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This article is about the sauces often used with pasta. In some countries, "tomato sauce" is also used to refer to the condiment ketchup.

A tomato sauce is any of a very large number of sauces made primarily out of tomatoes, usually to be served as part of a dish (rather than as a condiment). Tomato sauces are common for meats and vegetables, but they are perhaps best known as sauces for pasta dishes.

Tomatoes have a rich flavor, a low liquid content, very soft flesh which breaks down easily, and the right composition to thicken up into a sauce when they are cooked (without the need of thickeners like roux). All of these make them ideal for simple and appealing sauces.

The simplest tomato sauces consist just of chopped tomato flesh (with the skins and seeds optionally removed), cooked in a little olive oil and simmered until it loses its raw flavour, and seasoned with salt.

Water (or another, more flavorful liquid such as stock or wine) is often added to keep it from drying out too much. Onion and garlic are almost always sauteed at the beginning before the tomato is added. Other seasonings typically include basil, oregano, parsley, and possibly some spicy red pepper or black pepper. Ground or chopped meat is also common.

Contents 1 Mexican tomato sauces 2 Italian tomato sauces 3 Indian tomato sauces 4 Creole tomato sauces 5 Tomato gravy 6 See also 7 External links

Tomato sauce was an ancient condiment in Aztec Indian food. The first person to write of what may have been a tomato sauce was Bernardino de Sahagún who made note of a prepared sauce that was offered for sale in the markets of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City today). Then, Spaniards brought the use of tomato to Europe.

Basic mexican tomato sauces are: tomato sauce (salsa de tomate rojo o jitomate) and green tomato sauce (salsa de tomate verde). The tomato sauce is stock for spicy sauces and moles.

The tomato has been central to Italian cuisine since its introduction from the Americas. Outside of Italy, this perception can be quite exaggerated: many people know little of Italian cuisine beyond pasta with tomato sauce. Italian varieties of tomato sauce range from Puttanesca sauce, seasoned with anchovies, capers, paprika, chili peppers and black olives, to Bolognese sauce, a predominantly ground-meat sauce which normally contains a small-to-moderate amount of tomato. Most often, Italian tomato sauces can be switched out with more authentic white sauces; cavatelli is best served with traditional Italian white sauces (consisting of mostly fresh parmesan and cream), and many other traditional ingredients. Some Italian Americans on the East Coast refer to tomato sauce as "gravy", or "tomato gravy", especially sauces with a large quantity of meat simmered in them, similar to the Italian Neapolitan ragù. "Gravy" is the literal English translation from the Italian sugo.

Marinara is a US-American-Italian term for a simple tomato sauce with herbs—mostly parsley and basil—but, contrary to its name (which is Italian for coastal, seafaring) without anchovies, fish or seafood. In countries other than the United States, however, marinara refers to a seafood and tomato sauce.

American supermarkets commonly carry a variety of prepared tomato sauces described as "spaghetti sauce". Common variations include meat sauce, marinara sauce and sauces with mushrooms or sweet red peppers.

Indian curry, especially as it has been exported out of India, is recognizable for heavily spiced sauces, often made from a tomato base.

A tomato sauce known as sauce piquante is common in Louisiana Creole cuisine, appearing in dishes such as Shrimp Creole. It is similar to Italian tomato sauce, but features more spice (typically in the form of red pepper) and the traditional holy trinity of diced bell pepper, onion, and celery.

Tomato gravy, which is distinct from the term as used by northeastern Italian Americans when referring to tomato sauce, is a gravy common in most rural areas where tomatoes were a staple food. Tomato gravy is prepared in a method similar to white gravy. The cooked tomatoes, some fat (usually cured pork fat) and flour are cooked together until thick, and seasoned with salt and pepper. Typically, tomato gravy is served over eggs, toast and biscuits.

• Neapolitan sauce
• Salsa (sauce)
• Ketchup
• Tomato purée
• Tomato paste
• Gravy

• Tomato Sauce Recipe
• Step-by-step Marinara Recipe
• Simmered Fresh Tomato Sauce
• The Cook's Decameron: A Study In Taste, Containing Over Two Hundred Recipes For Italian Dishes from Project Gutenberg. This is from a very old source, and reflects the cooking at the turn of the twentieth century.
• Easy Marinara Recipe