SAUCES

Mamma’s Red Sauce

Cooks in 1 Hours, 00 Minutes Difficulty Easy
Mamma's Red Sauce
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Mamma’s Red Sauce

Recipe by thesal28_wpCourse: DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 

This recipe makes enough sauce for one batch of my famous TURKEY AND CARAMELIZED ONION MEATBALLS, which is more than enough to accompany 1 lb. of pasta.

We all know that once you put something on the internet, it’s never really yours again. As such, I dragged my feet sharing this recipe. It is very special to me because I developed the sauce recipe in 2005, when I was a baby chef, working as the Executive Chef at a Banquet Center. And it has a secret ingredient! Nope, not sugar. That’s not secret. Every Sicilian grandmother I knew growing up in New York put sugar in their sauce.

The secret ingredient is Worcestershire Sauce! I know, seems odd, but it works. Among other ingredients, Worcestershire Sauce contains anchovies, which impart a flavor profile called umami. Umami is known as the “fifth taste”, (sweet, sour, bitter, salty are the others). It is characterized by a savory “meatiness”. It is naturally occurring in mushrooms, tomatoes, and many other fermented foods, as the flavor comes from the presence of glutamate, an amino acid.

A small amount of Worcestershire sauce used in tomato sauce heightens the naturally occurring umami flavor of the tomatoes, which really boosts the flavor. I cannot wait for you to try it and tell me what you think!

Also, a word on tomato product. Growing up, my mother always used canned whole tomatoes in her sauce. I prefer strained tomatoes, or “tomato passata” because I believe that a smoother sauce clings to pasta and meatballs better.

UPDATED: 11/19/24

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tsp grapeseed or other neutral oil (You could use olive oil, but if you do, heat it over medium heat. Olive oil has a low smoking point and the flavor changes when used in high heat cooking.)

  • 1 medium onion, finely diced

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced or sliced thinly

  • Kosher salt

  • 48 oz. tomato passata (also sold as “strained tomatoes” or tomato puree)

  • 2 oz. tomato paste

  • 2-3 tsp Italian seasoning

  • 1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

  • 1/2-1 tbsp sugar (depends on the natural sweetness of the tomato passata)

  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions

  • Over medium high heat, heat the oil in a 4-qt stock pot (larger if you plan on adding meatballs into sauce later) until shimmering. Add the onions, garlic, 1/4 tsp Kosher salt, and stir. Reduce heat to medium. Sauté onions and garlic, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned at the edges, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir into the onions. Cook until the tomato paste is slightly caramelized.
  • Add the tomato passata, Italian seasoning, 1 tsp Kosher salt, pepper, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and balsamic vinegar to sauce. Stir to incorporate. Cover and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.
  • Simmer sauce, with the lid on, but slightly tilted, for at least one hour and up to 4. Stir occasionally to ensure that the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

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