Gina's Basic Spaghetti Sauce

This sauce starts with fresh tomatoes that you blanch, peel, and chop yourself. That’s extra work, sure, but fresh tomatoes give the finished sauce a brightness and sweetness that canned ones don’t match. They’re backed up with tomato puree and tomato paste for body and depth, so you get the best of all three forms.

Fennel seeds fried in olive oil with the onion at the very start give this sauce a subtle anise warmth that’s the hallmark of Italian-American red sauce. It’s the same flavor you taste in Italian sausage, and it rounds out the tomato acidity beautifully.

Parmesan stirred directly into the simmering sauce adds a salty, nutty richness that you won’t taste as “cheese” but will definitely miss if you leave it out. It melts into the liquid and thickens it slightly.

The recipe says simmer for “as long as you can." Take that seriously. An hour is the minimum, but two or three hours reduces the sauce further and concentrates every flavor.

Chef Tips

• Don’t let the garlic brown. It turns bitter fast. Add it after the onion has softened and keep stirring.
• Use ripe, in-season tomatoes for the best flavor. Out of season, substitute a can of San Marzano tomatoes instead.
• Stir occasionally during the simmer to prevent the bottom from scorching. Lower heat is safer for long cooks.
• This freezes beautifully in portions. Make a double batch and freeze half.

Variations

• Add a pinch of red pepper flakes with the fennel for a spicier sauce.
• Stir in browned Italian sausage or ground beef for a hearty meat sauce.
• Replace the green pepper with roasted red peppers for a sweeter, smokier flavor.