5 Tips for a Better Tasting Tomato Sauce (2024)

FAQs

5 Tips for a Better Tasting Tomato Sauce? ›

Everything tastes better with some sautéed garlic and onions. Sauté finely chopped onions and garlic in olive oil until fragrant and golden, then add the sauce and let it simmer so the flavors can meld together.

Everything tastes better with some sautéed garlic and onions. Sauté finely chopped onions and garlic in olive oil until fragrant and golden, then add the sauce and let it simmer so the flavors can meld together.

Even better, season it! Taste the sauce once it's warm and add some seasoning. Maybe it needs a touch of salt, red pepper flakes, or some fresh garlic to liven it up. You could add dried or fresh herbs too: oregano, basil, thyme, tarragon, parsley—they're all great!

The addition of butter helps to loosen and emulsify the sauce, making it smooth and creamy.

Insufficient Seasoning: The most common reason for bland sauce is not adding enough seasoning. Spaghetti sauce typically requires a combination of herbs and spices such as garlic, onion, oregano, basil, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Make sure you've added enough of these ingredients to give your sauce depth of flavor.

Yes, there are other ways to make your tomatoes taste even better and increase the acidity. There is lemon, vinegar, or my personal favorite, balsamic. Just imagine a tomato bruschetta with a balsamic vinaigrette drizzled on top.

Tomato sauce has an inherent dilemma: Long-simmered sauces have complex flavor, but simmering over a long period of time cooks out the very thing that makes a ripe tomato so special—its bright, sweet taste.

According to Larousse (Larousse, 1993), the most important sensory qualities of sauces are “color, luster, aroma, taste, texture and viscosity”, thus underlining the importance of the sauce in a dish.

Texture-wise, fat adds a rich, mouth-coating feel to a sauce, both when it's broken out of the sauce on its own, and when it is emulsified with the sauce's liquid phase, making the whole thing creamier. Add a bit of butter in there as well.

What are the 5 components of a sauce? ›

Sauces are the melding of ingredients, including stocks, wine, aromatics, herbs, and dairy, into a harmonious taste.

To double down on tomato flavor in your sauce, heat up a spoonful or two of tomato paste in a couple tablespoons of oil until softened and caramelized before pouring in the sauce and whisking to combine.

If you're using a plain tomato (marinara) sauce, stir in seasonings to add extra flavor. Red pepper flakes, dehydrated or fresh garlic, dried oregano, parsley, or basil, or an Italian seasoning blend are all good options.

A little sugar can make the rest of the flavors shine a little brighter, akin to adding vanilla to a chocolate cake. The goal is to amplify the natural sweetness of the tomatoes, not to turn the sauce sugary, so start with a pinch and work up if needed.

However, there are two humble ingredients that can easily enhance the flavor of tomatoes — salt and extra virgin olive oil. A decent sprinkle of flaky sea salt will help concentrate flavor by drawing out water and providing richer-tasting tomatoes.

When I'm making spaghetti from scratch, I start small with ¼ teaspoon and adjust as needed. The key is to give the sauce's components time to come together, just the same as you would if you were adding salt.

When you make home-made tomato sauce with fresh or tinned tomatoes, it can sometimes turn out to be too acidic. Add a little milk to tomato sauce for a sweeter taste to offset the acidity of the tomatoes. This is a well-kept secret amongst Italian grandmothers.

How do you fix tasteless tomato sauce? ›

Flat or bland sauce likely needs a hit of something acidic to lift and enhance its flavors, such as a small splash of high-quality, flavorful vinegar, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, or a few drops of not-too-fiery hot sauce.

Pungent fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and marjoram can liven up tomato sauce with their bold, distinctive flavors. Add 1 to 2 sprigs of one or more of them to your favorite sauce, cover, and simmer at least 5 minutes to allow them to infuse in the sauce. Remove the sprigs before serving.

Dairy products like cream, cheese, or milk can help in reducing the acidity and mellowing the tomato taste. Stir in some cream or sprinkle grated cheese into your sauce, or add a splash of milk for a creamier and less tart result. Be careful not to add too much, as it can alter the texture of the sauce.

You want to give your tomatoes contact with a direct heat source. That means cooking them at the bottom of whatever saucepan or Dutch oven you're using. The goal here is to remove water from the tomato solids and allow them to caramelize somewhat, which will concentrate their flavor.