Skip to main content

Fast, Fresh Tomato Sauce

I love this over pasta, but it’s also good used as you would salsa, hot or cold: over grilled or poached fish, meat, or poultry, or even as a dip. Be sure, one day, to try the Spanish version (page 606).

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 3 to 4 cups

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
About 1 pound ripe fresh tomatoes (preferably peeled and seeded), chopped, or canned tomatoes, drained and chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put the olive oil in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and, when the slices have colored slightly, after about 2 minutes, the tomatoes, along with some salt and pepper.

    Step 2

    Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break up and the mixture becomes saucy, about 10 minutes. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to several days (reheat before serving).

  2. Japanese Tomato Sauce with Miso

    Step 3

    A terrific sauce for grilled fish, just shockingly good. In step 2, combine about 1/2 cup of the cooked tomato liquid in a bowl with 1/4 cup miso and 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and whisk to blend. Stir back into the sauce just before serving.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
Read More
Like spicy carrot rigatoni and weeknight-fancy ravioli with peas.
Like lemony baked salmon and strawberry shortcake roll.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
Like creamy butternut squash soup and brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Double-the-mustard chicken, gingery mustard BBQ sauce, cider-dijon pork with roasted apples, and more.
Like sweet-spicy zucchini and joojeh kebab.
A dash of cocoa powder adds depth and richness to the broth of this easy turkey chili.