# Looking for a good tomato pizza sauce recipe



## Zetebbqing (Oct 26, 2017)

I am new to the forum and I did a little looking to see if I could find one but didn't have much luck. Wondering if anyone had any good suggestions or one of there own recipes?


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## browneyesvictim (Oct 26, 2017)

That's easy. If you are looking for a Neapolitan style pizza, get ahold of some San Marzano tomatoes! Get some of the canned stuff that comes in a 28 oz can such as this brand:
http://www.carmelinabrands.com/producttype/carmelina-san-marzano-italian-tomatoes/

1. Soften some garlic in a pot with Olive oil (but be careful not to burn it!) and salt, then add some sprigs of fresh Basil and then add the can of tomatoes.

2. Heat on medium low and stirring occasionally as the tomatoes break down the sauce will thicken. You can add any other herbs or seasoning to your liking such as oregano, black pepper, red pepper, etc. but I recommend to keep it simple. I like to let the heat and time to break down the tomatoes versus (resisisting the urge of) smashing them or pureeing them with a blender or immersion blender. Should take about an hour or so.


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## noboundaries (Oct 26, 2017)

Wow, there are SOOOOO many ways to fix a pizza sauce, especially if you aren't locked into tradition.  Here in California, anything goes for pizza.  Regardless, the real trick is to get the thickness just right.  Thin sauces go on very light.  You can go heavier with thicker sauces.  My family prefers a thicker sauce, heavy on the spices.  Sometimes I'm just in the mood for tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion.  The garlic and onion are both chopped and fresh. The San Marzano tomatoes really do make a difference, but most of the time I use store brand.

When my kids ask for my homemade pizza, which they do quite often, here is the sauce I make.

Ray's 1 Hour Pizza Sauce - Cooked

This gets better with age but it is ready to use in one hour.  It is a thicker sauce.  If a thinner sauce is desired, add water or wine, white or red.  This works great for bread dips too.

Ingredients
1 small sweet onion finely chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs  butter
1 Tbs basil
1 tsp oregano (use 1/2 tsp oregano if using Mexican oregano.  It is strong stuff!)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp fennel seed, not crushed.
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 30 oz diced tomatoes
6 oz  can tomato paste
1 Tbs sugar (do not add sugar if using San Marzano tomatoes)
1 1/2  tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat a 2 quart saucepan.  Add the olive oil, butter, and onions.  Saute the onions over low heat until tender.  Add the minced garlic and stir to mix well.  AVOID CARAMELIZATION.

2. Add the diced tomatoes and the tomato paste.  Add the spices.  Stir to mix well.  Cover, slowly bring to a simmer, then simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.

3. Although this is ready to use when the cooking is finished, it is better the next day.  Or you can make in the morning, cool then store in the refrigerator, and use in the evening.


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## tallbm (Oct 26, 2017)

Man I am in on this thread.  My FAVORITE part of the pizza is the sauce and I always ask for extra sauce!  I don't like dry food and pizza sauce is awesome... when it's good.



 noboundaries
 your recipe is like right up my alley, especially with being able to add some wine for even more flavor and character. 

I can't wait to see what others post, especially if the recipes are ready in an hour or less :)


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## Rings Я Us (Oct 26, 2017)

browneyesvictim said:


> That's easy. If you are looking for a Neapolitan style pizza, get ahold of some San Marzano tomatoes! Get some of the canned stuff that comes in a 28 oz can such as this brand:
> http://www.carmelinabrands.com/producttype/carmelina-san-marzano-italian-tomatoes/
> 
> 1. Soften some garlic in a pot with Olive oil (but be careful not to burn it!) and salt, then add some sprigs of fresh Basil and then add the can of tomatoes.
> ...



Just a quick lesson on what real San Marzano tomatoes are . 95% sold in the U.S. are fake .  They don't come any way but whole peeled.  check it out.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/livethelive.com/2015/08/14/san-marzano-tomatoes-real-or-fake-3/amp/

Has to have this stamp with numbers like my can has here


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## browneyesvictim (Oct 26, 2017)

Yeah Johnny. I was aware of the claim. But be careful of what you read. That is something like saying only wine grapes grown in the Bordeaux region of France is the only real thing. Its just a certificate of origin. If soil and weather and location is important to make them true a San Marzanos I will eat my hat before I will pay twice the price for the same variety of tomato grown domestically. In fact I was so pleased that I found starts and grew my own this year! I guarantee they are better than the ones grown canned and shipped from Italy!


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## Zetebbqing (Oct 26, 2017)

Awesome guys going to try your sauce ray that's going to take these pizzas up a notch or two. Making 8 pizzas for family and friends tomorrow so should be interesting haha


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## Rings Я Us (Oct 26, 2017)

browneyesvictim said:


> Yeah Johnny. I was aware of the claim. But be careful of what you read. That is something like saying only wine grapes grown in the Bordeaux region of France is the only real thing. Its just a certificate of origin. If soil and weather and location is important to make them true a San Marzanos I will eat my hat before I will pay twice the price for the same variety of tomato grown domestically. In fact I was so pleased that I found starts and grew my own this year! I guarantee they are better than the ones grown canned and shipped from Italy!



I think I buy good ones at my corner market too.. They are from California I believe.. 

:D


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## browneyesvictim (Oct 26, 2017)

I hope this isn't a hijack of the thread, but pointing out the tomatoes can make the difference is important.

To that end you can read on the Carmalina brand site FAQ I posted above those are in fact San Marzano Variety from the Campania region of Italy and they have made a business decision to not pay the overhead cost of the DOP certificate on their label. I have bought them on Amazon, but I have also found the Cento Brand at my local Wal-Mart which I thought were just as good and were about the same price.


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## noboundaries (Oct 26, 2017)

I just found a mistake in my own recipe. Don't add the spices when you sauté the onions.  I corrected the above.


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## browneyesvictim (Oct 26, 2017)

Zete- You should check out noboundaries pizza dough thread too! Its no joke!

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/261586/wsm-gourmet-pizza-because-i-dont-know-what-else-to-call-it


 Here is more of his dough that I stole from him but with my San Marzano sauce.

http://smokingmeatforums.com/index.php?threads/pizza-dough-you-can-sink-your-teeth-into.262912/


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## Rings Я Us (Oct 26, 2017)

I have like 5 big Italian cookbooks.. one has over 1,300 Pages and probably 15 regional pizza recipes in it.. No recipe for sauce like we know it.  haha..

Most I know are crushed  then pureed tomato put in a pan after you have sauteed  minced onion and crushed fine garlic in a drizzle of olive oil .  Simmering just a few minutes and perhaps a pinch of dried oregano and salt n pepper added.. Then after its off the flame you stir in a Tablespoon of fresh chopped Basil.


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## Zetebbqing (Oct 26, 2017)

Sauce turned out great thanks ray. I may have added the spices at the beginning but it is what it is now. Still tastes great. Does anyone add smoke when they are doing pizza?


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## Rings Я Us (Oct 27, 2017)

Zetebbqing said:


> Sauce turned out great thanks ray. I may have added the spices at the beginning but it is what it is now. Still tastes great. Does anyone add smoke when they are doing pizza?



I put Digiorno rising crust supreme pizza on my smoker at like 300 for an hour and add smoke. Apple usually. I put extra stuff on them like bacon and extra onion and mushrooms.. Really good flavor and they look different too. Smoke turns them tan... lol


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## Rings Я Us (Oct 27, 2017)




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## bluewhisper (Oct 27, 2017)

I've quit buying commercial pasta sauces because of the sugar in them. Now I start from scratch, either tomato sauce or tomato paste and water. Sometimes I add diced tomato. Cheap! I add the usual onion, garlic, herbs etc., and if I'm making a pizza sauce I'll go heavier on the oregano. I would spike it with red pepper but I'm cooking for others so I leave that out and add it to my own serving.


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## noboundaries (Oct 27, 2017)

Zetebbqing said:


> Sauce turned out great thanks ray. I may have added the spices at the beginning but it is what it is now. Still tastes great. *Does anyone add smoke when they are doing pizza*?



I do pizza in my smoker (try to get it north of 400F), Kettle (no problem getting it into the 700F+ range), and in the oven (usually 550F, the hottest my oven will go).  The charcoal and smoke of the WSM and the Kettle definitely adds a rustic flavor that you don't get in the oven. Go light on the smoke though, and no water in the water pan.

Hmmm, I have pics from the WSM and the oven, but none from the Kettle. I'm eating a LOT less pizza these days as the doc has me on a shrink-Ray program. Still make it about once every couple of months.

WSM Italian meatball, pepperoni, garlic, and onion pizza cooked in a paella pan






Oven pizzas cooked on a stone then transferred to the baking pan to cool.


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## zerowin (Oct 27, 2017)

Rings Я Us said:


> I have like 5 big Italian cookbooks.. one has over 1,300 Pages and probably 15 regional pizza recipes in it.. No recipe for sauce like we know it.  haha..
> 
> Most I know are crushed  then pureed tomato put in a pan after you have sauteed  minced onion and crushed fine garlic in a drizzle of olive oil .  Simmering just a few minutes and perhaps a pinch of dried oregano and salt n pepper added.. Then after its off the flame you stir in a Tablespoon of fresh chopped Basil.



I agree 100% rings.  I keep it simple, just a touch of sugar if needed but otherwise cook to taste just like you described. I've worked over 10 years in pizza shops, and made quite a few in preparations for the PA gathering that just passed, so it really frustrates me to not have access to restaurant quality ingredients anymore.  I wanted to make one other point here that affects the flavor of any tomato sauce that's canned.  It's pretty tough to find a canned tomato sauce without citric acid in it as a preservative.  6 to 1, which is a very popular crushed tomato sauce with pizzerias all over the country has no citric acid at all.  I believe they are sourced out of California, and use all local tomatoes from there, but I was lucky to find a brand out of Jersey that was just as good in my opinion, and also doesn't have citric acid in it called Avalone.  I'm not saying all canned tomato without citric acid will be good, but when you find a good brand, it's very good straight out of the can, and naturally sweet.

Here are a few shots from the gathering.  Top is a chicago style deep dish that turned out very well. 
	

		
			
		

		
	














Older shots from smoked pies...


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## Rings Я Us (Oct 27, 2017)

Wow!  really cool. looks like fun.


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## johnmeyer (Oct 27, 2017)

This is the basic sauce I use for anything pasta-related. It is derived from a recipe in Cook's Illustrated. For pizza, I add one six-ounce can of tomato paste, in order to make the sauce thicker and richer.

Note the onion is grated, which breaks it down completely and changes its character when sautéd in butter.

It is important to use the Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil, although you can also use Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatoes in Thick Puree with Basil, Hunt's Organic Crushed Tomatoes, Redpack Crushed Tomatoes in Thick Puree, or Progresso Crushed Tomatoes with Added Puree.

*Quick Tomato Sauce *

2       tablespoons unsalted butter
¼      cup grated onion, from 1 medium onion
¼      teaspoon dried oregano
         Table salt
2       medium garlic cloves, through garlic press (about 2 tsp)
1       (28-ounce) can Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil
1       6-ounce can of tomato paste (optional, when making sauce for pizza)
¼      teaspoon sugar
2       tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1       tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
         Ground black pepper

Heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar; increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and oil; season with salt and pepper. Serve.


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## Rings Я Us (Oct 27, 2017)

Passata is a product you can use as opposed to tomato paste


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## Rings Я Us (Oct 27, 2017)

He makes a bunch of sauces for pizza .. white ones too.


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## zwiller (Dec 1, 2017)

I tried tons of recipes and techniques and never could pull off something I liked.  I caved and bought a few pizza making books and the central theme in all is use good tomatoes and keep the sauce simple.  No heating either.  That did it for me.  We made slight adjustments later but had tremendous success with a 14oz can (Kroger) good crushed tomatoes, 1TBSP olive oil, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, pinch salt.  Make a few hours ahead or overnight and let it marry.  It should smell like a garden ripe tomato.  My family are my worst critics but are nuts for my pizza.


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## Rings Я Us (Dec 1, 2017)

Nice..
Maybe you could try fresh Roma tomatoes and whiz some up in a food processor when they are in season next summer.


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