Gelatin Free Pomarola Fresh Tomato Sauce
This is Italian cooking at its most honest — ripe plum tomatoes, a handful of aromatics, good olive oil, and nothing else standing between you and a deeply flavorful sauce. The soffritto of onion, carrot, and celery builds a savory backbone before the tomatoes even hit the pot, and that long, unhurried simmer coaxes out a richness that no jarred sauce can touch. Passing everything through a food mill at the end gives you that silky, restaurant-quality texture without any shortcuts. Fresh basil stirred in off the heat keeps the brightness alive, and a final drizzle of olive oil rounds it all out beautifully. For anyone avoiding gelatin or hidden thickeners, this sauce is completely in the clear — the body comes entirely from the tomatoes themselves reducing down over time, no additives needed. Store-bought sauces can be surprisingly tricky to vet, with stabilizers and gelling agents sneaking into ingredient lists you'd never expect. Making it from scratch like this means you know exactly what's in the pot. Spoon it over pasta, use it as a pizza base, or freeze a batch for the weeks when you need dinner on the table fast.
About FigFig is a food discovery app that helps you find foods and recipes that fit your dietary needs. Whether you have food allergies, intolerances, or follow a specific diet, Fig makes it easy to eat with confidence.
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.
Want the full recipe?
Create a Fig account for step-by-step instructions, access to our full recipe library, and more!