The Super Umami Ingredient That Instantly Upgrades Any Tomato Sauce

Tomato sauce is the bedrock of Italian cooking, as well as the secret to infusing flavor into soups and stews. A spoonful can add a wow factor to so many dishes, but there's an ingredient that can further boost its impact. If you're on a mission to make a showstopping batch of homemade tomato sauce (or to amp up a canned version), add some miso and watch the flavors blossom. It's a savory tip we picked up in an exclusive interview with Alexandra Shytsman, recipe developer, cookbook author, and founder of the plant-based recipe site The New Baguette. She says that the ancient Japanese seasoning blends perfectly with tomato sauce and adds depth to  the flavor profile.

Miso makes food better because of its intense umami, a savory flavor that is created by one major amino acid called glutamate. Tomatoes also contain glutamate, and pairing the two magnifies the umami flavor. The salty and rich miso also balances out the bright, acidic qualities in tomatoes, creating a rich, flavorful sauce. "Miso is salty, super-savory, and slightly sweet," explains Shytsman. "Adding it to tomato sauce would amplify the umami taste (i.e. 'savoriness'), which could be useful for amping up the flavor of so-so jarred tomato sauces, or homemade tomato sauces made with out-of-season tomatoes."

The magic of miso is you don't need a ton of it to make a big difference in all kinds of dishes. A bit of miso will roasted broccoli irresistible and it's also the umami bomb your next tuna salad needs. And while it transforms tomato sauce into something spectacular, a little bit of the savory paste goes a long way. Too much miso in your tomato sauce can lead to an overpowering salty flavor that (speaking from personal experience) edges on a fishy taste. Alexandra Shytsman suggests starting small when you add it to tomato sauce. "For a quart of sauce, I would start with 1 tablespoon of white miso ('shiro miso') and work my way up if needed," she says. White miso has one the mildest tastes of the more than 1,000 varieties of miso, and it's also one that's easy to find in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores.

Pro tip: Don't just drop a spoonful of miso paste straight into your tomato sauce. Shytsman suggests making it into soup before you add it to prevent clumping. "It's a thick paste, so it can be tricky to incorporate," she notes. "Combine it with a splash of water in a small bowl first, whisk to dissolve, then stir into tomato sauce. I would also add a bit of sweetener to the sauce — like granulated sugar or even maple syrup — to balance out the saltiness."