Honey Free Sugo di Pomodoro
Few sauces are as deeply satisfying as a slow-simmered Italian tomato sauce built from nothing but honest, simple ingredients. San Marzano tomatoes get crushed by hand, coaxed into a rich, brick-red sauce with garlic, a whisper of red pepper flakes, and fresh basil torn in at the very end — the kind of technique that rewards patience with incredible depth of flavor. A small pinch of sugar is all it takes to balance the natural acidity of the tomatoes, which means there's absolutely no need for honey or any other sweetener to round things out. The optional knob of butter stirred in at the finish adds a silky, luxurious quality that makes the sauce cling beautifully to pasta. This is the sort of recipe that fills your kitchen with an aroma that makes everyone wander in asking when dinner is ready. Make a big batch and you'll find yourself reaching for it all week — spooned over pasta, ladled onto pizza dough, or used as a base for braised proteins.
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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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