Do You Want to Make Really Great Pizza Sauce?

Ever wonder why all pizza sauces taste the same? This is likely the pizza sauce you get when you order out or eat out. There's more to pizza sauce than a can opener.

It’s the Sauce Stupid

The sauce is where the flavors are.

When you buy a pizza from your favorite place (or cheapest) guaranteed the sauce comes out of a #10 can marked, “Pizza Sauce.” It has all the excitement and individuality of a cold bowl of oatmeal. Further, I can guarantee that your pizza sauce experience is summed up in these words, “Sauce is sauce. If you tasted one sauce you tasted them all.” And that is probably true.

Of all the things that go into a pizza, the sauce should be given the most care, thought, and diligence. Bad sauce will ruin the entire pizza experience no matter what the crust is or how much one tries to hide it under a mountain of toppings. In fact, if you see a lot of toppings it is likely the sauce is nothing more than tomato sauce with a few spices.

The best sauce for pizza is somewhere between the consistency of gravy and brick mortar. In fact, it should be spread with a trowel. Probably if you did DNA testing of the ruins of Rome you might find that pizza sauce was used as mortar.

The sauce is simple (not as simple as opening a can of tomato sauce and pouring it on the crust).

This first step is crucial. If you don’t do it; log off this site and go get yourself a can of tomato sauce – you’re not worthy.

1. Obtain one can (28 oz.) of whole tomatoes: Drain the juice and crush the tomatoes. Crushing the tomatoes by hand is great therapy, much like popping packaging bubbles. The texture of the crushed whole tomatoes must be present!

The sauce should be thick and rich. When it is applied don't allow any of the dough to peek through. Pretend you're hiding a dead body.

2. Add a small can of tomato paste to the crushed tomatoes and blend by stirring. This is the point you determine if it is the thickness of brick mortar or not. If it seems too thick add a couple of tablespoons of the drained juice from the tomatoes. If you don’t know what the consistency of brick mortar is; go find a construction site, bring along your mixture, and compare.

This is not pizza; it's pizza art. It's not worth eating. You must taste and feel the sauce. The sauce isn't a primer coat.

3. Chop enough fresh garlic for a rounded tablespoon and add it to the sauce. Add a teaspoon of oregano, basil, parsley, sugar, and salt to taste. (Don’t over-power with salt, it sometime hides other flavors.) All of these ingredients can be adjusted according to taste, but this is a good place to start. Onions may be added to the sauce. They should be finely chopped and sauteed before adding it to the sauce. If you decide to do this; a half a cup will be ample. Saute them in olive oil or butter.

4. Bring the sauce to a very slow simmer for thirty to sixty minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn.

5. Take a mortar trowel (just kidding). Pour the sauce on the pizza dough. Depending on the size of the crust it may be too much. Save it for the next time or patch your foundation.

The crushed tomatoes will make all the difference in the world. If you don’t have the crushed tomatoes it’s like beer without the fiz.

Next week the toppings will be discussed. Then you will be ready for the total pizza experience.

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