Tomato sauce is probably the most ubiquitous component of Italian cuisine, which makes it all the more ironic that tomatoes don’t find their origins on the European continent. 

Tomatoes were first cultivated in South America and were brought to Europe and Italy in the mid-1500s. From there, southern Italian cuisine quickly adopted the tomato as a staple of its cooking, with the first appearance of Italian marinara sauce occurring in 1692.

The sauce’s name is attributed to its popularity with Italian sailors, or marinai, as a quick, inexpensive and filling sauce for pasta or other goods. Marinara sauce is simple in its ingredients, but it’s the quality of those ingredients that makes or breaks the final product, so be sure to choose high-quality tomatoes and herbs.

Ingredients

Three 28-ounce cans of tomatoes

1/2 white or yellow onion

Minced garlic to taste

6 ounces of tomato paste

2 ounces of olive oil

2 ounces of butter

Herbs to season

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and butter until the butter is melted and bubbling.

Sauté the diced onion until translucent and just beginning to brown, 1 to 3 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant, 60 seconds.

Add the can of tomato paste and sauté with the onion and garlic until just beginning to caramelize, 60 to 90 seconds.

Add canned tomatoes.

Simmer tomato sauce, seasoning to taste along the way, until satisfied with the result. For the seasoning, a regular bottle of Italian seasoning adds depth to a tomato sauce, as do fresh herbs like basil, oregano, parsley and thyme.

If using whole or diced tomatoes, blend or crush once nearly finished cooking to the desired texture. For a chunkier sauce, a potato masher can be used to effectively crush the tomatoes. For a smoother, pomodoro-esque sauce, an ordinary blender or immersion blender can achieve that smoother consistency.

After simmering for approximately 20 minutes, serve or store in a sealed container. The sauce will keep for five to six days in the refrigerator and indefinitely if frozen.