How Do Some of My Favorite Chefs Prepare Their Basic Tomato Sauces?
In the culinary world, tomato sauce is a staple that unites chefs and home cooks alike, yet each brings their own flair to this classic dish. Celebrity chefs like Marc Vetri, Patricia Wells, Marcella Hazan, and Lidia Matticchio Bastianich have all elevated tomato sauce with unique touches that reflect their distinctive styles and regional influences.
Whether it’s Marcella Hazan’s famous minimalism—using just tomatoes, butter, and onion—or Lidia Bastianich’s rustic Italian approach, each chef’s version offers insight into their culinary philosophies and the techniques they treasure. Marc Vetri brings his Italian roots to the table with a nuanced, herb-infused sauce, while Patricia Wells introduces French influences, blending simplicity with elegance.
Exploring these chefs’ methods reveals varied approaches to tomato sauce and the broader traditions they represent—from Northern Italian flavors to Mediterranean simplicity. By understanding how each of these chefs crafts their signature sauces, home cooks can learn techniques to deepen flavors, select ingredients with care, and embrace the artistry behind a deceptively simple recipe.
This look into their methods offers inspiration and guidance for creating a tomato sauce that’s anything but ordinary, full of richness and flavor, and celebrates the heart of Italian cooking.
Marc Vetri
One of my favorite Philadelphia chefs! Marc spent time in Bergamo, Italy, working and learning to cook Italian food.
Marc Vetri, known for his commitment to Italian authenticity and high-quality ingredients, approaches basic tomato sauce with simplicity and respect for tradition. He emphasizes the importance of using the best tomatoes available, often preferring San Marzano or other high-quality canned tomatoes when fresh tomatoes aren’t in season.
Vetri believes that a good tomato sauce doesn’t require many ingredients. Instead, it’s about bringing out the tomatoes’ natural sweetness and acidity with a few carefully chosen additions. In his recipes, Vetri typically relies on olive oil, garlic, and salt to highlight the tomatoes’ flavors without overwhelming them.
He avoids excessive seasoning, preferring to keep things pure, which aligns with his philosophy of letting ingredients shine on their own. Fresh basil might be added for an aromatic lift, but he uses it sparingly, often adding it near the end of cooking to retain its brightness.
Vetri’s approach is rooted in minimalism and quality. It celebrates the essence of Italian cooking by showing that with good ingredients and simple techniques, even a basic tomato sauce can be incredibly flavorful and satisfying.
Chef Marc Vetri's Basic Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 29 ounces plum tomatoes with juice cored and crushed by hand (8 – 12 fresh plum tomatoes, skins removed, cored and crushed by hand)
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, and when hot, add the onion and sauté for about 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes with any juices and crush them lightly.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and continue simmering for 45 minutes or until the tomatoes fall apart.
Patricia Wells
Patricia Wells, a celebrated American chef deeply influenced by French cuisine, brings a refined simplicity to her tomato sauce. Known for her belief in quality ingredients and fresh flavors, Wells approaches tomato sauce with a similar philosophy.
She emphasizes using ripe, in-season tomatoes whenever possible, favoring varieties with rich, natural sweetness, like Roma or vine-ripened tomatoes. If fresh tomatoes aren’t available, she suggests using whole canned tomatoes for their consistent flavor and quality.
Wells often incorporates olive oil, garlic, and sometimes a pinch of sugar or a splash of red wine to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and add depth to the sauce. While rooted in Italian tradition, her approach reflects a French sensibility: subtly layering flavors without overpowering the tomatoes’ freshness. She also values gentle simmering, allowing the sauce to thicken naturally and the flavors to meld without rushing the process.
For Wells, a well-crafted tomato sauce is versatile and balanced, capable of enhancing pasta and meats, or even as a base for other dishes. Her approach embodies her commitment to clean, straightforward flavors that showcase each ingredient’s quality, bringing an elegant touch to this everyday staple.
Patricia Wells Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 small onion minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- sea salt to taste
- 28 ounces tomato peeled Italian plum or crushed
- 2 sprigs fresh parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- celery leaves
Instructions
- Tie the fresh parsley, bay leaves, and celery leaves in a bundle with cotton twine.
- Chef Wells starts in an unheated saucepan, adds the oil, onion, garlic, and salt, and stirs to coat with oil. Over moderate heat, she cooks these ingredients until the garlic turns golden but does not brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- If using whole canned tomatoes, first puree them using a food mill. If you don’t have a food mill, try using a blender or food processor. The same would be true if you are using fresh tomatoes. If using crushed tomatoes, they can be added directly from the can.
- Add the bundle of herbs, stir and simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the herb bundle and taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt.
Notes
Marcella Hazan
In the great Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, I learned some great tips on preparing a simple tomato sauce, but hers’ was the first one I came across for preparing fresh tomatoes for the sauce.First the Tips
- “Never cook a sauce in a covered pan, or it will emerge with a bland, steamed, weakly formulated taste.” Her reasoning concerns evaporation, which “concentrates and clearly defines their flavor.” I guess this rules out a lot of crock-pot tomato sauce recipes.
- “Always taste a sauce before tossing the pasta with it. If it seems barely salty enough, it’s not salty enough for the pasta.”
- If fresh, fully ripened plum tomatoes are available, use them. If not, “it is better to use canned imported Italian plum tomatoes.”
- Cooking times will vary on the amount of sauce you are making and the size and shape of the pot. A deep, narrow pot will take longer than a broad and shallow pan.
- You’ll know when its density does it. You don’t want it too thick or too watery and “the tomato must lose its raw taste, without losing sweetness or freshness.”
- If a tomato sauce contains butter, it’s important to “toss the pasta with an additional tablespoon of fresh butter; if it has olive oil, drizzle with raw olive oil while tossing.”
Preparing Fresh Tomatoes
According to Ms. Hazan, you must first prepare fresh tomatoes before using them to make a sauce. She offers two methods:- Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for about a minute, drain them, and remove their skins as soon as you can handle them. Years ago, I learned that if you score the skins with an X, they peel more easily.
- Cut the tomatoes lengthwise in half and put them into a covered saucepan. Cook them for 10 minutes over medium heat. Using a food mill and the disk with the largest holes, puree the tomatoes and their juices into a bowl.
Marcella Hazan's Fresh Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh tomatoes make sure they are ripe and prepped as described above or 2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juices.
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion peeled and cut in half
- salt
Instructions
- Put the tomatoes and their juice in a large saucepan, and add the butter, onion, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered slowly for 45 minutes or “until the fat floats free from the tomato.”
- Be sure to stir from time to time and crush any large pieces of tomato into small pieces with a spoon.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt. Remove and discard the onion halves before tossing them with pasta.
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, the renowned Italian-American chef, approaches tomato sauce with a focus on traditional Italian flavors, heartiness, and simplicity. Rooted in the techniques and flavors of her Italian heritage, her tomato sauce is meant to be rustic, deeply flavorful, and versatile.
She prioritizes high-quality tomatoes, like San Marzano, but also respects the use of good canned tomatoes when fresh isn’t available. Bastianich’s tomato sauce typically begins with olive oil, garlic, and sometimes a bit of onion for a savory foundation.
She often adds fresh basil leaves and a touch of red pepper flakes for warmth and complexity, but she avoids overly complicating the sauce with excess ingredients. For her, a great tomato sauce is about coaxing out the natural sweetness and acidity of the tomatoes, enhancing them with just a few well-chosen elements.
Lidia values a slow, gentle simmer, believing that time and patience bring out the sauce’s best flavors and texture. Her tomato sauce captures the essence of home-style Italian cooking—simple, rich, and comforting, able to transform a simple pasta or meat dish into something truly satisfying.
Her philosophy underscores the beauty of making a sauce that honors tradition, quality ingredients, and the warmth of Italian cooking.
Lidia Bastianich's Tomato Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes peeled and seeded or one 35-ounce can peeled Italian plum tomatoes, seeded and lightly crushed. Reserve liquids.
- ¼ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 small onion chopped
- ¼ cup carrots peeled and finely shredded
- 2 each dried bay leaves
- salt Kosher, to taste
- peperoncino flakes hot pepper flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Using a food mill, but this time fitted with a fine disk, pass the tomatoes and their juices through and into a bowl.
- Heat a large “nonreactive” saucepot over medium heat, add oil, and when hot, add the onion. Cook, frequently stirring, until the onion is “wilted,” about 3 minutes.
- Add the carrot and celery and continue cooking for about 10 minutes until the onion is golden brown.
- Add the tomato pulp, the juices, and the bay leaves and bring to a boil. As soon as the sauce reaches a boil, lower the heat to a “lively simmer” and cook until the sauce thickens to desired thickness or about 45 minutes. Be sure to continue stirring throughout the entire process.
- Before serving with pasta, remove the bay leaves, taste, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepperoncino pepper.
Chef Ricco DeLuca’s Basic Tomato Sauce
Chef Ricco is a celebrity chef in my eyes. We met many years ago when he was cooking for a wedding I was attending, and we became friends when I wandered into his kitchen. Ricco has forgotten more about Italian cooking than I will ever learn. His mom cooked for Frank Sinatra and his family for years and taught Ricco how to cook. I asked him for his basic tomato sauce recipe and if I could share it with my readers. Here it is.
Basic Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Sachet
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Sauce
- 1½ bulbs garlic peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 #10 cans tomatoes 102 oz. each including juice
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot and sauté the garlic. Be careful not to burn the garlic; it will ruin the sauce.
- Drain the tomatoes reserving the juice.
- While the garlic is cooking, start the de-seeding process and add to the pot when the garlic is golden. Then, keep de-seeding the tomatoes and add the pulp to the pot.
- Add the reserved tomato juice, Sachet, chicken stock, and sugar.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half. This will take anywhere from 2-3 hours, stirring every once in a while.
- When the sauce is finished, remove the Sachet.
This may seem like a lot of work because it is, but I know you will be pleased with the outcome. The problem is you won’t be able to eat canned tomato sauce again. Not the worst that could happen! Enjoy. RG
Chef Mark Vogel’s Tomato Sauce Recipe
Chef Mark is also not what you would consider a celebrity chef, but he is an excellent food writer with whom I became friends years ago. I consider him a great source of knowledge about food. Here is Mark’s favorite quick and easy tomato sauce that works with his eggplant Parmesan but as a base for many recipes.
Simple Tomato Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 36 ounce can whole plum tomatoes
- 1 carrot small dice
- 1 celery stick small dice
- 1 small onion diced
- olive oil as needed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 4 ounces red or white wine
- 8 ounces beef stock
- 1 handful fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Split open each tomato over the strainer and remove the seeds, as they can add bitterness to the sauce.
- Place the seeded tomatoes in another bowl. Reserve the juice in the first bowl from seeding the tomatoes and the juice left in the can.
- Sweat the carrot, celery, and onion in olive oil with salt and pepper on low/medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and cook one more minute.
- Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce until it reaches a syrupy consistency.
- Add all of the reserved tomato juices and the stock. Bring to a simmer and reduce by at least half. But, of course, a little more won't hurt.
- Add the reserved tomatoes and cook for 5-10 minutes on low heat. With an immersion blender, puree the sauce until smooth.
- Finish with the parsley and additional salt and pepper if needed.
That’s It For Now
Choosing which tomato sauces to try first is all about personal preference—but I plan to try them all to see which one I enjoy the most! There are likely hundreds, if not thousands, of variations on the classic tomato sauce, influenced by regional tastes and the availability of fresh ingredients.
I’ll look for more celebrity chef takes on this essential recipe and share them here or in a future article. In the meantime, I’d love to hear about your favorite tomato sauce recipe from a celebrity chef. Share it with me, and I’ll check it out!
