Sauce Tomate
My Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce takes simple ingredients and turns them into a deeply flavorful base you can use on pasta, eggs, chicken, and vegetables. If you've been searching for how to make tomato sauce that tastes like it simmered all afternoon (even when it didn't), this is the recipe you'll come back to again and again.
If you would like to venture into the French method of sauce creation, then I have a treat for you with my Five French Mother Sauce Recipes, starting with this one: Tomato Sauce, VeloutƩ Sauce, Best BƩchamel Sauce, Espagnole Sauce Recipe, and Hollandaise Sauce Recipe Easy.
š Quick Look: Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce
- ā±ļøĀ Prep Time:Ā 10 minutes |Ā Cook Time:Ā 50 minutes
- šĀ Total Time:Ā 60 minutes
- š„ Servings: 6 servings
- š Calories: ~70 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- š„ Cook Method: Stove Top
- š©āš³Ā Flavor Profile:Ā This sauce is savory, gently sweet from the tomatoes and carrots, lightly smoky from the bacon (omit for vegetarian sauce), and aromatic thanks to the bouquet garni and garlic, all blended.
- ā Difficulty: Beginner to Moderate. The steps are simple, but the technique, sweating vegetables, blending flour, simmering, and straining, teaches foundational French sauce skills. Nothing is difficult, but attention to gentle heat and timing makes all the difference.
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Jump to:
- Sauce Tomate
- š Quick Look: Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce
- āØ About The Five French Mother Sauces
- ā¤ļø Why You'll Love Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce
- šļø Key Ingredients For Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce
- š« Tomato Sauce Substitutions & Variations
- š¢ How To Make Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce
- š¤« Tomato Sauce Secrets From My Kitchen To Yours
- What To Make With Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce
- ā Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce FAQ
- š Recipe
āØ About The Five French Mother Sauces
What Makes This Sauce and the other four sauces a "Mother Sauce"?
They are foundation sauces, a starting point for endless variations. Each one has a collection of derivative sauces or daughter sauces that can be created from each foundation mother sauce.
Once you master each one, one by one, you will have endless pots of simmering goodness, and you can turn them into divine meals!
ā¤ļø Why You'll Love Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce
- It uses everyday ingredients but tastes restaurant-worthy.
- It's a foundational tomato mother sauce you can adapt endlessly.
- It freezes beautifully for quick weeknight meals.
- It's naturally budget-friendly.
- It works with fresh tomatoes or canned in a pinch.
- It's a perfect introduction to French sauce technique without being fussy.
Sometimes, French food has gotten a bad reputation for having too much sauce with cream and other fats. But the French use exquisitely created sauces that taste divine and in small amounts, not poured over food in a drowning fashion.
šļø Key Ingredients For Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce
- Ripe tomatoes - Fresh, in-season tomatoes give the best flavor.
- Streaky bacon - Adds depth and a subtle smoky richness, but leave it out for a vegetarian diet.
- Bouquet garni - The quiet flavor builder that makes this unmistakably French.
- Celery, carrot, onion - Mirepoix, the aromatic base that gives the sauce structure.
š« Tomato Sauce Substitutions & Variations
- Tomatoes: Use canned whole tomatoes when fresh ones aren't in season.
- Bacon: Swap with pancetta or omit for a vegetarian version.
- Bouquet garni: Use dried herbs if fresh ones are not available, but reduce the amount.
- Consistency: Add water to thin or simmer longer to thicken.
- Tomato Paste Version: If you need to know, how to make tomato sauce from tomato paste, use 2-3 tablespoons of paste, water, or stock to make a quick substitute.
- Tomato Sauce Substitute: This recipe works beautifully anywhere you'd normally use a tomato sauce substitute for soups, casseroles, stews, and braises.
- Or, Another Substitute Sauce: Use my Tomato Sauce PurƩe, adding in the bacon, mirepoix, and herbs for flavor.
š¢ How To Make Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce
- Gently fry the bacon, celery, carrot, and onion in olive oil until softened.
Tip: Keep the heat low when sweating the vegetables; slow cooking builds sweetness. - Stir in the flour and cook for 5 minutes to remove the raw taste, stirring often.
- Add water or stock, tomatoes, bouquet garni, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.
- Strain the sauce through a sieve for a smooth finish. (optional)
- Adjust seasoning and consistency to your liking.
Tip: Taste at the end, not the beginning; tomatoes mellow as they cook.
If using canned tomatoes, add a pinch of sugar to balance acidity. - Serve hot with your favorite dishes.
š¤« Tomato Sauce Secrets From My Kitchen To Yours
- Make a double batch of homemade tomato sauce and freeze it. On a hurried day, you will be thrilled!
- Freeze homemade tomato sauce in flat bags so it thaws quickly and evenly.
- Freeze tomato sauce in ice cube trays, add a cube or two to soups or stews for instant richness.
What To Make With Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce
ā Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce FAQ
Store basic homemade tomato sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 3 months.
Absolutely! This is a classic homemade tomato sauce for pasta, and its smooth texture makes it ideal for coating noodles.
To make homemade tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes, use ripe, in-season tomatoes, chop them, and simmer as directed until they break down naturally.
Yes. This is a true French sauce tomate recipe, complete with aromatics, bacon, and bouquet garni.
If you need a tomato sauce substitute:
Tomato Paste Version: If you need to know, how to make tomato sauce from tomato paste, use 2-3 tablespoons of paste, water, or stock to make a quick substitute.
Tomato Sauce Substitute: This recipe works beautifully anywhere you'd normally use a tomato sauce substitute for soups, casseroles, stews, and braises.
Or, Another Substitute Sauce: Use my Tomato Sauce PurƩe, adding in the bacon, mirepoix, and herbs for flavor.
š Recipe
Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
- 1 oz chopped celery
- 1 oz chopped carrot
- 1 oz chopped onion
- 1 level tablespoon flour
- 1 rasher of streaky bacon
- Ā¼ pt ā cup water or stock
- 1 Ā¼ lb ripe tomatoes chopped
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- Bouquet garni
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed pan fry the bacon, celery carrot, and onions in the olive oil on a gentle heat for about five minutes.
- Mix in the flour until it is well blended and continue cooking for about a minute.
- Add the water or stock, the tomatoes, bouquet garni, and seasoning.
- Bring to the boil then immediately simmer and cook for half an hour.
- Put through a sieve and return to the pan.
- At this stage, you can adjust the consistency by adding more water if it is too thick or boiling a little longer to reduce to a thicker consistency if it is too thin.
- Taste your tomato sauce and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- Serve your basic homemade tomato sauce recipe when hot.
Notes
- Gently fry the bacon, celery, carrot, and onion in olive oil until softened. Keep the heat low when sweating the vegetables; slow cooking builds sweetness.
- Taste at the end, not the beginning; tomatoes mellow and blend with all the other flavors as they cook.
- If using canned tomatoes, if needed, add a pinch of sugar to balance acidity.
Nutrition
Judith says
Iād love to know if you tried this classic French tomato sauce! Did you serve it with pasta, chicken, vegetables, or something wonderfully creative? Your comments help others discover the recipe, and they make my day. Bon appĆ©tit! šā£ļø