Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce Recipe (With Butter)
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Marcella Hazan Tomato Sauce absolutely bursts with authentic Italian flavor! Made with fresh tomatoes and the perfect blend of aromatics and spices, this butter tomato sauce will take your taste buds into a new dimension!! You’ll love the flavor of the sauce!
Recreate one of the most famous Marcella Hazan recipes — marinara sauce — in the comfort of your kitchen.
This original recipe is the best pasta sauce and I love piling it high on a pound of pasta. Top with parmesan cheese, and you’re done!
This is such a simple recipe for a home cook.
The entire cooking process to make Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce isn’t difficult at all. The rich flavor literally makes this the perfect recipe.
And yes, the leftovers from last night still taste amazing!
This sauce recipe is a great topper for homemade pasta and really does have amazing flavor. I’ve made it numerous times, and it’s one of the best sauces I’ve ever had.
This recipe will for sure stand the test of time in my kitchen, because it’s a great way to feed the family!
Table of Contents
Marcella Hazan Tomato Sauce
While you only need a few ingredients, there is no shortage of flavor or the incredible aroma wafting through your home.
Use these pizza breadsticks as a shovel to get all the tasty goodness into your mouth! Or devour these air fryer mozzarella sticks while dipping them into the sauce.
Hazan tomato sauce is delicious with all types of garlic bread and pasta too. You can also spoon it over some meatballs and spaghetti for some delicious comfort food.
How To Make Marcella Hazan Sauce
In less than an hour, you can whip up a batch of this delicious butter tomato sauce. It’s super easy!
Cook the tomatoes, butter, and onions using medium-high heat in a large pot. Simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
Gently break up the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon.
Remove any chunks of onions, season with salt, and serve Marcella Hazan sauce with a pile of your favorite pasta.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Spice it up! If you are in the mood for some extra flavor, go ahead and add in some minced garlic, pepper, basil, oregano, or any other Italian spices and herbs.
- Make it extra smooth. Want the onion flavor but don’t like the chunks? No problem!
Simply transfer Marcella Hazan tomato sauce to a blender or food processor and give it a whirl. - Salted butter works. Adding butter to the marinara sauce makes it richer. It’s an excellent change compared to sauces like my easy 5 minute marinara.
You may want to cut back on added salt if using salted butter, but the flavor is going to be amazing either way. - Feed a crowd! This recipe makes a large batch, for 12 servings! However, you can double or even triple the batch for more Hazan tomato sauce!
You will need to use a stock pot if you are making a larger batch. A little bit will go a long way so be aware of that the first time that you make it!
It’s seriously the best thing to make that tastes just like it came from a classic Italian cook book! - Love onions? Add more! While onions are common in Marcella Hazan recipes, this sauce doesn’t have a strong onion flavor.
If you love lots of onions, go ahead and chop them small then add them to the tomatoes.
This genius recipe gives you the flexibility to add a halved onion or sweet onions. I’ll also toss in a generous pinch of salt and some black pepper as well. - If you’re a fan of garlic, throw in an extra clove of garlic or two. You’ll get rave reviews, so no matter how you make this delicious tomato sauce.
It’s a delicious sauce no matter the variety! (and likely, you won’t even have enough sauce because people will gobble it up!)
I find the flavor of Marcella Hazan tomato sauce to be more like the marinara sauce you find in Southern Italy, which is not overpowered by onions.
Hazan Tomato Sauce FAQ
Named for its creator, Marcella Hazan, it’s a rich butter tomato sauce that’s seasoned with onions and salt.
Hazan is a famous Italian cookbook author, credited with introducing traditional Italian cooking techniques to home cooks in the UK and the US. I consider this sauce to be one of the essentials of classic Italian cooking and make this smooth sauce almost monthly.
As the tomatoes cook, they do break down and give you a hearty and rich marinara sauce.
However, it isn’t going to be as thick as an Italian meat sauce that uses tomato paste. You can always thin out the tomato sauce recipe if you want, but I like to make the classic recipe just like it’s written on the recipe card.
Absolutely! Pour the sauce into a gallon-sized freezer bag or a freezer-safe airtight container. Remove any air from the bag, close it, and lay it flat on a baking sheet.
Freeze until solid, then you can move it to make more space.
Marcella Hazan sauce will last for 6 months in the freezer. Defrost in the fridge overnight before serving.
Butter Tomato Sauce Serving Suggestions
The options are endless! Mix the Marcella Hazan tomato sauce into eggs, top a piece of toast, mix it into pasta, or ladle it over pizza dough.
It’s just as delicious added to sandwiches and roasted veggies. The flavor of the San Marzano tomatoes go with just about anything and all types of other Italian food.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce Recipe (With Butter)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 28 ounces San Marzano whole tomatoes
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3 white onions, peeled and chopped in half
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add the tomatoes, butter, and onions to a large pot over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer and then reduce to medium heat.Allow the sauce to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon as they cook.
- Discard the onion and season to taste. Serve over freshly cooked pasta with parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published August 2021, updated and republished March 2025
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The ingredient list has 28 oz CANS of tomatoe. Is the “s” a typo? If not, how many cans should you use?
SO sorry Adele, I have fixed the recipe, it is 3 cans.
Cans? How many?
So sorry conmargar, I have fixed the recipe, it is 3 cans, enjoy!
I have been making this sauce for years, the only red sauce I will use with pasta. At the beginning it was difficult to find San Marzano tomatoes in my stores, now no problem. Love this sauce.
Can I use fresh tomatoes from my garden?
I would. I do. But I blanch the whole tomatoes and peel before using.
Wow, this sauce tastes so different from regular tomato sauce in such a good way. Delicious.
Still not sure about the cans of tomatoes…for 1x recipe, is it 1 can of tomatoes? For 2x, 2cans, plus 2 cups butter, etc?
So simple and so good! I used a combination of canned tomatoes and fresh garden tomatoes. I think the butter makes the difference!
Is canning possible with this recipe, would like to use as gifts