How About Some of These Tips?

I don’t claim to know everything about tomato sauce, but since I’ve tried so many types in the past I thought I’d share some things with you.

We can all get bored eating the same thing every time, even if it tastes great. So here are some things to help mix it up a bit so you won’t get depressed eating the same old thing every time.

Below are some of my fav top ways to transform your regular old tomato sauce when you think you’re getting bored with it.

I’m not talking about making a big pot Bolognese, Ragu, or Sunday sauce. Of course those are delicious if you’re looking for more than a straight regular traditional tomato sauce.

I’m just talking here about some of my favorite sauce add-on’s.

You can do this when the sauce is halfway done cooking or when or when it’s almost done just to kick in a little extra flavor.

Most chefs already know about these additional ingredients, but when I write I’m write mostly to help out those newbie chefs that don’t have a clue.

See more of my stuff either in my BLOG, or my Cookbook Recipes which have tons of cooking tips.

My Favorite Add-Ons to Tomato Sauce:

Some Parmesan or Romano cheese

Usually added after cooking lot’s of people including myself like to add a few shakes, turns or pinches of freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese directly on top of the sauce to their plate. You can even add some directly to the sauce pot when it’s almost done cooking and mix it in if everyone loves cheese.

Dry Red Wine

1 or 2 tablespoons of wine can do the trick, and fool you into thinking that you’re in a famous Italian restaurant. It’s usually added near the beginning or halfway cook time to the pot of sauce. If I add it I do it at the halfway point. I also only use 1 tablespoon because I love the flavor of tomato sauce too much to ruin it with wine. And another important tip when doing this, “do not” use sweet red wine but use classy dry red wine instead. The sweeter or cheaper wines can easily ruin your delicious sauce. Do you really want to take that chance having the wine overpowering that whole pot of delicious tomato sauce you just made making it taste like medicine? So be careful with this one, if you’re brave enough to attempt it. For me I usually don’t use wine anymore, but if I have a good bottle of red wine from Chile or Italy you never know what I may do.

Sautéed Mushrooms, Onions or Both

In a separate pan I like cooking them until medium-well. Then add them with with their juices directly to the pot of sauce at anytime. Or you can also add them “without” their juices as a topping to your pasta or whatever you happen to be eating, on top of the sauce at the last minute. You can even add them to a hot chicken or meatball Parmesan sub sandwich.

Dried Red Pepper Flakes without the Seeds

You can add these to the sauce while it’s cooking, usually near the beginning of its cooking time. It can give the sauce more of a bite and interesting flavor. I believe the Chicken Parmesan recipe in my Italian cookbook below has red pepper flakes as an option for making the quick sauce.

Organic Salted Butter

1 tablespoon of butter can go a long way to flavor the sauce. You can add it either directly to the pot near the last couple minutes of the sauce’s cooking time. Or you can just put 1/2 teaspoon of butter directly on top of the sauce on each persons plate. Just remember whichever way you choose, just mix it well and the buttery creamy taste with its velvety texture can enhance the sauce. Some like this, and some don’t. See if it’s for you by giving it a try one day. But when experimenting just make sure you test a little on your own plate first to see if you like it before adding it to the whole pot or others plates.

Basil or Oregano, or a Sprinkle of Italian Seasoning

You can add any of these to the sauce while it’s cooking, near the beginning. But that’s all part of the regular sauce isn’t it?

For more Italian Cooking Tips and Secrets

You can now download my latest updated version of the Italian Cookbook of Famous Recipes

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