Spicy Pomodoro Sauce
This spicy pomodoro sauce is so easy to make, you’ll wonder why you ever bought store bought “sugo” again. Sugo is the Italian word for sauce. They use them interchangeably so if you hear someone talking about their family’s sugo recipe, it’s just a basic tomato sauce that most Italian families have. This easy sauce comes together in just 30 minutes start to finish. Add it to your favorite pasta for a quick and easy dinner or lunch.
I am not Italian, but I love Italian food. I came to make this particular sauce (sugo) because I have a vegetarian family member who loves pasta and has had a favorite store bought sauce for years, unfortunately she is unable to get it anymore unless she purchases it online and it is waaaaay more expensive. It’s ridiculous actually. She’s not much of a fancy cook but she knows that I cook a lot and have a lot of recipes so she asked me if I could try and make her favorite restaurants spicy pasta sauce. I said I’m sure I can, and this was the result. BTW she loved it and said it was exactly like the sauce from one of her favorite restaurants and now she doesn’t have to spend $25 a serving! Win Win.
Like any simple recipe, what matters most is the quality of the ingredients. Do yourself a favor and use a good quality “made in Italy” passata. The one I prefer to use is Mutti brand. You can buy plain passata or even one that has basil already in it if that’s what you prefer. I use both, depending on what I am making with it. The Mutti passata is also what I use in my Tomato Soup recipe.
If you want to make the spaghetti dish shown in the main photo, it is the spicy pomodoro sauce on spaghetti, topped with whipped ricotta and toasted garlic breadcrumbs for a little crunch. It’s so yummy! That is the dish I tried to make a copycat version of, and was pretty sucessful.
Here’s a list of what you need for my Spicy Pomodoro Sauce:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – It’s the best and adds a nice flavor to the sauce.
- Fresh Garlic – It adds a ton of flavor
- Passata di Pomodoro (I use Mutti brand) – strained tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
- Red Pepper Flakes – for that kick of heat
- Salt and pepper – for seasoning
- Sugar for reducing any extra acidity
- Fresh Basil – optional
Spicy Pomodoro Sauce
Equipment
- 1 med-large heavy bottomed sauce pan
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil
- 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- ½ Tbsp Red Pepper Flakes *more or less depending on how spicy you want your sauce to be
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt and pepper to taste taste and adjust as you like
- 1 jar Passata (strained tomatoes)
- 3-4 fresh basil leaves, chopped *optional
Instructions
- Heat the 4 Tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add the 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced and continue to sauté for 3 minutes until fragrant (be careful not to burn the garlic) Stir often.
- add the ½ Tbsp Red Pepper Flakes (more or less to your heat tolerance), and saute it for another minute to bloom the peppers.
- Add the passata and stir to combine it with the olive oil until it is blended.
- Add the 1 tsp sugar Let the sauce simmer on med-low heat for about 20 minutes before you use it. Stirring occasionally.
- When the sauce has finished simmering and has reduced a bit, taste and adjust for seasonings. If the sauce still tastes acidic, try adding a pinch of baking soda or a pinch more of sugar. Once again taste and adjust as needed.
- Add 3-4 leaves of fresh basil (Optional)
- The sauce can be used immediately with your favorite pasta recipe or let it cool, place in a container and refrigerate and use within the next 5-7 days. Or it can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- If freezing, I recommend putting the sauce into ice cube molds or large freezer cubes to freeze then once frozen pop them out of the trays and put in a freezer safe baggie, then just pull out as many "cubes" as you need.
Storing your Spicy Pomodoro Sauce:
If you plan on using the sauce/sugo in the next few days, then simply put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It was last fine for 3-5 days. If you do not plan on using the sugo in less than five days then it can actually be frozen and pulled out when you do need it. Just defrost and reheat then use in your favorite recipe.
I like to freeze it in 1 cup “cubes” using the cube maker I got at Walmart made by Starfrit. It is 4 x 1 cup sections that you fill (cool the sauce first) and freeze, then pop them out like big ice cubes and put the sauce in a ziploc bag and place in your freezer until you do need it. It will easily last 3-4 months.
If you want to make up a batch of this delicious sauce and freeze it, I highly recommend something like what I have. It’s a starfrit freeze and store which makes 4, 1 cup portions. Fill the tray, then freeze it, once frozen pop out the cubes of sauce and place them in a ziploc freezer bag until you want to use it. I have added photos below.
