Food Cooking Techniques 9 Essential Tomato Sauces Nothing beats the rich, pure flavor of homemade tomato sauce. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 2, 2024 Close Photo: Photo and Styling by Julia Gartland Everyone needs a go-to tomato sauce recipe, but why have just one? From pure concentrated tomato to spiced and meaty, tomato sauce can take on myriad flavor-texture combinations uniquely suited for a variety of dishes. Regardless of what you're looking to slather in tomato sauce, we've gathered 9 recipes to cover the bases. 01 of 09 Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Shell Royster "This is the simplest of all sauces to make, and none has a purer, more irresistibly sweet tomato taste," said late cookbook author Marcella Hazan. Get the Recipe 02 of 09 Puttanesca Sauce Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This quick southern Italian sauce is a pungent, briny collaboration of anchovies, olives, and capers within a chunky tomato base. Eat it with spaghetti to keep things traditional. Get the Recipe 03 of 09 Sunday Sauce Julia Hartbeck This recipe may be an all-afternoon affair, but the dinnertime reward is well worth the hours of delicious anticipation endured in the sauce's captivating aroma as it cooks. Get the Recipe 04 of 09 Vodka Sauce Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Vodka and crushed red pepper add spicy flavor to this lightly creamy Italian-American sauce. Get the Recipe 05 of 09 Garlicky Tomato Sauce © Con Poulos Used for a dish called tagliatelle all'aglione in Tuscany, this sauce is named for its generous amount of garlic (aglio in Italian). It's simple and full of Mediterranean flavor. Get the Recipe 06 of 09 Spicy Tomato Sauce © Christina Holmes Paprika, cumin, and ginger lend their aromatic alchemy to a simple, no-cook tomato sauce. You can use the sauce with a wide range of ingredients, including penne with shrimp, mozzarella, sausage, or grilled vegetables. Get the Recipe 07 of 09 Summer Tomato Sauce William Meppem This light, uncooked sauce makes use of perfectly ripe peak-season tomatoes. Be sure they're at room temperature, not cold. Get the Recipe 08 of 09 All'Amatriciana Sauce © Simon Watson This rich, spicy sauce is made from tomatoes, caramelized onion, dried chile pepper, and plenty of deeply savory cured guanciale. Get the Recipe 09 of 09 Tomato Ginger Sauce © Bobbi Lin Though you can put this simple tomato sauce together in a matter of minutes, it has surprisingly complex flavor. Try it on firm white fish like cod, grouper, or halibut. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit