What Is Tomato sauce and How Can I Use It?
Wondering what to do with tomato sauce? This guide covers how to pick it, cook it, store it, and swap it — with 1,234 recipes to put it to work.
What is tomato sauce?
Tomato sauce is any of a very large number of sauces made primarily from tomatoes, usually to be served as part of a dish (rather than as a condiment).
Tomato sauces are common for meat and vegetables, but they are perhaps best known as sauces for pasta dishes.
Tomatoes have a rich flavour, low liquid content, very soft flesh which breaks down easily, and the right composition to thicken into a sauce when they are cooked.
These qualities make them ideal for simple and appealing sauces.
The simplest tomato sauces consist just of chopped tomato flesh (with the skins and seeds optionally removed), cooked in a little olive oil and simmered until it loses its raw flavour, and seasoned with salt.
Water (or another, more flavourful liquid such as stock or wine) is often added to keep it from drying out too much.
Onion and garlic are almost always sweated or sautéed at the beginning before the tomato is added.
Other seasonings typically include basil, oregano, parsley, and possibly some spicy red pepper or black pepper. Ground or chopped meat is also common.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (244g)Where found
Tomato sauce is usually found in the pasta section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
Food group
Tomato sauce is a member of the Vegetables and Vegetable Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
How much does tomato sauce weigh?
| Amount | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | 244 grams |
Related
Vegetables and Vegetable Products
| In Chinese: | 番茄酱 | |
| British (UK) term: | ||
| en français: | sauce tomate | |
| en español: | salsa de tomate |
Recipes using tomato sauce
There are 1234 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Eggs Baked in Peppers
Eggs, simply baked in sweet red bell pepper served with tomato sauce. Just 3 ingredients create a delightfully creative breakfast or brunch that even kids like.
Meatballs with Sauce
Cheese-stuffed meatballs simmered in a roux-thickened tomato sauce with white wine. Made with ground sirloin and cheddar, served over spaghetti or rice.
Beefy Chili
Beefy chili is a Texas-style chili made with fresh dried chili pod paste, ground beef, oregano, cumin, and red wine. No beans, no powder, just deep slow-simmered authentic flavor.
Paneer Basmati Pilaf--Paneer Pulao
Paneer Pulao is a delightful and mildly aromatic Indian rice dish that combines basmati rice with paneer, which is a type of Indian cottage cheese.
Acapulco Baked Eggs
Learn how to make easy Baked Eggs with simple ingredients on hand. Fluffy eggs that puff up in the oven, topped with cheese and a bit of texture from green peppers optionally garnished with tomatoes, make for a welcome breakfast changeup.
Hamburgers on the Halfshell
Hamburgers on the halfshell, open-faced raw beef burgers broiled on a bun with tomato sauce, onions, pepper, and melted cheese. A pantry-clearing weeknight version of the classic burger.
Buffalo Chicken Wings #4
Classic Buffalo wings with homemade tomato-based hot sauce and creamy blue cheese dressing. Deep-fried golden, tossed in tangy heat, served with chilled celery.
Santoreggia Rosso Sauce (Savory Red Sauce)
My family loves Italian food so I created this recipe to fit our tastes of a savory marinara sauce that is great over pasta, in lasagna, on pizza and as a dipping sauce. We love it over cooked spaghetti squash. You can make it with the meatballs or leave them out. It very freezes well.
Best Meatballs & Spaghetti Sauce
Italian meatballs and spaghetti sauce simmer parmesan-laced beef meatballs in a wine-spiked tomato sauce with onion, garlic, green pepper, basil, and oregano. Weeknight ready in 45 minutes.
Mom's Favourite Chili
Mom's chili stacks beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, and a quiet blend of cumin, oregano, and basil into a slow-simmered family-style pot. Old-school weeknight chili with a long-simmer payoff.
Zesty Meatball Sandwiches- Crock Pot
Try something different for lunch with this scrumptious dish you can use to make amazing sandwiches.
Chili, Chuck Morford
A hearty beef and two-bean chili loaded with jalapenos, kidney and black beans, and a deep spice blend, slow-simmered with an optional splash of beer. Big-batch, crowd-pleasing, and seriously warming.
Chili Spiced Beef & Bean Stew
A succulent dish that brings some variety to dinner and a tantalizing flavor everyone will enjoy!
Spinach Lasagne
Spinach lasagne layers a creamy ricotta-parmesan-spinach filling with no-boil noodles and tomato sauce, all under bubbling mozzarella and Monterey jack. A vegetarian classic that skips the noodle-boiling step.
Alamo Chili
A simple but savory chili made with succulent stewing beef, pinto beans and jalapeno peppers.
Remember the Alamo Chili
Remember the Alamo Chili: a hearty Texas-style ground beef chili built on fresh hot chilies, garlic, cumin and citrusy Mexican oregano in a rich tomato base. Add beans if you must, and finish with a cool spoonful of sour cream.
Yummy Spaghetti with Meatballs
Spaghetti and meatballs simmered in a slow-cooked tomato sauce with red wine, mushrooms, green pepper, basil, and oregano. Tender pan-fried beef meatballs and a deeply layered sauce that builds for two hours.
Herbed Tomato Soup
Herbed tomato soup microwaves a tomato sauce base with sauteed onion, basil, and thyme into a 15-minute single-serve soup. Low fat, low calorie, served with Parmesan croutons.
Homemade Baked Noodles
Asian-style baked noodle casserole layered with stir-fried vegetables, creamy white sauce, and a golden breadcrumb crust. A fusion comfort dish that transforms simple ingredients into something special.
Cobble Corn Chili Tacos
Cobble corn chili tacos stuff crispy taco shells with a chunky chili-style ground beef filling loaded with corn, stewed tomatoes, and celery. A 45-minute weeknight Tex-Mex pantry dinner.
Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Meatballs in tomato sauce is so popular at our daily cooking, it is delicious and filling, and everyone loves it!
Papoutsakia with Meatballs
Greek-style meatball and tomato soup with oregano, garlic, optional zucchini, and rice or pasta. Hearty, herby beef meatballs in a rich tomato broth.
Bud's Sunday (2-21) Chilli
Two-meat Sunday chili with cubed sirloin tip and ground beef, three cans of tomatoes, chili beans, wine, and a generous spice rub. Cook, cool, reheat for deep flavor.
