This is such a beautifully simple and rich-tasting tomato sauce.  I used to make it all the time, somehow forgot about it (go figure!) but then…  I stumbled upon a similar recipe recently when I was browsing at Foodgawker. 

Memories of my sauce came back, and I determined to make it the very next night! 

You really need high quality canned whole tomatoes for this sauce, because the tomatoes play the starring role.  I went ahead and spluged on these San Marzanos (at $3.85 for a 28-ounce can).  As you can see, they aren’t actually imported from Italy, but grown here in the U.S. — and I totally agree with the review that these are “spectacular.”

Along with the tomatoes, you’ll need 2 cloves of garlic, one large whole yellow onion (peeled and halved), and 5 tablespoons of butter.  Please DO NOT try to substitute margarine or (God forbid!) “light” butter for REAL butter in this recipe.  When only four ingredients are involved, you just can’t take those kinds of liberties.

And here’s the way I prepare this sauce:

Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan until just bubbly.  While the butter is melting, mince your garlic cloves and half of the onion.  When the butter is melted and bubbly, throw in the minced garlic and onions and let them soften in the butter for about 5-6 minutes.  Don’t let the butter get too hot — you don’t want any browning!

After the garlic and onion have cooked in the butter for a few minutes, add the entire can of whole tomatoes, along with their liquid, and the entire other half of the onion.

Let the sauce simmer gently for about 45-60 minutes.  During cooking, you can crush the tomatoes against the side of the pan to break them up some.  Also, after about 45 minutes of cooking, I take out about 3-4 of the tomatoes and the onion half and puree it.  It makes for a really nice consistency.

Cook whatever pasta you’re going to use until al dente — about a pound of pasta is right for the amount of sauce in this recipe.  Drain the pasta and then serve mixed with the sauce.  I like to grate fresh parmesan on my serving.

So I made this and really knocked the hubby’s socks off with it.

“Wow!” he exclaimed, ”You are the most amazing woman and the best cook ever.  I’m SO lucky to be married to you!”

Okay, he didn”t really say that.  It was more along the lines of  “Man this sauce is great.  What’s in it?” 

But that’s what he meant.