Artificial Food Coloring Free Sugo di Pomodoro
There is something deeply satisfying about a tomato sauce made entirely from scratch, where every ingredient is something you chose and nothing comes from a mystery packet. Store-bought jarred sauces are a surprisingly common source of hidden dyes and artificial additives, slipped in to boost color or extend shelf life — so making your own is genuinely the smarter move. Here, San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil do all the heavy lifting, and the result is a rich, brick-red sauce that earns its color the honest way: a slow simmer that concentrates the natural sweetness of the tomatoes. Crushing the tomatoes by hand before they hit the pan gives the sauce a rustic, uneven texture that clings beautifully to pasta. The optional knob of butter stirred in at the end adds a quiet richness that makes the whole thing taste like it came from a trattoria rather than your stovetop. Clean, simple, and completely free of anything artificial — this is the kind of sauce you'll want to keep on rotation all year long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 can (28 oz) whole peeled san marzano tomatoes
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¾ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 6 fresh basil leaves
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pour the tomatoes and their juices into a large bowl and crush them by hand, squeezing each tomato until broken into rough, uneven pieces. Set aside.
- 2
Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is pale golden and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes. Watch closely — the garlic can color quickly.
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