I love this recipe. My tomato sauce is especially healthful, accessible, and variable within and across recipes.
It’s naturally balanced!
Shredded Carrots
You may be familiar with the debate regarding sugar in tomato sauce. Some chefs will encourage you to add it; others, curse you for doing so. With natural sweetness, shredded carrots settle this debacle: You’re not adding sugar, but you are adding something to balance those acidic tomatoes!
Yet tomatoes and their products shouldn’t be acidic. Personally, I suspect the blame for excess acidity in canned tomatoes falls on citric acid which many (though not all) companies employ as a preservative. It’s natural – even natural to tomatoes – but adding more may be why some people insist on sugar in their sauce.
Carrots enhance and balance whatever tomato paste and crushed tomatoes you buy regardless of citric acid on their labels. Plus, they safeguard you against headstrong traditionalists and nutritionists!
Shredded Celery
Sweet carrots may not be news, but do you know about salty celery? Celery is a natural source of sodium chloride with each stalk boasting about 30 mg.
That’s a modest amount compared to the white stuff; table, kosher, and sea salts deliver between 1.9-2.3 g (1,900-2,300 mg) per teaspoon. However, the 2 stalks/60 mg sodium chloride in my recipe is just enough to brighten flavors without amplifying acidity. Any more, and we might find ourselves reaching for that sugar after all…
There’s no chopping!
Despite being packed with produce, my tomato sauce can be made without extensive use of a knife. You’ll need one to trim your vegetables, but beyond that task, you can push most fresh ingredients through the shredding disc of a food processor.
You can also steam your garlic, or buy pre-minced. I know, the latter is another stupidly polarizing issue in the culinary world. And yet, the same people who snub pre-minced garlic may also snub jarred sauce! I say, grab a can opener and –
use whatever gets you cooking.
marinara, (vegan) pomodoro Parmesan, (vegan) Bolognese…
As a master recipe, you can adapt my tomato sauce to suit your dish. I like using dried oregano and deglazing with red wine for pizza marinara, adding miso to mimic pomodoro Parmesan for penne, or starting with vegan ground beef and sausage for spaghetti Bolognese.
Be bold and creative! Currently, my favorite version includes red wine, miso, and vegan ground beef. And if veganism isn’t for you, you can always use the conventional items I’ve replaced.
Is making any of these sauces cheaper than buying them?
in a word…no; two, probably not. To get into it, it depends on what sauce you typically buy.
At the original time of this writing (May ’25), I spent about $15 on ingredients for my basic recipe which yields roughly 6 jars of sauce – $2.50/jar. So, if you’re spending more than $2.50/jar on tomato sauce, then yes, making mine is cheaper than buying.
But plenty of sauces cost less than that. Admittedly, I purchase them often! I use this recipe when I want to be extra and/or recreate my Grammy’s sauce because no jar comes close to whatever kitchen witchcraft she performed.
You likely don’t know Grammy or her cooking. Scroll to the Bolognese variation for a veganized snapshot:
Hearty Garden Tomato Sauce (and Variations)
Description
There are many reasons to love my tomato sauce: natural sugar and salt from carrot and celery, endless possibilities...
Yet I think I most adore this pomodoro for its accessibility. Use pre-minced or steamed garlic, a food processor, and a can opener for maximum produce with minimal chopping.
makes about 3 qt/L
Ingredients
Basic Tomato Sauce
Optional Variations (Choose one or more as desired.)
Instructions
PREPARATION
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Peel and mince, or steam and peel garlic. Set aside.
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Trim, peel, and shred shallots (or onion). Set next to garlic.
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Trim, wash, and shred carrot and celery. Separately set in order next to shallots.
Save peels, roots, skins, and stubborn celery fibers for Zero-Waste Vegetable Stock (linked under Note).*
FLAVOR DEVELOPMENT: Infusing, Layering, Concentrating
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In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant and just sizzling, no more than 1-2 minutes.
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Add shallots and sauté another 1-2 minutes. Add carrots followed by celery sautéing 2-3 minutes after each addition.
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Add seasoning. Sauté 1 minute, then add tomato paste and sauté another 2 minutes.
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Pour in a small amount of crushed tomatoes. Scrape bottom of pot to release any fond, then add remaining tomatoes.
Caramelized fond, understated as stuck food, is an invaluable flavor contributor to any dish. -
Increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Then, partially cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 30-45 minutes stirring occasionally.
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Use sauce as desired. Transfer leftovers to freezer-safe containers and cool completely before freezing up to 6 months.
Remember to leave room for freezer expansion!
Note
*Save peels, roots, skins, and stubborn celery fibers for for Zero-Waste Vegetable Stock.
VARIATIONS
- MARINARA
- Use only dried oregano in Step 6. Deglaze pot with 1/2 cup (120 mL/g) red wine in Step 7, then reduce before adding crushed tomatoes.
- VEGAN POMODORO PARMESAN
- Add 2 Tbsp (30 mL/g) miso with tomato paste in Step 6.
- VEGAN MEAT SAUCE/BOLOGNESE
- Start by browning 24-32 oz (680-907 g) vegan ground beef and/or sausage. Remove, then proceed from Step 1. Return cooked "meats" to pot between Steps 7-8.
