Home cooks looking to cut weeknight corners without sacrificing flavour might turn to shop-bought sauces for a quick pasta dish. They are affordable, easy to come by and, importantly, are full of flavour. But the moreish taste of these rich tomato sauces often isn’t down to whole ingredients. Instead, additives, salt and sugar craft what seems like a quick and tasty option. A decades-old Italian recipe with a startlingly simple brief: three ingredients, no chopping, and dinner on the table in about 45 minutes, is a worthy alternative to processed products.
The late Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce — made with just half a peeled onion, butter and a tin of tomatoes — has resurfaced as the clearest alternative to sugary, jarred options. Marcella, born in Cesenatico in 1924 and later a celebrated New York cookery teacher and author, set down the method in her 1992 classic, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.
The instructions are as concise as the ingredient list: place the onion half, butter, and tomatoes in a saucepan, bring to a gentle simmer and leave to gently bubble away.
The onion is lifted out before serving, leaving behind a silky, vividly flavoured sauce that tastes far more involved than it is.
Food site Delish once dubbed the preparation “the best in the world,” a label that helped propel the recipe into the mainstream of weeknight cooking.
Marcella’s husband, Victor Hazan, told Epicurious that the genius was in her refusal to overwork the pot: she asked, “Why chop an onion? Why sauté? I’m going to put the onion, tomato, and butter together and forget about it.”
The result is a sauce that practically cooks itself.
The appeal is as much about texture as it is about time. Butter emulsifies the tomatoes into a glossy, clingy sauce, while the halved onion infuses sweetness and aroma without leaving pieces to pick around.
Most cooks agree that a gentle simmer of around 45 minutes is sufficient to concentrate the tomatoes and round off any sharp edges; good-quality whole plum tomatoes tend to deliver the best balance of sweetness and body.
Few chefs stray far from Marcella’s method. Mary Berry may add a pinch of sugar to balance the acidity, but Nigella Lawson is known for including a little butter to give the sauce a silky, rich texture – just as the Italian recipe suggests.
Other chefs introduce greater variation, such as BBC Good Food’s classic base of diced onions, celery and carrot for a slower, deeper flavour.
Food writer Felicity Cloake favours olive oil and occasionally balances acidity with a pinch of sugar and a splash of red wine vinegar.
The recipe is versatile because it is so simple and works on any pasta dish.
Serve with spaghetti, parmesan and black pepper for a quick dinner upgrade, or load onto penne for a quick meal.
A touch of grated cheddar complements the rich tomato flavour well.
Opt for gnocchi on a chilly night, accompanied by a few torn basil leaves for added fragrance.