Nonna's Tomato Sauce

The best recipes always come from family! This recipe is tried and true from a real Italian Nonna. It uses quality ingredients and is always made with a little extra love. In this recipe, I chose to use canned tomatoes instead of fresh just because they are easily available all year around.

This recipe has been in the family for many, many years. It uses very few ingredients and the flavour is amazing. Personally, I am not Italian, but I was with an Italian man for many years and every opportunity that I got, I was cooking in the kitchen with Nonna. She gave me so many tips and tricks over the years that I still use to this day.

The most important part to this recipe is the tomatoes.

You can get canned tomatoes from any grocery store, but the key is to get the ones that are stamped that they are from Italy. It makes the world of difference. Not only to the flavour of the sauce but also to the colour. I have tried using cheap tomatoes, and it's just not the same. Make sure you look for the little Italy flag on the side of the can! This recipe makes a large quantity of sauce. It is easy to store in freezer bags and keep in the freezer, or you can store it in mason jars and seal them and keep it in the pantry.

Nonna's Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

2 Large Cans of Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes (must be from Italy)

2 Bottles of Strained Tomatoes (must be from Italy)

1 White Onion - Sliced

1 Clove Garlic - Whole

3 Bunches of Fresh Basil

2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Directions

1. In large stock pot heat the oil over medium heat.

2. Add in sliced onion and garlic clove. Cook until lightly browned. Remove onion and garlic from the oil and discard. KEEP THE OIL!

3. Add 2 cans of tomatoes and 2 bottles of strained tomatoes. Make sure to rinse the cans and bottles and pour the water into the sauce. You want at least 1 full bottle of water and 1 full can of water.

4. Turn heat down to low, season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss in the basil leaves whole and let simmer for1 hour, stirring occasionally.

5. After the tomatoes have become soft, blend the sauce using an emersion blender or a regular blender.

6. Add one more bottle of water and let reduce again. Make sure you are tasting the sauce and add salt and pepper as necessary.

7. Once cooked, serve over pasta or let cool and store in freezer bags and pop in the freezer for later use.

This is just a base sauce. You can add other flavouring as you wish. If you want to make Bolognese, cook up some ground meat and then add in the sauce. Want to make arrabbiata sauce, cook up some chilli and add in the sauce. Want to make Rose, mix with a bit of 35% cream. The options are endless once you have the base. This is a much healthier option than using a store bought tomato sauce.

Nonna's Tomato sauce has no added preservatives or sugar and uses whole ingredients. If you make this recipe be sure to tag me in it on @fitness_adventures_with_liz on Instagram and TikTok. I would love to see what you come up with!

Happy Cooking!

Love,

Liz