a hint of sweetness - no sugar needed in this sauce!
- Parmigiano Reggiano rinds. A must for this recipe for that authentic flavor - you must use real Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for this!
- Tomato paste. Makes the sauce rich and amps up the tomato flavor.
- Basil. For a touch of freshness.
- Water. Just a bit to help the sauce reduce nicely - see Nonna's trick in the sttep-by-step instructions below.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Saute. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot and sauté the garlic and halved onion for a couple of minutes on medium heat, just until fragrant making sure it doesn't burn. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a few minutes until the paste turns a darker shade of red.
- Use a food mill (optional). I learned this trick from my family as it's been passed down from Italian nonnas for generations! Pass canned San Marzano tomatoes into a food mill for smooth tomatoes that result in a velvety, smooth tomato sauce.
- Simmer. Add the canned San Marzano tomatoes, basil, Parmigiano Reggiano rinds and basil to the pot. You'll want to add water to the sauce at this point, too. Nonna's trick - use the same cans the San Marzano tomatoes came in to measure about one can's worth of water. You'll "clean out"/use up the last bits of tomato left in the can with this step! Stir to combine, cover the pot and lower the temperature to low-medium low so the sauce simmers, not boils.
- Stir occasionally. Every 20-30 minutes, stir the sauce. You want to make sure that the Parmigiano Reggiano rinds don't get stuck to the bottom of the pot. If you did not pass your tomatoes through the food mill, you can squeeze the whole tomatoes against the side of your pot using a wooden spoon (this is not necessary but will help them burst a bit quicker). After an hour and a half has passed, remove the lid from the pot and keep simmering for another hour and a half.
- Enjoy! Once three hours have passed, the sauce should thicker than where you started and reduced. Taste for seasoning and adjust if you need to. If you like a smoother sauce or if you don't want to remove the basil, onion or garlic from your finished sauce, carefully use a blender (wait for sauce to cool a bit) or an immersion blender to blend all of the ingredients together. You can serve it at this point with pasta, meatballs or any other savory dish. If you're looking to store the sauce to serve at a later date/time, let it come to room temperature before storing. See storage tips below!
Variations
- Pesto. This is a trick I learned from my mom! If you don't have fresh basil or want to amp up the basil flavor, add in about two to three tablespoons of pesto once the sauce starts to simmer. The pesto will add a bit more of that concentrated basil flavor to the sauce.
- Oregano. For a homemade sauce that has more of that pizza flavor, add about 2 teaspoon of oregano once the sauce starts to simmer.
- Meat. A flavorful addition to tomato sauce, you can add meatballs, braciole or other cuts of meat within the San Marzano tomato sauce (just make sure the meat reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165°F or 74°C). Alternatively, you can add the cooked meat to the sauceboat 30 minutes to an hour before the sauce is done to flavor the sauce. If you use meatballs, keep an eye on these to make sure they don't disintegrate in the sauce!
Equipment
- Food mill (optional). This handy tool really helps with the consistency of the sauce by milling the whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes. While straining the tomatoes is optional, this step is highly recommended.
- Stainless steel pot. Avoid using cast iron or seasoned cookware as the acid in the tomatoes may eat away at the cast iron's seasoning, causing uneven heating in the pot and may require you to preseason the cookware. Stainless steel is non reactive so it's your best bet for this sauce!
Storage and Reheating
Once the San Marzano tomato cools to room temperature, store the sauce in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days.
This sauce freezes very well, too, and lasts up to 6-9 months in the freezer. To freeze, pour the sauce in a zip-top freezer-safe bag, close well and store horizontally on top of a baking sheet in the freezer. The baking sheet helps in case there are any leaks. Once the sauce is frozen, feel free to remove the baking sheet from the freezer. This is my preferred method so that I can simply break off a piece of the sauce from the bag to reheat once I'm ready instead of defrosting the whole bag. Alternatively, you can store the sauce in a freezer-safe container instead of a freezer-safe, zip-top bag.
To reheat from frozen, the San Marzano sauce can be thawed in the fridge overnight or, if needed right away, it can be reheated on the stovetop or for short bursts in the microwave.
Top tip
If you like a smooth sauce or don't want to remove the basil, garlic or onions from the tomato sauce, use an immersion blender or a blender (carefully, when sauce is not hot) to blend all the ingredients together.
FAQ
While you can use any canned tomatoes for this sauce, San Marzano tomatoes have an authentic flavor that others arguably lack. I highly suggest canned DOP San Marzano tomatoes!
San Marzano tomatoes have dense flesh and a thin skin, yielding a tastier, less watery tomato. This is important for tomato sauce as you don't want a watered-down sauce.
Store this homemade tomato sauce in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. You can also freeze the sauce for up to 6-9 months.
If you're not using a food mill and want a less chunky sauce, you can crush the San Marzano tomatoes with a wooden spoon on the side of the pot as it simmers. This will help the tomatoes burst faster within the sauce.
While a food mill is not necessary, this tool really helps with the consistency of the tomato sauce, yielding a smooth, velvety sauce.
Did you try out this recipe? I'd love to know how it went! Leave me a comment and rating below or tag me on Instagram at @AFabulousBite!
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San Marzano Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- Food Mill (optional)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion cut in half
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 ¼ oz tomato paste or half a tube
- 84 oz San Marzano whole, peeled tomatoes 3 cans
- 3 rinds Parmigiano Reggiano rinds
- 3 ounces fresh basil about 2 ½ cups
- 28 ounces water use one empty can of tomatoes to measure; see note below
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- On medium heat, heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot and sauté the garlic and onion for a couple of minutes, just until fragrant making sure it doesn't burn. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a few minutes until the paste turns a darker shade of red.
- (Optional) Puree/grind canned San Marzano tomatoes in a food mill (with a medium disc) for smooth tomatoes that result in a velvety, smooth tomato sauce.
- Add the canned San Marzano tomatoes, basil, Parmigiano Reggiano rinds and basil to the pot. Add water to your tomato cans and swish it in the can to use up all the leftover tomato in the can and add back to the pot - you want about a whole can's worth of water (about 28 ounces) in your sauce. Stir to combine, cover the pot and lower the temperature to low-medium low so the sauce can simmer.
- Stir the sauce every 20-30 minutes, making sure the Parmigiano Reggiano rinds don't get stuck to the bottom of the pot. If you did not pass your tomatoes through the food mill, you can squeeze the whole tomatoes against the side of the pot using a wooden spoon (this is not necessary but will help them burst a bit quicker). After an hour and a half has passed, remove the lid from the pot and keep simmering for another hour and a half, still stirring every 20-30 minutes.
- After simmering for three hours, the sauce should be reduced and have a slightly thicker consistency than when you started. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary. See note below regarding onions + garlic and sauce consistency. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature before storing or freezing.
Notes
- The onions and garlic debate. In lots of traditional tomato sauce recipes, the onions and garlic are used to flavor the sauce and then removed once the sauce is done cooking. I personally like to leave both in the sauce but feel free to remove if you prefer it that way!
- Sauce consistency. If you like a smoother sauce or if you don't want to remove the basil, onion or garlic from your finished sauce, carefully use a blender (wait for sauce to cool a bit) or an immersion blender to blend all of the ingredients together.
- To store: Once cooled to room temperature, store the sauce in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days.
- To freeze: This sauce can be frozen for up to 6-9 months. Pour the sauce in a zip-top freezer-safe bag, close well and store horizontally on top of a baking sheet in the freezer. The baking sheet helps in case there are any leaks. Once the sauce is frozen, feel free to remove the baking sheet from the freezer. This is my preferred method so that I can simply break off a piece of the sauce from the bag to reheat once I'm ready instead of defrosting the whole bag. Alternatively, you can store the sauce in a freezer-safe container instead of a freezer-safe, zip-top bag.
- To reheat from frozen: Thaw in the fridge overnight or, if needed right away, reheat the San Marzano tomato sauce on the stovetop or for short bursts in the microwave.
Maria I says
Delicious! Tried it once and will make it many more times!
Mari says
Thanks for the love!