Million-Dollar Tomato Sauce Recipe
This tomato sauce recipe was originally sold for 10 million Korean Won during restaurant consulting, and we're now sharing it to celebrate reaching 50,000 subscribers. Use this versatile sauce for various dishes like tomato soup, tomato pasta, and more!
📝 Editor's Notes
True to its name, 'Million-Dollar Tomato Sauce,' this recipe allows you to create a deep, rich, restaurant-quality tomato sauce at home.
It features meticulous steps such as slowly cooking onions over low heat without caramelizing, and roasting cherry tomatoes with olive oil to concentrate their flavor.
The combination of butter and olive oil creates a silky texture and exquisite umami.
While the difficulty is intermediate, it's well worth the time investment.
It's perfect for entertaining guests on special occasions or adding depth to everyday meals.
🛒 Ingredient Tips
The success of this sauce begins with quality ingredients.
Even for canned whole peeled tomatoes, choosing a high-quality Italian brand will yield a much deeper flavor.
For cherry tomatoes, select sweet and fresh ones.
Choose onions that are firm and rich in moisture, and slice them thinly.
Most importantly, use 'high-quality butter made only with milk and cultures' to ensure proper flavor and emulsification in the sauce.
Inexpensive butter might lack in taste and aroma, so selecting good butter is key to this sauce's success.
🔄 Substitution Guide
If you have difficulty finding ingredients or are looking for alternatives, here are some substitutions.
First, if using fresh ripe tomatoes instead of canned whole peeled tomatoes, blanch, peel, deseed, and finely dice them.
However, the flavor depth might be slightly less than with canned whole peeled tomatoes.
Second, if cherry tomatoes are unavailable, you can dice well-ripened regular tomatoes and sauté them in olive oil, or rehydrate sun-dried tomatoes in hot water.
Third, if you have a butter allergy or avoid dairy, coconut oil or plant-based margarine can be used.
Please note that the unique rich, nutty flavor and emulsifying properties of butter might be somewhat diminished.
🥘 Ingredients
👨🍳 Cooking Points
Here are three crucial cooking points.
First, never caramelize the onions.
Cook them slowly over low heat with the lid on, allowing their moisture to cook them.
This extracts a clear, deep sweetness.
It's important to dedicate at least 30 minutes to this slow cooking process.
Second, generously coat the cherry tomatoes with olive oil and roast them cut-side down in a pan.
Roasting at 340°F (170°C) for about 15 minutes enhances lycopene absorption and maximizes their flavor.
Third, the key is to add the remaining 5.3 oz (150g) of butter at the end and stir well over medium heat until it's completely melted and emulsified with the sauce.
This step determines the sauce's smooth texture and rich flavor. Make sure to stir thoroughly!
👨🍳 Directions
Thinly slice 3 onions.
In a heavy-bottomed, narrow stainless steel pot, melt 1.8 oz (50g) of butter over low heat.
Once the butter is slightly melted, add all the sliced onions and sauté over medium heat.
Add 2 pinches of salt and a pinch of black pepper to the onions and continue sautéing.
When the onions start to release moisture, reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Gather the onions to the center, cover the pot, and cook slowly with the circulating heat.
In another heavy-bottomed pan, generously drizzle 4 to 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Halve the 10.6 oz (300g) cherry tomatoes. Arrange them in the pan cut-side down, ensuring they do not overlap.
Season the cherry tomatoes with 1 to 2 pinches of salt. Cook them in an air fryer at 340°F (170°C) for 15 minutes. (Check after 8 minutes to prevent burning.)
Remove the root ends from 25 garlic cloves. Thickly slice two-thirds of the garlic into 3-4 pieces, and mince the remaining one-third using a food processor or by hand. (Stir the onions occasionally as well.)
Peel the 28.2 oz (800g) can of whole peeled tomatoes and cut them into desired sizes using kitchen shears.
Once the onions are sufficiently cooked (they should have released a lot of moisture), add 2 bouillon cubes and the thickly sliced garlic.
Add all the prepared whole peeled tomatoes, including their juice, and stir well.
Scrape all the roasted cherry tomatoes from the air fryer, along with any leftover oil in the pan, into the sauce and stir well.
Once the sauce boils, reduce the heat to medium. Add the cherry tomatoes (cut into 8 pieces) and minced garlic, and stir.
Add all the remaining 5.3 oz (150g) of butter. Stir well over medium heat until the butter is completely melted and emulsified with the sauce.
Finally, add 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and stir well until the liquid and fat in the sauce are thoroughly emulsified. The sauce is now complete.
💡 Tips
It's better to slice onions thinly rather than thickly. Cooking them slowly over low heat without caramelizing is crucial for a clean flavor.
Lycopene in cherry tomatoes is fat-soluble, so roasting or sautéing them with olive oil maximizes absorption.
Garlic tastes best when minced fresh right before use. Pre-mincing can result in an unpleasant smell.
Inexpensive butter often contains additives like vegetable oils or emulsifiers. It's best to use high-quality butter made only with milk and cultures.
Warming a bowl of the finished tomato sauce for breakfast, like a soup, is akin to taking a health tonic. It provides beneficial fats, fiber, lycopene, quercetin, allicin, and other valuable nutrients.
It's recommended to serve with fresh basil and it also pairs well with toasted brown rice bread.
📦 Storage & Reuse
Keep your carefully prepared sauce fresh for longer!
Once the finished tomato sauce has completely cooled, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
For longer storage, divide it into single-serving portions and freeze.
It can be stored in the freezer for 1-3 months.
To thaw, simply defrost it in the refrigerator overnight, or microwave and then gently warm in a pot over low heat.
If the sauce is too thick, add a little water or vegetable broth to adjust the consistency.
Leftover sauce is excellent not only for pasta but also as a base for pizza, shakshuka, or stews.
🥢 Who This Is For
Thanks to its deep and rich flavor, this tomato sauce is perfect for elevating your table on special occasions.
If you love Italian dishes like pasta, lasagna, or gnocchi, you must try making this.
Enjoy it as a warm tomato soup for a weekend brunch, or serve it with freshly baked baguette or focaccia for a fantastic experience.
It also makes an elegant main dish when served over chicken breast or white fish steak.
This sophisticated sauce is impeccable for housewarming parties or dinner guests.
🔥 Nutrition Info
This tomato sauce is estimated to be around 500-600 kcal per serving for 4-6 servings.
With 7.1 oz (200g) of butter and a generous 8-9 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the fat content is very high.
Per serving, it can be estimated to contain approximately 25-35g carbohydrates, 5-10g protein, and over 45-55g fat.
Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant abundant in tomatoes, is absorbed more effectively due to the fat content from olive oil and butter.
You can also get vitamins C and K, and minerals like potassium.
This sauce can be considered a rich energy source and a good way to consume healthy fats.
💬 Comments
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