After reading about this recipe on Serious Eats, I wanted to make it almost immediately. It only required 25 minutes of prep time, and then occasional stirring with a little bit of throwing in ingredients at the end. Not a big deal. I made the sauce ahead of time, then reheated it with some sausage to serve with pasta. It was as promised: hearty, thick, and flavorful. It made the house smell delicious all day long, and it made a nice large amount of sauce at one time, which I can freeze and pull out as needed. I love that!
There is a lot of flavor in this sauce, and I look forward to making it again. I used to make a sauce my mom made, but it had a lot of ingredients that I didn’t keep on hand. It was good, but required a lot more work than this. I might not always have a carrot or basil available, but they’re pretty cheap and easy to procure. You could use already minced garlic, although I had fresh so I did mince it myself. I don’t think it makes much of a difference if you were to use the jarred kind.
Directions for Dutch Oven Tomato Sauce
Slightly adapted from Serious Eats
- 4 cans (28 oz each) whole, peeled tomatoes (San Marzano if you can)
- 3 Tablespoons butter (or alternative)
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- Red pepper (as spicy as you like)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 carrot, chopped into several pieces
- 1 onion, sliced in half
- 1 branch of basil, plus 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and prepare the baking racks to fit your Dutch oven. Pour one can of tomatoes into a bowl you can seal. Crush the tomatoes by hand, then cover and refrigerate until later. Crush the remaining tomatoes and set aside in a large bowl.
In the Dutch oven, over medium heat, melt the butter and oil together. Add the garlic and cook until just before it browns.
Then, add the red pepper and dried oregano.
After 1 minute, add the crushed tomatoes, carrot, onion, branch of basil, and some salt and pepper. Stir, and bring to a simmer over high heat.
Remove from the heat and place the lid on top, slightly ajar. Place in the oven for 5-6 hours until the sauce reduces in half. Stir every 1.5 hours or so.
When done, remove the carrot and onion pieces, as well as the basil. Stir in the 1/4 cup basil and reserved tomatoes.
Add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Directions for Dutch Oven Tomato Sauce (without pictures)
Slightly adapted from Serious Eats
- 4 cans (28 oz each) whole, peeled tomatoes (San Marzano if you can)
- 3 Tablespoons butter (or alternative)
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- Red pepper (as spicy as you like)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 carrot, chopped into several pieces
- 1 onion, sliced in half
- 1 branch of basil, plus 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and prepare the baking racks to fit your Dutch oven. Pour one can of tomatoes into a bowl you can seal. Crush the tomatoes by hand, then cover and refrigerate until later. Crush the remaining tomatoes and set aside in a large bowl.
In the Dutch oven, over medium heat, melt the butter and oil together. Add the garlic and cook until just before it browns. Then, add the red pepper and dried oregano. After 1 minute, add the crushed tomatoes, carrot, onion, branch of basil, and some salt and pepper. Stir, and bring to a simmer over high heat. Remove from the heat and place the lid on top, slightly ajar. Place in the oven for 5-6 hours until the sauce reduces in half. Stir every 1.5 hours or so.
When done, remove the carrot and onion pieces, as well as the basil. Stir in the 1/4 cup basil and reserved tomatoes. Add more salt and pepper if necessary.
