Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onion Recipe

I am not the first person to have fallen in love with this recipe and I won’t be the last. In fact I am back in a Marcella Hazan phase all because of it. I actually do not have the book this one came from, I have 3 of her books but this recipe comes from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. Someone on the Chowhound forums brought it up and it struck my curiosity. Then I noticed several other bloggers had fallen for it too: The Amateur Gourmet, masak-masak, and I Like to Cook. I highly suggest you try this recipe, it is dead easy and cheap too. I splurged and bought nice san marzano tomatoes but even with those the dish cost less then $5 for two people.

Print Recipe

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onion

(serves 4)
Adapted from Essentials of Italian Cooking

1 large can Italian plum tomatoes

5 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, peeled and cut in half

1 tablespoon salt

320 g pasta

Parmagianno-Reggiano cheese, grated

1. Put the tomatoes in a saucepan and with very clean kitchen scissors cut them up. Add the butter, onion and salt and bring to a light simmer.

2. Cook uncovered for 45 minutes or until the fat floats from the tomato. Stir occasionally, using a wooden spoon to mash any large piece of tomato. Taste and correct for salt. Discard onion and toss sauce with pasta. Serve with grated cheese.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 45 minutes | Total Time:55 minutes