Carrageenan Free Sugo di Pomodoro
Few sauces are as deeply satisfying as a slow-simmered tomato sauce built from nothing but honest, simple ingredients. Garlic blooms gently in olive oil with a pinch of red pepper flakes before San Marzano tomatoes — crushed by hand for that rustic, uneven texture — join the pan and slowly transform into something rich and brick-red over a low, unhurried simmer. Fresh basil torn in at the end keeps things bright, and an optional knob of butter rounds out the finish in the most quietly luxurious way. For anyone avoiding carrageenan, this kind of from-scratch sauce is a genuine relief. Many jarred and canned tomato products sneak in additives and stabilizers, but this recipe leans entirely on whole peeled tomatoes, aromatics, and pantry staples — nothing processed, nothing hidden. Every ingredient on the list is exactly what it says it is. The result is a sauce that tastes cleaner and more vibrant than anything off a store shelf, and once you've made it this way, it's hard to go back.
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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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