Add tomato paste tot he mix, it make the sauce richer and gives it a thicker texture.

i love marcella hazan's tomato sauce recipe: can of crushed tomatoes, half a stick of butter, one onion cut in half, dash of salt & pepper. Simmer for an hour, remove onion, and you're done. Tastes fresh, delicious, and "tomato-y" rather than herby.

i love marcella hazan's tomato sauce recipe: can of crushed tomatoes, half a stick of butter, one onion cut in half, dash of salt & pepper. Simmer for an hour, remove onion, and you're done. Tastes fresh, delicious, and "tomato-y" rather than herby.

I like to start with some pancetta, onion and garlic, then add tomatoes, tomato paste and some red wine. Then I reduce it all down for a bit, so it's really flavorful and rich.

DO NOT use sugar, you should use carrots for the sweet factor.

I generally start with a can of good-quality whole tomatoes added in to sauteed onions and garlic. If I have time I let it break down on its own, but I'll often take an immersion blender to it to speed things along. Beyond that, I go for umami and deeper flavors. I generally will add in some combination of any of the following: parmesan, port (as an alternative to sugar), balsamic vinegar and tomato paste. Too much of any of them can muddy the flavors of good tomatoes, but a little bit of any or all can help balance acidity and add some nice depth and richness. I've actually taken to going light on the herbs too, as they can quickly overpower a bright, simple tomato sauce. But it all depends on what you are in the mood for, no wrong answers :)

I usually brown meat with diced onion and garlic in the pan, then add a can or two of stewed tomatoes, a little can of tomato paste, and then some other veggies, definitely carrots, sometimes red bell peppers, zucchini, and squash, and finally add some oregano and basil, and let it simmer for at least an hour. You can also throw in some red wine to add some extra depth.

I second tomato paste. An extra glug of olive oil can help, too. You also might try starting with canned whole tomatoes instead of diced. They're often better quality.

chicken broth or beef broth. really any kind of broth. it makes it seem like you've been cooking it all day.

Butter and red wine. Melt a few tablespoons in the pan before you start. When the sauce gets dry, toss in some red wine and stir it up. Repeat a few times. The wine adds a depth of flavor that you're probably lacking. If you're game and wanna mix things up, use bacon grease instead of butter.

Another vote for the whole tomatoes. I sometimes add star anise, esp. when using canned diced tomatoes. It gives it a deeper flavor without being too obvious.

All good suggestions-don't forget some red wine and a rind of parmesan while simmering. I think what is key is that you need to allow yourself some time to get the flavors to what you are looking for. It can't be rushed.

i vote for onions and a little fat--either olive oil or butter.

1 Large sized Can Crushed San Marzano Tomatoes
1 Regular sized Can Organic Tomato Sauce
1 medium yellow onion diced
Liberal amounts of minced garlic (fresh or refrigerated)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, Cracked Pepper, Red chili flakes, and dried oregano to taste.

In a large saucepan, saute the garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes in the olive oil. Once onions are cooked through, add both the crushed tomato and the tomato sauce (you can use chopped tomatoes if you prefer). Add salt, pepper and oregano to taste. Stir and simmer for 15 minutes.

No sugar needed, comes out perfect every time!

Add sauteed garlic/onion and red wine.

So many people think that it is not really Italian to use btter in sauce but it gives it a richness and brings the flavors together better than anything.

a tsp or so of anchovy paste, and tomato paste is all you need to get that added depth you're missing - chicken stock or boullion cubes, garlic, and onion are all excellent additions too. good luck!

I like veg in my sauce, so I start with a mirepoix and add red wine and then reduce the wine by at least half to concentrate its flavors, then add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and seasonings. For the tomato sauce, I use the roasted tomato sauce recipe from this site, linked to in their response above. However, I run that recipe through a food mill at the end instead of leaving it chunky. Sounds like alot of work, and it would be if I did it from scratch every time, but I put up a bunch of that roasted tomato sauce in the freezer at the end of the summer, so I can just add it in when I make sauce. Also, if you pulverize the pulp from running that sauce through the food mill, you get a roasted tomato paste that is amazing. If your tastes run to a rich, deep, robust end result, this is a great approach for those kinds of flavors.

I've been using the sauce as written in The Frankies Kitchen Companion (by the Franks who own Frankies Spuntino in Brooklyn) -- it's simple and it's very good. 1 cup olive oil, 13 cloves of garlic, and 96 oz of whole tomatoes. Go here and go down to page xx in the preview.

My secret ingredient to all tomato things is blackstrap molasses. Fixes a low, deep note of caramelized sweetness in there, which I find helps to ground the usually high, tart , "too young" taste of canned tomatoes. Other than that, a long low simmer is pretty much my secret. Olive oil, mirepoix, garlic, dried bay leaf, dried or fresh oregano, maybe a fresh rosemary sprig, tomato paste, tomatoes, molasses. Simmer low and slow.

mmmm. Now I want this. Hee.

i like to add sardines or anchovies for umami. and as mentioned before, tomato paste is also a good idea.

I make this and it has a very deep almost sun-dried tomato flavor.

Start with 1/2 an onion and a teaspoon of minced garlic (to taste), sauteed in a tablespoon or two of olive oil, then add in a can of chopped tomatoes with basil. Add a splash of white wine and a can of tomato sauce and a pinch or two of sugar. Let this reduce by 1//2 to really intensify the flavor.

My (almost) 90 year old grandmother was born two months after her parents came from Italy. I consider her the first and foremost resource for sauce. She grows her own Roma tomatoes and strains them herself. She’ll sauté some garlic cloves in olive oil first, though, and adds salt to taste after including a leaf of basil. She won’t add other spices because she thinks that only masks the taste of stale tomatoes.

I don’t have the opportunity to grow my own tomatoes and no brand can come as close to fresh as Bionaturae’s (http://www.bionaturae.com/tomatoes.html). Instead of cans with a BPA liner, they use a glass jar for their organic tomatoes. The difference in packaging and/or the organics makes a huge difference and when I make my grandmother’s sauce, it almost tastes as good as hers.

Her recipe is pretty simple:

1-2 whole peeled garlic cloves
2-4 tbsp of olive oil
24 oz of strained tomatoes
1 basil leaf

Sauté the garlic in the olive oil but don’t let it brown. Add the strained tomatoes and simmer for 45 minutes or until desired thickness is reached.

That’s it. Nothing else. Anything else, in her mind, is only going to make up for bad tomatoes. Of course, she does add meatballs or my grandfather’s sausage links if she wants to make a meat sauce. Sugar, wine, pastes, cheese, or other ingredients (especially butter) that can dilute tomatoes is just wrong. But the key is to avoid canned anything and go for fresh or jarred tomatoes.

I had to comment on this one...being italian and taught by my sicialian grandmother and my father how to do italian, simplicity is the key. Garlic, onions sauteed in olive oil then add your tomatoes a little salt and then water down by about 1/3, simmer until it's reduced by that 1/3 (45 minutes to an hour) remove from heat and add fresh basil (if you got it otherwise use dried) to your taste, let stand 5-10 minutes and season with salt and pepper if needed.

(Italians would almost NEVER put oregano or bay in their sauce!)

Fresh ingredients are a must! It's super easy: http://cookmarked.com/recipe.aspx?eID=AlkjUJ

I agree with using canned whole tomatoes instead of diced. Some preservatives are added to diced tomatoes to help them keep their shape, which is terrible for taste and texture. Toss in some cheese rind or start your sauce with some cured meat to add some richness as well.

Make sure you're letting it simmer/cook down long enough. The longer it cooks, the richer and thicker it will taste. I also recommend throwing 2 full sprigs of fresh basil in there, and then removing it when you're done. Really really adds a flavor dimension similar to what you might get in a restaurant-quality sauce.

it's all about cheese. add a romano cheese rind to the sauce while it simmers and then take it out before serving. this way, you don't need to add any salt because the cheese gives it just the right amount.

u gotta add a dash of cinnamon sugar toward the end!

i make sure to add a lot of red wine along with the tomatoes, and then let it cook down for at least an hour.

I think most of you would disagree with me, but I love my homemade tomato sauce with onions, garlic, some reduced red wine, basil, chopped fresh parsley at the end and more than a few pinches of sugar :) Throw in sauteed fresh veggies and spicy chicken sausage, and it's heaven to me.

If you want a basic tomato sauce without chunks of other veggies in it, I usually peel and halve a yellow onion to throw in with the 28 oz. canned tomatoes, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, and maybe whole cloves of garlic (and whatever spices you like). After simmering, the onion and garlic turn soft, and can either be removed completely or pureed into the sauce. Adds some subtle complexity and great flavor either way.

Marcella Hazans half onion recipe is the best place to start because it's the simplest possible awesome tomato sauce. You'll know for ever more what's important and what's not.

Some additional points:
- The better the tomatoes, the less they need to be cooked. some tomatoes need no cooking at all
- Canned tomatoes are already pretty much cooked.
- The seeds are bitter, so don't blend etc while they're still in there.
- The jelly contains glutamic acid, so whatever you do, don't throw that away.
- Thai fish sauce and onion will give tomato sauce a powerful yet clean flavour.

The best tomato sauce I ever made had leftover summer squash and carrots shredded into it-sweet and fresh tasting without knowing why. Oh, and a sprig of rosemary! Just be sure to fish it out before serving or it will look like you are trying to pass off pine needles as food.

Marcella has another sauce that's just tomatoes, celery and carrots, cooked for just 15 mins then pureed -- amazingly fresh taste. She says alwaysUse San Marzano whole tomatoes -- never paste or chopper.

uhh -- chopped!

uhh -- "chopped"

One salt-cured anchovy, rinsed and filleted. Amazing what that thing does! A bug umami burst.

Mario Batali's basic tomato sauce is my go-to and always has friends asking for my recipe. I don't use as much olive oil as he calls for, but he uses whole peeled tomatoes, chopped garlic, grated carrots, diced onions and chile flakes. Bring to quick boil and reduce heat to medium low until thickened to desired consistency. Salt to taste and then a quick whir using the immersion blender and you are ready to go!

My tomato sauce never seems to be all that good either. Fresh basil sounds so good in some simple tomato sauce. I've also heard that adding a little bit of milk can do a long way in tomato sauce too.

i always add a small packet of splenda to my tomato sauce.

i also add a tiny bit of flour to help it stick to the pasta.

We use a basic sauce my husband was taught by his landlady when he lived in Genoa (the original one in Italy):

fry a couple crushed garlic cloves (green bit removed) & small pinch dried chilli flakes (get proper ones from an asian store) in a frying pan, not saucepan. Add two 400ml tins chopped tomatoes (decent brand) & bring to the boil, then simmer 10-15mins, until slightly thicker. just before serving, stir through a small handful of fresh, torn basil leaves & some pepper to taste.

frying in about 2tbs olive oil, by the way...

quarter teaspoon of baking soda - will neutralise a lot of the harsh acids and will relieve you of the added sugar necessity. stir it up and it fizzes like crazy. If necessary, add tiny pinches until the flavour flattens out. But stir well before each addition.

only after this should you think of a pinch of sugar.

herbs, garlic, salt and pepper then - without question!

I brown mild italian sausages in the bottom of a pot with olive oil in it - poking the sausages so some of the juice comes out. then I take out the sausages and cook my sauce in with the juices. Adds a wonderful flavor!

Add a splash of vinegar at the end - I use balsamic, red wine, or apple cider - adds a twang that counters the sweetness and acidity of the tomatoes. Love it.

butter, butter butter, sounds weird but elevates any store bought sauce. i also add a splash of really good balsamic vinegar and chuck in a sprig of rosemary. i can pass of any jar as homemade.

here's how i make my tomato sauce:

heat two tablespoons olive oil, add half (or a whole depending on how much you are making) of an onion. Then i add salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, majoram and oregano and let it cook.
Once the onions have softened and the spices have cooked (its very important to cook your spices or else they will taste like nothing) I add in two - three cloves chopped garlic (I love garlic!).
After a few minutes (when you can smell the garlic), I add in one can of 28 oz whole peeled plum tomatoes. Before dropping them in, I cut them with kitchen scissors. I mix it all up, and add about 1/4 red wine. I mash the tomatoes occasionally with a potato masher and add tomato paste if I need (about 1-2 tablespoons).
A sprinkle of fresh basil at the end if you have it is a nice finish.
To help the pasta stick to the sauce, I usually add the pasta straight from the pasta water into the sauce pot.

Tomato puree and bouillon powder!

I second the commenters' suggestions of anchovy--either in paste form, or just 2 or so tossed in and allowed to "melt" with the onions and garlic. Adds a mellow richness you can't get from anything else. I also think it's best to start w/ whole canned tomatoes and crush them yourself. Something about them being whole makes it taste less watery.

My secret spaghetti sauce ingredients are tomato paste (cook it by itself a little to reduce and caramelize it slightly), Worcestershire sauce (there are the anchovies other posters mentioned) and a splash of balsamic vinegar (adds the extra sweetness and tanginess that canned tomatoes might lack).

take the oil from a jar of sundried tomatoes and heat it in a saucepan. add minced garlic (i use about six cloves) and red pepper flakes. once these are fragrant, add a large can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes and the jar of sundried tomatoes. simmer for about 15 minutes, then add a handful of halved fresh grape tomatoes. simmer for an additional 10 minutes. i love that sauce.

Upvotes for tomato paste (make sure it gets cooked a little in the fat before adding the watery ingredients) and wine. Might also try a bit of vodka instead of the wine if you don't have any wine around or don't want to crack a bottle. Lastly, just a couple of drops soy sauce can really make a difference (sounds crazy, but try it!).

MisaL, that sounds amazing.

If you've got the time, really mind-bogglingly amazing tomato sauce is pretty easy. Tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and maybe a pinch of red pepper is all it takes. Just cook peeled and hand-crushed tomatoes along with whole cloves of slightly browned garlic for 4-6 hours, very slowly, until it's reduced by about half. Use the highest quality ingredients you can find because there are no "cheats" to mask flavor. You end up with a tomato sauce that is incredibly rich, sweet but not cloying, and with that perfect mouthfeel. I make big batches of it and freeze it. It keeps me through the winter!

If you want a quick tomato sauce, then you've got to get a little more creative to get really robust flavor in there. My current go-to recipe is to dice an onion and cook that in olive oil until translucent, then add some minced garlic and a shredded carrot. Turn up the heat, then add a spoonful of tomato paste and a pinch of red pepper into the oil until it starts to fry and color the oil. I deglaze the pan with a decent splash of wine, add a large can of whole tomatoes (crushed by hand first), stir, and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Sometimes I'll add a few sprigs of fresh basil as well. It's got a nice balance of flavor, and it works pretty well. But if you've got really good quality ingredients and plenty of time and love, you can make something that will blow it out of the water.

When I had my garden this summer I wasn't happy with my first batch of tomato sauce.

Second batch... I roasted the tomatoes, onion and garlic and then ran it through the food processor. It was delicious!!

red wine and (grated) fennel.

Also, this is sort of sacrilegious to say, but tomatoes from the garden are not necessarily the best tomatoes to use for sauce. You want a tomato with the right water content, the right balance of acidity and sweetness, and something that will break down to a good consistency. Don't assume that the tomatoes you picked up at the farmer's market or grew in your garden will be any better than high quality canned varieties, unless they were specifically grown for sauce (and grown well!).

Although I think you can make a good low-fat marinara, I am partial to a sauce that starts with meat because the fat makes the flavor unbeatable. The butter is what make Hazan's onion butter sauce so yummy. My MIL's recipe, which is a family secret I only became privy to upon marrying my husband, starts with spicy italian sausage and pork. You can also cook meatballs right in the sauce if you're cooking it all day and it is so good!

i'd start with browning some diced onions in a little olive oil. Add in minced garlic and let brown for a minute or two. then add tomato paste, tomato sauce (can is fine) and some diced tomatoes (can is fine). then add oregano, thyme, parsley, basil and if you want some heat, red pepper flakes OR caynne. Add black pepper and salt. bring to a boil and let simmer for a few hours. if it still doesnt taste right, add a little more salt and add herbs. as it cooks down, the sauce will thicken and the seasonings will blend into the sauce.

Dark chocolate. Generally 1 gram for a batch of sauce. Wine is good. Caramelizing the onions, also good. Melting cheese into the sauce is especially good.

Search my blog for "Filthy-rich pasta sauce"

thanks guys!
I'm trying again today, I hope it turns out well.

Could be the preservatives in canned tomatoes are ruining the taste. I don't care for that flavor, so I've been using a brand that doesn't do that (Pomi). Makes a world of difference!