Whole Food Plant Based, No Oil, No Sugar, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Nut Free
This warm, comforting, tangy homemade Italian tomato sauce is perfect on pasta, pizza, and lasagna.
Perfect For A Special Occasion Or a Weeknight Dinner
If you are like me, you are already thinking ahead to Valentine’s Day and what you might make for dinner. In a year when it may not be easy to eat at a restaurant, a home cooked meal is a perfect way to celebrate. (But do support your local restaurants by getting takeout often!) And this homemade oil free tomato sauce served over pasta fits the bill perfectly. Serve this sauce over your favorite pasta, along with a salad and a bottle of wine and you will feel like you are eating at an Italian bistro. This makes a nice dinner for a special occasion, yet is easy enough to whip up on a weeknight while you are cooking the pasta.
We just had this for dinner on Martin Luther King Day. In honor of the day, my 5 year old wrote a poem about peace. My favorite lines from her poem: “Peace is like a puzzle. It sounds like a beating heart.” Wow. It’s amazing how kids can see things clearer than a lot of adults. I truly have so much hope when I look at the younger generation. My students display so much more empathy and kindness than I remember seeing in those of my own generation. And my daughter, M, who is 8, has the sweetest group of classmates. One day I went to their school field day and there was a little girl who was too nervous to run in the relay soccer race. And instead of yelling at her as my classmates surely would have in the 90’s, another little girl took her hand and ran with her as a team. I actually started to cry because it was so touching. The children really are our future.
About This Recipe
This recipe is super simple and easy to make. You can easily double it and you can freeze any leftovers. In fact, you can make it ahead and freeze a large batch to use as needed.
Ingredients
Canned San Marzano Tomatoes: I like to use a can of San Marzano tomatoes. Cento is a good brand. You can use a can of tomato puree or sauce instead. (Just make sure to use a total of two 28 ounce cans). I crush the tomatoes with a potato masher or in a food processor before making the sauce.
Tomato Sauce or Tomato Puree: I use a 28 ounce can of either tomato sauce or tomato puree. Diced tomatoes work as well, but make a less smooth sauce. I like Cento or Pomi brand.
Tomato Paste: I like Cento’s tube of tomato paste so I can easily save what I don’t use for another time.
Wine or Vegetable Broth: I like to use a good red wine in this recipe. Wine is not strictly whole food plant based though, so you may choose to use vegetable broth instead. It’s so so good with wine though. (Use the wine). I love Girard winery’s vegan wines. The wine or vegetable broth is for cooking the shallot and garlic in and it allows you to forgo oil, making this sauce super healthy and fat free!
Shallot: I love using shallot in my sauce, as I don’t digest onion well and shallots are smaller (I don’t use a lot). You can use onion instead if you prefer.
Cinnamon: It may seem like a weird ingredient to add to sauce, but a dash of cinnamon is the secret ingredient that gives this sauce a perfect flavor.
Liquid Stevia or Coconut Sugar: You want to add just a little bit of sweetener to cut the bitterness of the tomato. I use liquid stevia to avoid any sugar or calories, but you can certainly use coconut sugar instead.
How To Make This Homemade Oil Free Tomato Sauce
To make this sauce, simply crush the garlic and chop the shallot and cook in a heavy sauce pan over medium heat with the wine, adding more as needed. Once the shallot and garlic are transluscent, add the cans of tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce or puree, the salt, the stevia or coconut sugar, and the pepper. Optionally, you can add cooked mushrooms or red pepper flakes for a little heat. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary and then serve over your favorite pasta. This goes great with my “So Good It’s Nuts” Parmesan Topping. It’s also perfect on pizza or for making lasagna or eggplant parmesan. Stay tuned for those recipes coming soon!
The Best Homemade Oil Free Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- heavy sauce pan
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup good red wine (vegan) or vegetable broth
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1/4 shallot chopped
- 1 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes crushed or pureed
- 1 28 ounce can tomato sauce or tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons sea salt (or to taste)
- a dash cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon liquid stevia (or 1 teaspoon coconut sugar)
- ground pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional if you like it spicy)
Instructions
- Chop the garlic and the shallot and crush or puree the San Marzano tomatoes (if using). Add the wine (or broth) garlic, and shallot to the sauce pan and cook over medium heat until the garlic and shallot are transluscent. Add more wine or broth as needed.
- Add the canned tomatoes, the tomato sauce or puree, the tomato paste, the salt, the stevia or coconut sugar, the pepper, and the red pepper flakes (if using). Make sure to check that your canned tomato sauce or puree does not have added salt. If it does, you will want to reduce the amount of salt you add. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer while you cook the pasta.
- Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, then taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve over pasta (or use in another recipe.)
Follow me on Instagram @goodfoodfromtheheart and Pinterest at Good Food From the Heart and Facebook @GoodFoodFromTheHeart If you make this recipe, post it and be sure to tag me! Or Pin to Pinterest and make later.
Leave a Reply