Reviewed: Oct. 23, 2009

I have made this sauce three times now and each time it gets better. This is easy to make and a great way to use fresh tomatoes. I run mine through the food processor after cooking as my daughter likes the smooth texture better. I boil my tomatoes for two to three minutes, cool and peel. I don’t remove the seeds. Some have complained about the consistency. The juicier the tomatoes, the juicer the sauce. You could cut the tomatoes up, then drain them for awhile or add tomato paste for a thicker sauce. Everyone who has tried this has loved it. I use it to make chicken parmesan. Thank you Mindim for this fabulous recipe.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
1 user found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Lisa

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Sep. 19, 2009

I only made a few minor changes starting with cutting the recipes down for only 3 lbs of tomatoes. I used herilooms and a dash of onion powder and NO onions. I hate onions. Everything else I left the same. It was a bit runny after simmering for a couple hours but I think it was partly because of how juicy my tomatoes were and the lack of onion. I don't like chunky sauce so I ran it through the blender for a few seconds just to break those up. This was my first attempt making sauce and I loved it!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Lauren Vavala

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Newark, Delaware, USA

Living In: West Haven, Utah, USA

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Sep. 11, 2009

Great stuff! I added finely chopped green pepper just for fun. Pureed it at the end to make it smooth. I canned the batch (about 5 pints) for 35 minutes in a hot water bath. Looking forward to using it this winter!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Ruth

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Sep. 7, 2009

Great taste, was a little watery for me even though I simmered it for over 2 hours. I would make it again. A great way to use up tomatoes. Will try to freeze portions for use later in the year.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

momoftwo

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Newton, Iowa, USA

Living In: Dexter, Iowa, USA

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Aug. 26, 2009

I have used this recipe twice now and it is wonderful. I love the thickness of it once it is cooked for the two hours. I did however add some rosemary just to deepen the flavor of it. Fabulous!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
1 user found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Jenny

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Aug. 17, 2009

I made this one using the tomatoes and basils from my garden. I couldn't wait and ate some after only 15 minutes of simmering all the ingredients and it was still fabulous!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
1 user found this review helpful

Reviewer:

mango head

Cooking Level: Intermediate

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Aug. 16, 2009

This was my first attempt at home-made tomato sauce. It was a great way to use some of the tomatoes from our garden. First of all, the smell in my house while making this sauce was divine! I didn't like the consistency of the sauce after the two hours of cooking. I took the sauce and pureed it in the blender, returned it to the pot and cooked for another hour. I also added red pepper for a bit of a kick. We liked the flavor of the sauce, although I think that next time I make it, I'll add some tomato paste to thicken it up.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

mom23boysn1girl

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Utica, New York, USA

Living In: Rockville, Maryland, USA

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Aug. 14, 2009

Great way to use all those garden fresh tomatoes in the summer months. Seeding the tomatoes loses a lot of natural flavor, so I simply chopped the tomatoes and then added a 6-oz. can of tomato paste when I stirred together the tomatoes and veggies. This gave the sauce a great consistency and flavor. I also added a chopped green pepper to the onion and garlic for additional flavor and nutrition. My family likes pasta sauce with lots of herb flavor, so in addition to the basil and garlic, I added one heaping tablespoon of dried oregano and some thyme. To make a smoother sauce (for picky kids like mine), puree the cooked tomatoes and veggies before adding the tomato paste. This makes the perfect sauce to eat "as is" on pasta, to use as a pizza sauce, or to use as the base for meat-based Italian sauces. This is a great, basic recipe!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
3 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

tokyojean

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Urbana, Illinois, USA

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Aug. 8, 2009

Very tasty. I only had five tomatoes on hand, so I used a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes to make up the difference. I used the fresh basil called for, but also added a tsp each of rosemary, oregano, and thyme.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Dave W.

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Aug. 2, 2009

I thought this was good but better if you put in blender or food processer when it done for a more fine sauce. Freezer well also

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Diane

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Mar. 31, 2009

I only had 6 tomatoes left from our garden. I boiled them for 2 minutes to make them easier to peel. I cooked everything for 2 hours, pureed it, and let simmer another 2 hours. It was better than I expected! I also added 2 Tbsp. organic butter at the end to add gloss and a little richness - I served it on mini-bowtie pasta - my 5 year old loved it!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
9 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

buggymom

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Miami, Florida, USA

Living In: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Sep. 8, 2008

This sauce was so yummy. I tweaked it slightly by adding chopped fresh rosemary and fresh parsley (about a heaping Tbsp. of each) and only added about a Tbsp. of basil instead of what the recipe called for. Also added a dash of crushed red pepper for a hint of spice. The sauce was so fresh and delicious. Next time, I may consider peeling the tomatoes first, but that's the only other change I'd make!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Carli

Cooking Level: Intermediate

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Sep. 1, 2008

not an insignificant undertaking, time-wise. however, it's definitely worth it all. the taste is fantastic. bright, light and fresh. i added just a touch of crushed red pepper because we lot like it with a hint of spice.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
0 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

alaskagirl

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Aug. 31, 2008

This tomato sauce was easy to make and very delicious. I used a combination of cherry tomatoes and regular tomatoes. I seeded the large tomatoes, but just halved the cherry tomatoes and threw them in the pot. In addition to fresh basil, I also used fresh oregano from the garden. After the sauce had been simmering for a couple of hours, I thought it looked a bit chunky for our taste. I pureed half of the sauce in a blender and then stirred it back into the pot to cook and reduce a bit longer. Turned out fantastic, with a really fresh taste. I froze most of it and have given some away to very appreciative friends and family!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

A.S.G.

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Columbia City, Indiana, USA

Living In: Madison, Connecticut, USA

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Apr. 22, 2008

This sauce is like GOLD in my cooking repertoire...used for pasta and divine pizza margherita. Tip: An easy way to peel tomatoes to remove their acidity before cooking down: Make star slits with a sharp knife at the stem end of tomatoes, place in boiling hot water for 2 minutes then the skins just fall off. I just got a big box of farm fresh tomatoes given to me so we are in heaven this week!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
71 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Linda

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Living In: Caboolture, Queensland, Australia

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Apr. 5, 2008

I learned to make this type of tomato sauce in Italy. Italian tomato sauce is not as spicy as American versions and it can even be a little watery compared to what we are used to, but nothing beats that indescribably authentic taste over fresh pasta.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
16 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Karen D.

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Aug. 24, 2007

I make just about the exact same sauce, only I use canned Italian tomatoes, I find Pastene brand to be the best, and sometimes I thrown in some chopped carrots or frozen peas near the end for a change! Definitely the easiest and tastiest tomato sauce I've ever had!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
1 user found this review helpful

Reviewer:

paola g

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Aug. 16, 2007

I thought this recipe was OK, but pretty bland tasting, and probably not worth the work of seeding and chopping the tomatoes. I added lots more garlic, green pepper and oregano, and it was still bland. I don't think I'll make this again.

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
1 user found this review helpful

Reviewer:

CHELIDOG

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Jul. 17, 2007

This is really good. I am going to try canning it. I have a garden full of fresh romas and an herb garden with fresh basil. THANKS!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
3 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Ann

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Living In: Providence Forge, Virginia, USA

My Profile | Cooks I Like | Reviews
Photos | Recipes | Blog

Reviewed: Jul. 2, 2007

I made this as a starting point for some spaghetti sauce so I used my handy dandy immersion blender to partially puree it after it had simmered for about an hour & half. I used roasted garlic & added lots extra, I added some fresh oregano & some chopped, roasted red pepper. Threw in some cooked, ground round in half the batch (froze the other half) because hubby insisted but it was better before. Thansk for the recipe Mindi!

Was this review helpful? [ YES ]
1 user found this review helpful