Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe | Buns In My Oven (2024)

FAQs

How do you know when homemade spaghetti sauce is done? ›

To test, I put a plate in the freezer. Then when I think the sauce is close, I put a spoonful of sauce on the plate and put it back in the freezer for a minute or so. If the sauce has stayed in a mound and there is very little watery juice, it's done.

Olives and capers add a punch of briny goodness and give tomato sauce some real personality. Toss in some chopped or whole, pitted olives and/or a handful of drained capers after heating the sauce for several minutes. Or, if you're adding garlic or sautéed vegetables, add to the sauté just before you pour in the sauce.

Cooking the tomato sauce over a low and steady heat with the lid on is essential to obtain a pleasantly thick consistency. The lid keeps the moisture inside the pan, preventing the sauce from drying out too quickly. The low heat then allows the flavours to develop gradually, slowly softening the vegetables.

Let it go too long, though, and you can over-concentrate the flavors. Eventually, it will even burn. Also, while those rich brown flavors are nice, there is a limit. Eventually it just tastes murky.

You can simmer tomato sauce for hours on a low simmer. Stir it often so it doesn't burn. The longer you simmer the sauce the more depth and flavor it will have. Use a heavy duty sauce pot and simmer on low.

You make foods richer by adding fat to them. For a tomato sauce you could begin include bacon, pancetta, sausage or another meat to the sauce. I like to braise beef shanks in tomato sauce, shred the tender meat and mix it into the sauce. You could also simmer beef or chicken bones in the stock as if making a stock.

Herbs: Add some dried herbs such as oregano, basil, or thyme for some extra flavor. Red pepper flakes: If you like some heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce. Parmesan cheese: Grate some Parmesan cheese over the top of the spaghetti before serving.

For best flavor, use certified San Marzano tomatoes. Add Parmesan cheese into the sauce while cooking. Use no salt added tomatoes. Use ground beef to cut down on sodium content.

Starting with good quality tomatoes and crushing them by hand offers great flavor and texture later on. The combination of butter and oil releases fat-soluble aromatics and gives the sauce a creamy texture. Slowly cooking the sauce in the oven creates rich caramelization without burning.

Approximately three dashes or ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg is plenty for a jar of tomato sauce. If you are making a large batch, add a bit more for good measure. While the flavor should be subtle, you still want it to make the other ingredients shine, so feel free to play around with the quantity until you get it just right.

What does adding butter to tomato sauce do? ›

Similar to creamy sauces like Alfredo, or meaty sauces like ragu, tomato sauce is naturally low in fat, and as a result, sometimes becomes too thick and too starchy when it's been tossed with pasta. The addition of butter helps to loosen and emulsify the sauce, making it smooth and creamy.

The minimum time you should simmer sauce is 30 minutes. This is about how long the oils take to disappear into the sauce (rather than pooling on top). But you should consider simmering for three or more hours, letting it lazily cook away, no more than a few straggling bubbles surfacing at a time.

Cooking pasta in the sauce instead of in boiling water will increase the amount of time it takes to cook through. It's a good technique to use if you want to delay serving your pasta for a few minutes. Make sure to keep the sauce thinned out with pasta water as the pasta finishes cooking if you use this method.

Yes, with any kind of 'stewing' sauce, the flavour improves the longer you cook it (provided it's a slow, gentle process). The longer you leave it, the more chance the flavours have to 'marry'. I have a recipe for a pasta sauce that calls for 6 hours of slow simmering!

The minimum time you should simmer sauce is 30 minutes. This is about how long the oils take to disappear into the sauce (rather than pooling on top). But you should consider simmering for three or more hours, letting it lazily cook away, no more than a few straggling bubbles surfacing at a time.

If you're making a sauce and you think you're getting close to the right consistency, grab a clean spoon and give it a dip. If the sauce creates a thin layer without sliding off, it's ready. If the sauce that's stuck to the spoon is very thick, you need to add more liquid.

The key to success is getting the sauce cooked to the proper texture, which is easy to check by just dipping a common kitchen spoon into the saucepan. If you can draw a line through the sauce clinging to the back of the spoon, that's a sign that the flour has done its job of thickening properly.

Adjust the heat so it keeps the sauce at a low simmer, then leave it uncovered to cook, stirring it every 5 minutes or so. Be sure to reach the bottom and sides of the pot while stirring so nothing scorches; a heatproof rubber spatula is particularly effective. As water evaporates, your sauce will eventually thicken.