The Easiest Tomato Sauce Ever

The more experienced I become in the kitchen, the more convinced I am that simple really is best. If you start with good ingredients and know which flavors work well together, you really don't need much to make a delicious meal.

Case in point: Marcella Hazan's famous tomato sauce. The woman who brought true Italian cooking to America was all about simplicity done well. For this recipe, you open a can of really good tomatoes, throw them in a pot with a halved onion, a nice amount of butter, and a healthy pinch of salt, and let it all simmer for an hour--and that's it. No garlic, no oregano, not even any olive oil. The result is a mild, sweet sauce that lets you  taste each ingredient and remember how delicious it is all on its own.

This is it (plus salt, of course). Make sure to use very high-quality canned tomatoes.

After an hour, it looks like this. Not the prettiest, but definitely delicious.

Tomato-Butter Sauce

Ingredients
1 28-oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
5 tablespoons butter
Salt

For serving
1 pound of pasta, any kind
Grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Pour the tomatoes in a large pot. Add the onion, butter, and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and let cook for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon. After an hour, remove the onion from the pot.*

To serve, cook pasta in well-salted water. Drain just before they reach al dente (they'll continue cooking a bit in the sauce), reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Toss the pasta in the pot with the sauce, using the water to thin the sauce as needed.

Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

Recipe adapted from The New York Times.

* The cooked onion actually makes a delicious side dish. Serve as a topping for some crusty bread or with simply cooked broccoli.