BHA & BHT Free Pomarola Fresh Tomato Sauce
Store-bought tomato sauces are one of the sneakiest sources of synthetic preservatives, with BHA and BHT turning up in jarred and canned products far more often than most people realize. This slow-simmered Italian classic sidesteps all of that by starting entirely from scratch — ripe plum tomatoes, a soffritto of onion, carrot, and celery, a few smashed garlic cloves, and a handful of fresh basil leaves at the finish. Every single ingredient is whole and recognizable, which is exactly the point. The tomatoes cook down low and slow until they collapse into a deeply savory, naturally sweet sauce, and passing everything through a food mill gives it that silky, restaurant-quality texture you just can't get from a jar. A finishing drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil rounds out the flavor and adds a subtle richness that makes the whole pot taste like it took far more effort than it did. This is the kind of sauce you'll want to make in a big batch and freeze in portions so you always have something clean and genuinely delicious on hand.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 3 lbs ripe plum tomatoes (about 10–12), roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 8 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- 1
Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and the onion is translucent, about 8–10 minutes.
- 2
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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