This naturally (intensely) sweet tomato Passata Sauce recipe is in a word, delicious. We use it for making all kinds of toothsome pasta dishes and in some of our favorite lasagnas. You can use any type of jarred tomato purée for this recipe, but today (and for as long as they'll keep making it) we're using Sul Campo Mutti Passata di Pomodoro (tomato "passata" or puréed, strained tomatoes). This passata is produced in Italy on-site in a mobile "Instafactory" that's brought straight to the farm where the tomatoes are grown.
What is Mutti Sul Campo Passata di Pomodori?
Mutti Sul Campo Passata is premium jarred Italian puréed tomatoes made from tomatoes allowed to ripen on the vine. When they reach the absolute peak, sweet, juicy ripeness they're picked and processed on-site immediately within hours of being harvested (instead of days) in Mutti's mobile factory. They bring the processing plant to the farms which means these tomatoes are not picked before they're ripe and they don't have to be transported to a facility to be processed. This makes a premium jar of tomatoes. Plus, you know exactly which farm your jar of tomatoes comes from.
What's the Best Kind of Tomato Passata for Pasta Sauce?
If you care about flavor, choosing the best tomatoes matters. Canned and jarred tomatoes run the spectrum when it comes to quality. Some brands contain an entire day's worth of sodium, unnecessary preservatives, and flavorless tomatoes. While others (like this jar of Sul Campo Mutti Passata), rely on the high quality of the tomatoes and contain just 2 ingredients: (Rossoro tomatoes 99.5%, and salt .5%).
You can find out more about this special tomato project from Mutti over here and you can even find this Passata in the States too. I can honestly say that this is the sweetest and brightest (full of real tomato flavor) passata I've ever used with the exception of home-canned tomatoes grown here in Italy.
How to Choose the Best Jar of Tomato Passata or Canned Tomatoes to Buy
When you're choosing a jar or can of tomatoes look at the label to identify how many ingredients it has and whether it has added salt (and how much), citric acid, etc. Also, look to see where the tomatoes come from. The highly mineral volcanic soil in the Mediterranean (and the climate) produces superior tomatoes so it's a good bet to buy "made in Italy" or San Marzano DOP tomatoes. If those aren't options for you because of price etc., look for tomatoes with the least amount of ingredients which means that the producer is counting on the quality of the tomatoes without needing to add fillers, preservatives, or flavor enhancers.
Simple Italian Tomato Passata Sauce Ingredients
There are only 4 ingredients in the pasta sauce (not counting salt) making it a really simple but delicious and velvety tomato sauce. Plus, it's vegan and delicious enough for dinner parties when you have a mixed group. Spice it up with crushed red peppers or a leaf or two of fresh basil for even more flavor.
- Mutti Sul Campo Tomato Passata (or your favorite jar of tomato purée)
- extra virgin olive oil
- onion
- carrot
- garlic
- salt
- crushed red pepper (optional)
- basil leaf (optional)
How to Make Simple Italian Tomato Passata Pasta Sauce
A simple Italian tomato sauce that's perfect for any meal and is a great sauce for MealPrep. Simply double, or quadruple the recipe and freeze it in portions or refrigerate it for weeknight meals that are wholesome and hassle-free. Use this tomato sauce for homemade pizza, spaghetti dinners, and lasagna.
- Sauté the onion, carrots + garlic. Heat the olive oil and the smashed garlic over medium heat until fragrant and the clove is lightly blistered (about 1 to 2 minutes). Add the diced onion and carrots, stir and cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender (about 5 minutes) and add the tomato purée. Pour a couple of tablespoons of water into the tomato jar and swirl it around to get every last bit of tomatoes to release from the sides and pour this into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and add salt to taste.
- Simmer the sauce. Cover the sauce with a lid left slightly ajar and continue cooking over low heat stirring occasionally. After about 15 minutes have passed, remove the lid and continue cooking for the remaining 10 minutes or so, or until the sauce is slightly reduced, glistening, and deep red in color. Remove the garlic clove. Serve with your favorite pasta like tagliatelle, pappardelle, rigatoni, spaghetti, penne, or layered into lasagna and Enjoy.
Looking for More Delicious Pasta Dishes to Make?
If you love pasta as much as we do, below are a few of our favorites we think you might also enjoy.
-
- Anniversary Pasta (Spicy Shrimp Tomato-Alfredo Sauce w/Rigatoni)
- Asparagus & Ham Lasagna (w/Asparagus Bechamel)
- Classic Lasagna Bolognese (authentic Italian recipe)
- Shrimp Fettuccini Alfredo Pasta Recipe (w/Parmigiano Cream Sauce)
- Baked Ziti with Ragù (from Scratch)
- 15-Minute Shrimp Pasta w/Garganelli (the Italian Way)
- Spaghetti alla Carbonara (Cook Pasta Like A Roman)
- Tagliatelle al Ragù (Northern Italian Beef Ragù w/Pasta)
- Cajun Style Royal Red Shrimp Pasta for One (or a crowd)
- Triple Shrimp Trighetto Pasta (Creamy Shrimp Pasta)
Tomato Passata Pasta Sauce tips + tricks +FAQ's
- What is tomato passata? Tomato Passata is purêed strained tomatoes usually found in a jar. It's made without additives or flavorings and contains simply tomatoes, or tomatoes, and a small amount of salt. The consistency is totally smooth and is seedless. Tomato passata is full of tomato flavor and makes luxurious and velvety tomato sauces for any kind of pasta. Passata is Italian for "passed", meaning the tomatoes have been passed through a food mill (in the traditional sense) to produce a purée of tomato without seeds or pulp.
- What can you substitute for tomato passata? Tomato passata can be substituted with puréed tomatoes if you can't find the Italian passata, although nowadays it's fairly easy to get a good Italian Passata like Mutti Passata that we use in this recipe.
- What can you substitute for tomato purée? Tomato passata can be used to substitute tomato purée and it's delicious.
- Passata vs. Tomato Sauce? Tomato passata is not the same thing as tomato sauce typically found in American grocery stores. Tomato sauce is typically slightly thicker and contains flavorings and additional ingredients not found in Italian passata (jarred puréed strained tomatoes or jarred puréed tomatoes with a minimal amount of added salt). Passata tastes brighter, sweeter, and more tomatoey than typical American tomato sauce.
- Can I substitute Passata with Canned (tinned) tomatoes? Tinned tomatoes can be substituted for tomato passata, but you may want to add a small amount of water to the sauce or dish as it's cooking.
Let's get started!
Print📖 Recipe
Simple Italian Tomato Passata Sauce (made from tomato purée)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings depending on hunger level 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Here's another one of our most simple (and seriously delicious) tomato sauces we like for making all kinds of pasta and lasagna. You can use any type of jarred tomato purée for this recipe, but today we're using a very special Mutti brand tomato "passata" (puréed tomatoes typically available in glass jars instead of tin cans). The sauce cooks up in just under 30 minutes) which is why we always have a jar on hand.
Ingredients
- 1 (20-ounce) jar of Mutti Sul Campo Tomato Passata (or your favorite jar of tomato purée) (560g)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (25-40g)
- ½ small yellow or white onion, finely diced
- ½ small carrot, diced
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- salt to taste
- crushed red pepper (optional)
- basil leaf (optional)
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Instructions
- Sauté the onion, carrots + garlic. Heat the olive oil and the smashed garlic over medium heat until fragrant and the clove is lightly blistered (about 1 to 2 minutes). Add the diced onion and carrots, stir and cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender (about 5 minutes) and add the tomato purée. Pour a couple of tablespoons of water into the tomato jar and swirl it around to get every last bit of tomatoes to release from the sides and pour this into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and add salt to taste.
- Simmer the sauce. Cover the sauce with a lid left slightly ajar and continue cooking over low heat stirring occasionally. After about 15 minutes have passed, remove the lid and continue cooking for the remaining 10 minutes or so, or until the sauce is slightly reduced, glistening, and deep red in color. Remove the garlic clove. Serve with your favorite pasta like tagliatelle, pappardelle, rigatoni, spaghetti, penne, or layered into lasagna and Enjoy.
Notes
- If you're eating this sauce with pasta right away be sure to add a spoonful or two of pasta cooking water to the sauce just before the noodles have finished cooking. This helps the sauce bind to and coat the noodles making it extra delicious.
- To make the bowl of pasta taste even better you can always add freshly grated Parmigiano or Grana Padano, or Parmesan to taste.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Sauces + Spreads + Dips
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ cup
Simple Italian Tomato Passata Pasta Sauce step-by-step recipe photos
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