Ever stare into your fridge wondering how three random ingredients could possibly create something restaurant-worthy? The famous Italian cookbook writer Marcella Hazan proved that canned tomatoes, butter, and a simple onion can transform into pure magic. This isn’t just another quick dinner hack – it’s a sauce so good that people literally eat it straight from the pot with a spoon, skipping the pasta entirely.
Most people overcomplicate tomato sauce with unnecessary ingredients
Walk into any grocery store and you’ll find pasta sauces with ingredient lists longer than a grocery receipt. Garlic, herbs, wine, cream, cheese – everyone thinks more equals better. But this three-ingredient approach strips away all the noise to let the tomato shine. The beauty lies in the simplicity, where each ingredient has a specific job without competing for attention.
The original recipe from Marcella Hazan’s “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” has been changing minds for decades. No garlic, no herbs, no wine – just tomatoes, butter, and onion simmered together for 45 minutes. The result tastes more purely of tomato than any complex sauce you’ve ever tried. It’s like hearing your favorite song stripped down to just piano and vocals.
The butter does something surprising to canned tomatoes
Butter in tomato sauce sounds weird until you taste it. Most people reach for olive oil when making Italian food, but butter creates a completely different experience. As it slowly melts and mingles with the tomatoes during that long simmer, something magical happens. The butter doesn’t just add richness – it actually makes the tomatoes taste more like themselves.
You’ll know the sauce is ready when those golden butter droplets start floating free from the tomatoes, creating little pools of liquid gold throughout the sauce. This visual cue tells you that the fat has properly emulsified and the sauce has reached its peak. The butter transforms what could be a sharp, acidic tomato sauce into something silky and luxurious that coats pasta perfectly.
The onion trick that changes everything about this sauce
Here’s where this recipe gets really clever – you don’t chop the onion. Just peel it, cut it in half, and throw both halves into the pot. No dicing, no sautéing, no crying over an onion board. The onion slowly releases its sweetness into the sauce over that 45-minute simmer, balancing the acidity of the tomatoes without overpowering them.
When the sauce is done, you simply fish out the onion pieces and toss them. They’ve done their job by infusing their essence into every drop of sauce. This technique gives you all the sweet onion goodness without any chunks or texture changes. It’s like having a secret ingredient that disappears but leaves its mark on every bite.
San Marzano tomatoes make a noticeable difference here
With only three ingredients, quality becomes everything. San Marzano tomatoes from Italy cost more than regular canned tomatoes, but when you’re building a sauce this simple, those extra dollars matter. These tomatoes are naturally sweeter and less acidic than most varieties, with a more complex flavor that really shines when it’s the star of the show.
That said, don’t skip making this sauce if you can’t find San Marzanos. Any good-quality whole canned tomatoes will work beautifully. The key is using whole tomatoes rather than crushed or diced – you want to control how much they break down during cooking. Look for cans with minimal ingredients listed, ideally just tomatoes and salt.
Timing the simmer makes or breaks this recipe
This isn’t a quick weeknight sauce – it needs the full 45 minutes to develop properly. During this time, you’ll stir occasionally and gently smash the tomatoes against the side of the pan. Don’t rush this process by turning up the heat. The gentle simmer allows all the flavors to meld and concentrate without scorching.
The sauce starts looking pretty unremarkable, but around the 30-minute mark, things begin to change. The color deepens, the butter starts separating, and the aroma becomes intoxicating. By the end, you’ll have a sauce that looks completely different from where you started – thicker, richer, and more complex than the sum of its simple parts.
This sauce freezes beautifully for future meals
Since you’re already committing 45 minutes to making this sauce, why not double the recipe? The sauce freezes perfectly for up to three months, and having homemade Marcella Hazan sauce in your freezer feels like having a secret weapon. Just pour cooled sauce into freezer bags, label them, and you’re set for multiple easy dinners.
To use frozen sauce, thaw it overnight in the fridge and warm it gently on the stove. The texture might look slightly separated when it first thaws, but a gentle stir while heating brings it right back together. This freezing tip turns one cooking session into several future meals with minimal effort.
The pasta water trick that restaurants don’t want you to know
Never dump all your pasta water down the drain – save at least a cup before draining. This starchy, salty water is liquid gold for connecting your sauce to your pasta. When you toss the hot pasta with the sauce, add splashes of pasta water until everything looks glossy and cohesive.
The starch in pasta water acts like a natural emulsifier, helping the sauce cling to every strand of pasta instead of sliding off. This technique works with any pasta sauce, but it’s especially important with simple sauces like this one. The pasta water bridges the gap between separate components and creates that restaurant-quality finish at home.
Long pasta shapes work best with this particular sauce
While this sauce tastes great on any pasta, long shapes like spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine really let it shine. The smooth, silky texture coats long noodles perfectly, creating those satisfying twirls on your fork. Short pasta shapes work too, but they don’t showcase the sauce’s luxurious consistency quite as well.
Whatever pasta you choose, cook it just to al dente since it’ll finish cooking slightly when you toss it with the hot sauce. This prevents mushy pasta and ensures every piece has the perfect texture. Remember to salt your pasta water generously – it should taste like mild seawater.
Skip the cheese and other additions for the first try
The urge to “improve” this sauce with Parmesan, basil, or garlic will be strong, but resist it the first time you make it. Marcella Hazan designed this recipe to showcase pure tomato flavor, and additions can muddy that clarity. You want to taste what three simple ingredients can accomplish when treated with respect and patience.
After you’ve experienced the sauce in its original form, then experiment if you want. But many people find that once they taste this pure version, they never want to change it. Sometimes the most revolutionary thing you can do in the kitchen is to resist the urge to make something more complicated than it needs to be.
This three-ingredient tomato sauce proves that the best cooking often comes from restraint rather than excess. When you use quality ingredients and give them time to work their magic, you don’t need a long ingredient list to create something extraordinary. The next time you’re tempted to buy expensive jarred sauce, remember that three simple ingredients and 45 minutes can create something infinitely better.
Three Ingredient Tomato Butter Onion Pasta Sauce
Course: Dinner4
servings5
minutes45
minutes137
kcalThis legendary Marcella Hazan sauce transforms just three simple ingredients into the most pure-tasting tomato sauce you’ve ever experienced.
Ingredients
1 (24-ounce) can whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste (optional)
1 pound pasta of your choice
Directions
- Add the canned tomatoes, butter, and halved onion to a heavy medium-sized saucepan. Pour in all the juices from the tomato can as well. The butter should be cut into pieces if using cold butter to help it melt more evenly.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle, steady simmer. This initial heating should take about 5 minutes, and you’ll see the butter starting to melt into the tomatoes.
- Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. As you stir, gently smash the whole tomatoes against the side of the pan to break them up. Don’t worry about making them perfectly smooth – some chunky texture is fine.
- Watch for the visual cue that tells you the sauce is ready: butter droplets will start floating free from the tomatoes, creating golden pools on the surface. The sauce will have thickened considerably and developed a rich, deep red color.
- Remove the onion halves with a spoon or tongs and discard them. They’ve given their sweetness to the sauce and are no longer needed. Taste the sauce and add salt if desired, though many find it doesn’t need any.
- While the sauce finishes cooking, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.
- Add the drained pasta directly to the pan with the sauce and gently toss to combine. Add splashes of reserved pasta water as needed to create a glossy, cohesive mixture that coats each strand of pasta beautifully.
- Serve immediately while hot, allowing each person to add freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired. The sauce is perfect as-is, but cheese lovers can add their own without compromising the pure tomato flavor for others.
Notes
- Use the best canned whole tomatoes you can afford – San Marzano varieties are ideal but any high-quality whole tomatoes work well
- Don’t rush the 45-minute simmer time as this allows all the flavors to properly meld and concentrate
- The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months
- Always save some pasta cooking water before draining as it helps create the perfect sauce consistency
- Resist adding garlic, herbs, or other ingredients on your first try – experience the pure tomato flavor as intended
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I use crushed tomatoes instead of whole tomatoes?
A: Whole tomatoes work best because you control how much they break down during cooking. Crushed tomatoes are already processed and may become too smooth, losing some of the rustic texture that makes this sauce special.
Q: Why does this sauce take 45 minutes when other tomato sauces cook faster?
A: The long simmer time allows the butter to properly emulsify with the tomatoes and concentrates all the flavors. You’ll notice the sauce looks and tastes completely different after the full cooking time compared to just 15 or 20 minutes.
Q: Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?
A: Yes, salted butter works fine, but you may not need to add any additional salt at the end. Taste the sauce before seasoning since salted butter will add some saltiness during the cooking process.
Q: What should I do if my sauce seems too thick or too thin?
A: If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of pasta water to loosen it. If it’s too thin, let it simmer uncovered for a few extra minutes to reduce and thicken. The consistency should coat pasta nicely without being gloppy.
