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You are here: Home / Pasta / Napoli Sauce – Italian tomato sauce

Napoli Sauce – Italian tomato sauce

August 6, 2012 By David Rout 5 Comments

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The most important step in making a good Napoli sauce is in selecting the right tomatoes. I am sure homegrown tomatoes are great for a Napoli sauce, but I have tried and get the best results by using canned Italian tomatoes. A wise Italian explained to me to only use canned tomatoes that contain only tomatoes and tomato juice. The theory goes that additional citric acid is only ever added because the tomatoes were not fully ripe when they were canned in order to preserve them. Whether or not this is true by following this tip I have ended up with the best-tasting Napoli sauce.

This is a general-purpose sauce that can be used with pasta dishes, pizza toping, etc… I generally make a big pot full and freeze it in 2-cup quantities so it is always on hand to make a quick pasta, etc…

Here are the ingredients (oops, forgot the oregano), dried herbs are OK with this recipe. If I want to add fresh herbs, such as basil, I just use it on the pizza, etc., at the time I am cooking. Note if you don’t have access to vegetable stock cubes, 1/2 a liter of reduced vegetable stock is fine.

Before adding the tomatoes to the Napoli sauce a decision needs to be made. If you want a sweeter sauce, and I have seen some Napoli sauce recipes add sugar, you just need to put the tomatoes through a deseeding gadget. This is mine. It is a little clunky, but it does the job. The concept is that the seeds, when cooked, add bitterness to the flavor of the Napoli sauce, remove the seeds, and “hey presto” sweeter sauce.

Napoli Sauce

David Rout
The most important step in making a good Napoli sauce is in selecting the right tomatoes This is a general purpose sauce used on pizza, pasta etc
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Course Dinner
Cuisine home cooking
Servings 6 people
Calories 23 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • Olive oil
  • 1/2 Onion chopped up finely
  • 1 tablespoon red capsicum chopped up finely
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic chopped up finely
  • 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 400 g tins of tomatoes crushed
  • 2 vegetable stock cubes
  • 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • Pepper to season

Instructions
 

  • Cook the onion in the olive oil until golden, then add the capsicum and garlic.
  • After the garlic becomes aromatic add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute
  • Add all remaining ingredients simmer for 45 minutes.
  • Stir through 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and cool then store.

Notes

The key to picking canned tomatoes is to choose the ones that only contain tomatoes and juice with no additional food acid or preservatives. The theory here (or old Italian wives tale) is that if the tomatoes are ripe when they are canned the additives are not needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 150mlCalories: 23kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 0.5gSaturated Fat: 0.03gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.05gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 334mgPotassium: 166mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 155IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Homemade pasta sauce, Italian Napoli sauce, Tomato-based sauce
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Filed Under: Pasta Tagged With: Authentic Italian Cuisine, basil, capsicum, Classic Pasta Sauce, Garlic, Homemade Napoli Sauce, Homemade Tomato Sauce, Ingredient, Italian, Italian Cooking, Italian Cooking Techniques, Italian Culinary Delights, Italian Flavors, Italian Tomato Sauce, Napoli Pasta Sauce, Napoli Sauce Cooking, Napoli Sauce Ingredients, Napoli Sauce Recipe, Napoli Sauce Variations, Napoli Tomato Sauce, olive oil, onion, oregano, parsley, Pasta Sauce Ideas, Red Sauce Recipe, stock, tomato, Tomato Sauce Recipes, Tomato-Based Sauces, Traditional Italian Recipes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gerri says

    August 7, 2012 at 7:09 pm

    Thats a great tip about tinned tomatoes … i was at the supermarket today buying tinned tomatoes and found it helpful 🙂

    Reply
    • Dave says

      August 8, 2012 at 10:46 am

      It is all about knowing people that know stuff. It is interesting that the old Italians grow their own tomatoes and make sauce, where the current 2nd, 3rd generation Australian Italians balance it with the convenience of buying canned. It is a bit sad that the Australian canned tomatoes are just not the same, I have tried a few brands and not a patch on these.

      Reply
      • Gerri says

        August 27, 2012 at 2:39 pm

        Yes i totally agree about that, ive tryed most but the Italian canned tom’s are the best

        Reply
  2. Stacy says

    May 13, 2016 at 8:56 am

    5 stars
    Hi Dave
    I would love to save your recipes on pinterest. Please add pinterest tag!
    Thanks a lot!

    Reply
    • Dave says

      May 22, 2016 at 6:32 pm

      I will see what I can do. I did have seems to be broken.

      Reply

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