How to Make Pasta Sauce Like an Italian Grandma

By Nora

I inherited my love of food and cooking directly from my paternal grandmother, who was born in Sicily and immigrated here when she was very little. However, Italy never left her and growing up I spent most of my time in her kitchen (now MY kitchen!) watching her create the most delicious homestyle Italian cuisine. One of the things I am uncompromising about as a result is pasta sauce—as an adult, I refuse to buy jarred tomato sauce anymore. I am always floored by the amount of sugar and unnecessary preservatives that go into that stuff.  So, once a week, I make a batch of sauce to freeze, which is enough for about three or four meals. Everytime the onion and garlic sautéing in olive oil starts to fill the house with that familiar sweet, spicy smell, I think of my grandma. I haven’t been able to find her original sauce recipe, but I’ve created one that is pretty darn close, as far as my taste buds can remember. 

1 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp olive oil
½ chopped onion
3 cloves chopped garlic
24 oz can diced tomatoes
24 oz can crushed tomatoes
Handful of fresh Italian parsley
Handful of fresh chopped basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp tomato paste
1-2 tbsp sugar (to taste)
A few fresh Roma or vine ripe tomatoes (optional)

 In a cast iron pot, melt the butter and oil.  Add the onion and garlic and sautee until translucent. Pour in the cans of diced and crushed tomatoes, then add the parsley, basil, dried oregano, bay leaves, tomato paste, and sugar (this is very important to cut the acidity of the tomatoes). If desired, cut up a few fresh tomatoes and throw them in, if you have them. Let it all simmer together for a few hours, remove the bay leaves, and add salt to taste. The best thing about this sauce is how versatile it is; you can add ground beef and make it Bolognese, or use it on homemade pizza. There are lots of mouth-watering possibilities.

And, if you have jars with your name on them to store the sauce in, it’ll taste even better. Next week, I’ll share my easy, incredibly tasty authentic Italian meatball recipe. I don’t want to overwhelm you with too much awesome all at once.