Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, erring on the side of heat too low. Add the garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, taking extreme care to keep the garlic from browning, as it will become bitter and ruin your sauce if it does! (I’m just sayin’.) Then, add onion and basil and sauté until onion is translucent.

Add tomato purée and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste. Don’t be surprised if you need close to a tablespoon of salt. The level of salt needed will depend on what you use it for, however, so it’s best to wait to finalize seasonings once you have the entire dish together (example: gnocchi will likely require more salt in the sauce than eggplant parmesan would).