For A Sweeter Homemade Pasta Sauce, Reach For These Famous Italian Tomatoes

Fresh breadsticks, fried arancini, and a bowl of comforting pasta are only as good as the common thread that ties all these Italian classics together: a rich and flavorful tomato sauce. It's simple at its core, but making the perfect pasta sauce worthy of an Italian nonna often comes down to trial and error (possibly lots of errors). We spoke with Anthony Paone, the executive chef and culinary mastermind behind the East Coast Italian restaurant Campanella in Sebastopol, California, and he said creating a robust homemade pasta sauce with just the right amount of sweetness starts with sourcing a specific type of tomato.

Paone's suggestion probably won't surprise anyone familiar with making sauce from scratch. "I only recommend making tomato sauce out of canned San Marzano tomatoes or homegrown." Although San Marzano tomatoes are originally from Italy, they can be sourced locally these days in the United States, and you don't have to go hunting around for a specific label. "As far as brand loyalty, there are a ton of products out there," Paone said. "We either use Di Napoli or Mr. Marzano."

Some folks like to jazz up jarred pasta sauce with fruity ingredients, wine, or various other components to increase the sweetness. But because San Marzano tomatoes are a low-acid variety, they retain more sweetness on their own — especially after enhancing the flavor of pasta sauce with a slow simmer. "Cooking this for 30 minutes or so will reduce the acid and give you sweet tomato sauce," Paone said. Still, he did acknowledge that what creates the ultimate pasta sauce is subjective. "My definition of sweet may differ from yours, and sweetness isn't paramount to me, so I am against adding sugar or carrots or wine or anything specifically used for sweetness," he shared.

Contrary to what some purists like to believe, a flavorful homemade pasta sauce doesn't need to start with fresh tomatoes. "They aren't necessarily better canned or fresh," Anthony Paone said. In fact, he indicated that many culinary professionals prefer a canned product to make their lives a bit easier. "Most chefs get canned to save labor dollars and time, and because they don't have access to raw product," he said.

Using San Marzano tomatoes may be the first step for a naturally sweet homemade pasta sauce, but you also want to avoid tossing in all kinds of fancy ingredients to augment the flavor. Chef Paone recommended not overcomplicating things and letting the superior tomatoes shine. He said, "As far as marinara, I only use olive oil, garlic, canned tomatoes, and salt."

Simplicity is key. While you can certainly find recipes online for pasta sauces that have a list of ingredients as long as your arm, Paone indicated that many of those aren't necessary — or desirable, in his mind. "Good olive oil and fresh garlic are the best complements," he said. Of course, Paone added that no homemade pasta sauce is complete without adding a tomato's bright, fresh culinary best friend as the chef's kiss to the dish: fresh basil.