Pescatarian Pomarola Fresh Tomato Sauce

Total time1 hr 5 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time50 min

4.8

(5)

This is Italian cooking at its most honest — ripe plum tomatoes, a soffritto of onion, carrot, and celery, a handful of fresh basil, and good olive oil doing all the heavy lifting. The vegetables simmer low and slow until the tomatoes completely break down, and then the whole thing gets passed through a food mill for a sauce that's silky, deeply flavored, and nothing like anything that comes out of a jar. That final pass through the mill is the move that separates a truly refined pomarola from a rustic chunky sauce, giving you something elegant enough for fresh pasta but versatile enough to use anywhere. Every ingredient here is naturally plant-based and seafood-free, so it fits a pescatarian table without any substitutions or workarounds — it was always meant to be exactly this. The finishing tablespoon of olive oil stirred in at the end adds a richness that ties everything together beautifully. Make a big batch, because this sauce freezes like a dream and will make weeknight dinners feel effortless for weeks.

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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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