Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Anita McSorley & Danni Scott

'World's best pasta sauce' needs just three ingredients as top chef shares easy method

A renowned chef's easy pasta sauce recipe from 1992 has been dubbed the "best in the world".

It involves just three ingredients, making the dish cheaper and healthier than ready-made store-bought sauces.

According to Italian American food writer Marcella Hazan, a good pasta sauce is remarkably simple and economical.

READ MORE: Ireland weather LIVE updates - Met Eireann snow warning, school closures, travel chaos

Marcella, who died in 2013, was born in Cesenatico, Italy, in 1924 and went on to open a New York cookery school and write hugely respected cookbooks, Mirror UK reports.

In one of her books, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, Marcella advises using only three ingredients in tomato sauce - tinned tomatoes, an onion and a generous knob butter.

The 1992 recipe is still revered by food writers and cooks alike.

The delicious tomato pasta sauce needs just three ingredients (Getty Images)

Marcella's precise instructions are to put half a peeled onion into a pot with butter and tinned tomatoes. Then leave it all to simmer for 45 minutes.

Food publication Delish dubbed the sauce "the best in the world."

Marcella's husband Victor previously talked to Epicurious about her efficient methods. He said: "Marcella was a genius when it came to taste. She had an immediate understanding about how flavour affects a dish.

Meanwhile, explaining her method in her book, Marcella wrote: "Why chop an onion? Why sauté? I'm going to put the onion, tomato, and butter together and forget about it'.

"No other preparation is more successful in delivering the prodigious satisfactions of Italian cooking than a competently executed sauce with tomatoes."

Others favour different techniques for pasta sauce. Chefs like Jamie Oliver add four cloves of garlic and garnish with fresh basil.

BBC Good Food recommends starting with a classic mirepoix base (diced onions, celery, carrot), and scores of top chefs use various herbs and oils and other trickery to elevate their dishes.

Food writer Felicity Cloake suggests the more classic use of olive oil in tomato sauce. She also puts in a pinch of sugar and some red wine vinegar.

READ NEXT:

Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.