Fresh Heirloom Tomato Sauce Recipe (2024)

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You’ll fall madly in love when you sip a taste of this Fresh Yellow Heirloom Tomato Sauce Recipe. Your affair will be laced with fresh basil and garlic, embraced in the juices of rich cherry and heirloom tomatoes. Add a kiss of spiciness to this savory sauce by topping it with pepper flakes.

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Yellow Heirloom Tomato Sauce

Let me talk to you about heirloom tomatoes for a moment!

You may have had a tomato before, but have you had an heirloom tomato? Eating an average store-bought tomato is like kissing a boy you like in high school. Eating an heirloom tomato is like kissing the man of your dreams, on a bed of roses, in Paris, under the stars. Their flavor makes you go weak at the knees and you’ll never glance at an average tomato again.

You might be rolling your eyes at my dramatic description. If you are, you haven’t had the heated love affair that is heirloom tomatoes. I adore making heirloom tomato recipes whenever I possibly can, and have been obsessed ever since the first nibble. I even use them in my Oven Roasted Tomato Soup. Any excuse to taste the passion that pours from them all season long. You’ll melt at the taste of this Tomato Tart and Italian Balsamic Tomatoes as well. Go ahead. Taste and see, my friends.

How to Make Fresh Heirloom Tomato Sauce

  1. Prep – In a saucepan, cook the onion in olive oil until translucent. Add the pepper flakes and garlic. Cook until fragrant.
  2. Add yellow tomatoes – Add the tomatoes, salt, and bay leaf to the pan. Cook until the tomatoes release their juices. Cook uncovered at this point and remove the bay leaf.
  3. Blend – Transfer the contents of the skillet to the blender, add ¼ cup olive oil, and blend until smooth for a fresh tomato sauce.
  4. Make the pasta – Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain.
  5. Combine – Pour the heirloom tomato sauce over the pasta and toss to coat.
  6. Garnish – Top with sliced cherry tomatoes, pepper flakes, and fresh basil if desired. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe Tips + Variations

  • Storage: How long does fresh sauce last in the fridge? – If stored in an airtight container, this sauce recipe will last up to 5 days.
  • Can fresh tomato sauce be frozen? – It can definitely be frozen in an airtight container for up to 4 months. I tend to use mine up far before then.
  • Reheating – You can reheat using the microwave or over the stove in a saucepan.
  • How to thicken the sauce – If a thicker sauce is desired, you can add a small yellow squash or zucchini in with the tomatoes. This will naturally thicken the sauce. You can also uncover the sauce and let it simmer until it reaches the desired thickness you’re seeking.
  • Can I make it with cherry tomatoes? – That would be a delicious choice. I would suggest sun gold cherry tomatoes for their juiciness and outstanding flavor.
  • Make a golden tomato sauce – Yes, there is such a thing as golden heirloom tomatoes, the proof is in my photos. They make the most elegant golden yellow tomato sauce. You can also try the black krim variety for a darker colored sauce or use a mixture of all of them. It’s up to you.
  • Do I need to peel the tomatoes? – No, you leave that skin right where it is. No blanching, no peeling.
  • Do I need tomato paste or sugar? – No to both! Both are unnecessary.
  • WFPB + Plantricious compliance – Use water or vegetable broth in place of the oil.

Heirloom Tomatoes FAQ

  • What Does Heirloom Tomato Mean? – An heirloom tomato is special because of its seeds. It takes zero cross breeding of seeds for 40 years to create an heirloom tomato. These plants are well-cared for and great strides are taken to produce uncontaminated seeds. They’re even open-pollinated, which means they receive their pollen naturally and not unnaturally. In other words, heirloom tomatoes are the best of the tomato world and aren’t artificially adjusted, created, or touched in any way.
  • What is Heirloom Tomato Season? – Heirloom tomatoes are in season May-October for most parts of the US. Heirlooms can range in types and varieties with some needing to be planted earlier in the season, others may need to be planted later in the season for best results. It all depends on their maturation length. This is how long it takes them to finish growing to be ready for picking time. This season is the same for all tomatoes, even ones that aren’t heirloom.

Sauce Recipes:

Cherry Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
Easy Vegan Bolognese Sauce Recipe
San Marzano Tomato Sauce
Vegan Puttanesca Sauce
Italian Peperonata Sauce
Mango Basil Sauce Recipe.

P.S. As always if you make this recipe make sure to come back here to rate it, snap a photo and tag me with #VeggieSociety on Instagram, it always makes my day ~ Florentina Xo’s

Fresh Heirloom Tomato Sauce Recipe (9)

5 from 1 vote

Fresh Yellow Heirloom Tomato Sauce

You’ll fall madly in love when you sip a taste of this Fresh Yellow Heirloom Tomato Sauce Recipe. Your affair will be laced with fresh basil and garlic, embraced in the juices of rich cherry and heirloom tomatoes.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:20 minutes mins

Total Time:30 minutes mins

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Slice the tomatoes into wedges.

  • Preheat a medium sauce pan over medium low flame and sautee the onion in drizzle of olive oil until translucent and begins to get some color. (use water or veggie broth for WFPB + Plantricious compliance).

  • Add the chili flakes and minced garlic and cool another 30 seconds or so until the garlic starts releasing its aroma.

  • Mix in the tomatoes, a pinch of sea salt and the bay leaf and toss everything to coat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for about 15 minutes until the tomatoes have collapsed and released their juices. Resist the temptation to add any liquid at all, we are looking to extract and concentrate all that beautiful tomato juice.

  • Remove the lid and cook a few more minutes uncovered until the sauce starts to thicken slightly. Discard bay leaf.

  • Carefully use a ladle and transfer everything to the bowl of a blender together with 1/4 cup of olive oil. Process on the hot soup setting until silky smooth. Adjust seasonings with sea salt.

  • Meanwhile cook your spaghetti until al dente in salty water according to package directions. Reserve some of the cooking pasta water before draining in case you need to stretch out the sauce.

  • Pour the heirloom tomato sauce over the cooked spaghetti and toss to coat well.

  • Serve topped with the sliced up cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and red pepper flakes.

WFPB + Plantricious

  • For compliance make sure to omit all oil and sautee in water or veggie broth. For the pasta use a whole grain or lentil pasta.

    Fresh Heirloom Tomato Sauce Recipe (10)

Notes

  • WFPB + Plantricious Compliance: make sure to omit all oil and sautee in water or veggie broth. For the pasta use a whole grain or lentil pasta.
  • How to thicken the sauce - If a thicker sauce is desired, you can add a small yellow squash or zucchini in with the tomatoes. This will naturally thicken the sauce. You can also uncover the sauce and let it simmer until it reaches the desired thickness you’re seeking.
  • Can I make it with cherry tomatoes? - That would be a delicious choice. I would suggest sun gold cherry tomatoes for their juiciness and outstanding flavor.
  • Make a golden tomato sauce - Yes, there is such a thing as golden heirloom tomatoes, the proof is in my photos. They make the most elegant golden yellow tomato sauce. You can also try the black krim variety for a darker colored sauce or use a mixture of all of them. It’s up to you.
  • Do I need to peel the tomatoes? - No, you leave that skin right where it is. No blanching, no peeling.
  • Do I need tomato paste or sugar? - No to both! Both are unnecessary.

Nutrition

Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 77g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 837mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2071IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 4mg

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: fresh tomato sauce, plant based, tomato sauce, vegan sauce

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 474kcal

Author: Florentina

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Fresh Heirloom Tomato Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to making a rich tomato sauce? ›

Starting with good quality tomatoes and crushing them by hand offers great flavor and texture later on. The combination of butter and oil releases fat-soluble aromatics and gives the sauce a creamy texture. Slowly cooking the sauce in the oven creates rich caramelization without burning.

What are the best heirloom tomatoes for sauce? ›

'San Marzano'

Italy is home to these deep red, plum-type tomatoes, and 'San Marzanos' grown in the rich soil of the Campania region are said to be among the world's best paste types. Their sweet flavor, dense pulp, low acidity and low seed count make them ideal for homemade sauces and pizzas.

How to make tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes Martha Stewart? ›

Directions
  1. Cook garlic: In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  2. Add tomatoes: Add red-pepper flakes (optional) and tomatoes, breaking them up as you go. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Simmer sauce: Bring to a boil, then reduce to a rapid simmer.
Aug 11, 2023

What makes tomato sauce taste better? ›

Add Some Umami

Some tomato sauces need a hit of the savory flavor we call umami, which you can get from a little bit of Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, or liquid aminos. You could also use soy sauce, so long as you're sure it won't make your sauce too salty.

Are you supposed to put sugar in tomato sauce? ›

Most tomato sauce recipes are based on canned tomatoes, and canning companies carefully regulate the pH level of their products. So, the need to add sugar to tomato sauce is declining, but there may still be exceptions. It's best to make your sauce without sugar at first, then taste it and add a pinch if necessary.

What adds depth to tomato sauce? ›

Toss in Olives or Capers

Briny ingredients like olives or capers are another way to brighten up your pasta sauce while also introducing texture and depth of flavor. Roughly chop a handful and stir them into your sauce while it's heating up on the stove.

What will thicken up tomato sauce? ›

Cornstarch is a powerful thickener, so start by whisking in no more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture per 2 cups of simmering sauce; stir and simmer for 2 minutes, check the thickness, and repeat with more slurry as needed.

What is the tastiest heirloom tomato? ›

"Top 10" Favorite Heirloom Tomatoes
  • Chocolate Stripes (red/green striped)
  • Blondkopfchen (yellow cherry)
  • Black Krim (purple/black beefsteak)
  • Brandywine, OTV (red beefsteak)
  • Amana Orange (orange beefsteak)
  • Azoychka (yellow/orange beefsteak)
  • Cherokee Chocolate (mahogany beefsteak)
  • Sunset's Red Horizon (red beefsteak)

What is so special about heirloom tomatoes? ›

In general, heirlooms are commonly less seedy, more flavorful and colorful, and sweeter then hybrid tomatoes. Because they have been selected for flavor and not ease of production on a large-scale, they may be more susceptible to cracking and disease while in the field.

What makes heirloom tomatoes better? ›

Yeah, those are. The seeds are what make an heirloom tomato an heirloom tomato. They are passed down from season to season, taken by the farmers from the tomato plants that produced the best fruit. This process allows farmers to select for certain desirable traits like juiciness, size, shape, or color.

What are the best tomatoes for homemade tomato sauce? ›

Fresh tomatoes: Try to stick with plum tomatoes, like Roma, San Marzano, and cherry tomatoes. Be sure to peel the tomatoes (and remove the seeds, if you like, but it's not necessary). White sugar: The sugar will balance out the acidity and give the sauce a hint of sweetness.

Why is my homemade tomato sauce watery? ›

Tomatoes naturally contain lots of water, so cooking any tomato sauce for a long period of time will help eliminate some of the water content. The water will slowly but surely evaporate, leaving behind a thickened, full-bodied sauce with lots of flavor.

Is it better to peel tomatoes for sauce? ›

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer. In a salad or sandwich, you don't need peeled tomatoes. But, if you're making a fresh tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes, the tomatoes should be peeled, cored, and seeded.

What can you add to tomato sauce to make it better? ›

A generous sprig or two of fresh herbs like basil, parsley, rosemary, or sage can all amp up the flavor of a jarred pasta sauce. Alternatively, some of those herbs, like parsley, sage, and rosemary, can be great minced up and gently fried into fresh olive oil before adding the sauce to the pot.

What gives tomato sauce depth? ›

Sean Ferraro, chef and owner of Madison Avenue Pizza, said he recommends using onions and garlic to "add depth and flavor to the sauce" and a "hint of sweetness." "Dice onions and saute in olive oil until they are translucent.

What is the one ingredient that makes spaghetti sauce so much better? ›

Nutmeg. Nutmeg is the key to boosting earthiness and adding a touch of nuttiness to your spaghetti sauce. Nutmeg also has a slightly sweet flavor, which we know goes great with acidic canned tomatoes. Overall, it accentuates the other ingredients in the sauce and adds complexity.

What is the secret to perfectly sauced pasta? ›

Once the pasta is in the sauce, add pasta water. This is the most vital step in the process. Starchy pasta water doesn't just help thin the sauce to the right consistency; it also helps it cling to the pasta better and emulsify with the fat and cheese you're going to be adding.

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