10 Takes on Tomato Sauce

10 Essential Tomato Sauces

Nothing beats the rich, pure flavor of homemade tomato sauce.

Updated on January 2, 2024

Marcella Hazan Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter Recipe — 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 10 recipes to cover the bases.

01 of 10

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

"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.

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02 of 10

Puttanesca Sauce

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.

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03 of 10

Sunday Sauce

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.

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04 of 10

Vodka Sauce

Vodka and crushed red pepper add spicy flavor to this lightly creamy Italian-American sauce.

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05 of 10

Basic Tomato Sauce

This all-purpose tomato sauce is flavored with a little shredded carrot and fresh oregano.

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06 of 10

Garlicky Tomato Sauce

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.

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07 of 10

Spicy Tomato Sauce

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.

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08 of 10

Summer Tomato Sauce

This light, uncooked sauce makes use of perfectly ripe peak-season tomatoes. Be sure they're at room temperature, not cold.

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09 of 10

All'Amatriciana Sauce

Bucatini all'Amatriciana — © Simon Watson

This rich, spicy sauce is made from tomatoes, caramelized onion, dried chile pepper, and plenty of deeply savory cured guanciale.

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10 of 10

Tomato Ginger Sauce

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.

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