How can I get my pasta sauce to taste classic and good?

How can I get my pasta sauce to taste classic and good?

Well… you start with fresh ingredients or really really good canned ones. For example, a lot of fresh plum tomatoes or a can of San Marzano (the BEST Italian tomatoes for sauce in my opinion). I tend to use canned San Marzano tomatoes myself.

(from the Spruce Eats)

If you want meat, cook it separately and add to the finished dish, and NOT to the sauce. Classic authentic pasta sauce isn’t a meat ragu. It’s a tomato based sauce with very few components to let the flavors speak for themselves. There’s also a number of good tomato pastes out there to add flavor and thicken the sauce. If you can find a SUN-DRIED version, you’ll have a great boost of sweetness.

Add some extra virgin olive oil, and I mean a QUALITY one. If you’re paying less than $20 for a bottle of “extra virgin olive oil”, you’re not using quality. You’re using utility, which is good enough for cooking with, but won’t have the flavor and rich deep earthy tones that true extra virgin olive oil has. True extra-virgin can be traced back to it’s original grower and processor, with it’s origin, acidity and other vital information in it’s label.

(from Castle Importing)

You then want some fresh garlic. I mean FRESH. Not garlic powder. Not dried garlic. Not pre-chopped garlic in a jar. FRESH. If you can get local garlic instead of the cheap stuff from China, it would be even better. The cheap China garlic lacks in taste and odor, compared to locally grown usually (don’t use Elephant garlic by the way, it’s not very strong).

(from 123RF)

Finally, get some fresh Italian Parsley, Oregano and Basil. While the dried stuff has twice the taste, it doesn’t have the fresh oils in fresh herbs that would give you that great aroma while you cook.

(from Speciality Produce)

I would also keep some KOSHER SALT (be sure non-iodized) and a little pepper to help season to taste, and some Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grano Padano fresh grated cheese to top off the dish when serving. And if you can, set aside a good sized Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese RIND. It will make ALL the difference in your sauce.

(from Tuscookany - Parmigiano-Reggiano “The King of Cheese”)

So let’s go through what you need to do:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bulb garlic, diced;
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil;
• 5 cans (28 oz) San Marzano peeled or crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp black papper
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil (1 tbsp if using dried)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (2 tsp if using dried)
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley (1 tsp if using dried)
• 1 Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind
• 1 small bowl of shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grano Padano
• (optional) whatever meat you decide to add AFTER the sauce is made

(from Food Hacks - the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind in the sauce)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add the oil and saute the garlic in a large pot;
2. Add the tomatoes and paste with the salt and pepper. Stir well.
3. On medium-high, get the tomato sauce to bubble, and then set to a low temperature. Stir occasionally.
4. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind.
5. Simmer for 6 hours. In the last 15 minutes, toss in the fresh herbs and stir it in.
6. Whatever meat that you wanted to serve with it, you would be TOPPING it on top of your pasta with the sauce. If you want the meat to absorb some of the flavor, add it to the sauce 30 minutes before it’s ready to serve.
7. Serve it in an Ice Cream Waffle cone filled with raw macaroni
8. Obviously #7 was a joke test to see if you’re paying attention. I meant serve it on whatever pasta you decide to use.
9. Enjoy!

Now you could put in onion as well, but as I understand it, that’s more of an American Italian sauce thing than a true Italian one (anyone who happens to be Italian, please feel free to comment to confirm or correct me). But if you follow this recipe, you’re going to get a simple, classic-style Italian pasta sauce.

Thanks for Reading