We stumbled upon Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce for pasta just a few months ago, when some American friends of ours told us about it. For some reasons, we had never laid eyes on what is known as the most famous recipe created by Marcella Hazan, a fantastic cookbook author whose fame is more widespread in the US than in her native Italy.
The idea of a salsa di pomodoro with onion and butter is quite unfamiliar for us. Being from Tuscany means that extra virgin olive oil is the king of our kitchen and that we rarely use butter in our dishes. Our tomato sauce is usually garlic-rich and prepared with extra virgin olive oil. However, we tried Marcella Hazan’s version and loved it – so warm and hearty, we couldn’t help adding it to our cooking repertoire.
Corzetti pasta with Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce
- 1 can of whole peeled tomatoes
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion
- salt
Pour the canned tomatoes in a large saucepan. Add the butter and the onion, peeled and cut in half. Season with salt.
Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer, then lower the heat to a minimum and cook for 45/55 minutes. From time to time, remember to stir a little, using a wooden spoon to break the tomatoes into pieces.
In the meantime, make the pasta according to your favorite corzetti dough recipe. Cook the pasta until al dente, discard the onion from the tomato sauce and toss with it. Thank Marcella and serve!