Beef Free Sugo di Pomodoro
There is something deeply satisfying about a tomato sauce made with nothing but pantry staples and a little patience. This classic Italian-style sugo starts with hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes, which give the sauce a naturally sweet, bright flavor that no blender can quite replicate. Garlic slowly bloomed in olive oil, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and torn fresh basil at the finish are all it takes to build something that tastes like it simmered all day. The optional swirl of butter at the end rounds out the acidity and gives the sauce a silky, restaurant-worthy finish. Because every ingredient here is plant-based at its core — with butter as the only optional animal product — this is a genuinely effortless way to keep things meat-free without sacrificing any depth or richness. Spoon it over pasta, use it as a pizza base, or dip crusty bread straight into the pan. Once you make this from scratch, jarred sauce is going to have a hard time competing.
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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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