Onion Garlic Tomato Sauce

This onion garlic tomato sauce a.k.a. Egyptian magic red sauce is AMAZING. It's freezer-friendly, so I make it in batches usually. I use this red sauce for several Egyptian dishes, some of them being - Bamia (okra), Bisilla (peas), and roasted chicken with potatoes.

I'm not going to lie to you, if you make this sauce fresh every time you need it, it's time-consuming. That's why I made this post. This magic red sauce is REQUIRED in your life, and here's the way to have it easy.

My life's motto these days: Batch cook and then freeze.

Ingredients You'll Need:

• Tomatoes: The star ingredient for this sauce is tomatoes! I have noticed a difference in this sauce depending on my tomato quality. I look for the freshest tomatoes I can get my hands on. My favorite tomatoes are Roma tomatoes and tomatoes on the vine.
• Onion: I prefer to use white onion, sweet onion, or brown onion for this sauce. Maybe I am imagining things, but red onion makes the sauce taste a little different. I do not use green onion for this sauce.
• Garlic: I use freshly peeled garlic for this Egyptian magic red sauce. Garlic in a jar or garlic flakes just doesn't taste the same.
• Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil from Greece or Italy (usually shown on the bottle). You can also use butter in lieu of olive oil.
• Sugar: I use white sugar, brown sugar, or raw sugar.
• Salt and pepper: Freshly cracked pepper and flaked sea salt are my faves!

You will also need:

• Blender
• Food Processor
• Stovetop pot (my favorite is Le Creuset cast iron pot)
• Fine Mesh Strainer
• Freezer-friendly storage bags (if freezing)

How to Make Onion Garlic Tomato Sauce

Blend and strain the tomatoes. Blend the tomatoes using a blender. The seeds of the tomatoes are bitter, so strain the tomatoes after blending.

Blend the onions and garlic in a food processor. The food processor blends the onions and garlic into the right size for this sauce.

Fry the onions and garlic in oil first. Before adding the blended tomatoes, fry the onions and garlic until they start to change colors. This step usually takes about 5 minutes on medium-high heat.

Simmer the tomato sauce. On medium heat, cook the sauce covered for 20 minutes so that the flavors can blend together.

Add a tiny bit of sugar. Sugar adds some sweetness to the tomato sauce, balancing out all of the other flavors.

What Is the Best Onion for Tomato Sauce?

The best onions for tomato sauce are sweet onions, brown onions, and white onions in that order. I've used red onions for this tomato sauce, and the red onion has too strong of a flavor making the sauce a little unbalanced.

How to Batch Freeze This Sauce

Once the sauce has cooked, allow the sauce to cool to room temperature. Using a quart-size freezer-friendly storage bag, add the tomato sauce (will take 2 bags for this recipe serving size of 2). Each quart-size bag is enough for about one meal for 4 people.

What Is This Sauce Used For?

This Egyptian magic red sauce is the BAM in this Bamia Recipe. This sauce is very versatile and can be used in stews or one sheet pan bakes like this spatchcock chicken recipe.

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📋 Recipe

Onion Garlic Tomato Sauce

Author: Lily

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Egyptian

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

5 from 1 vote

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Servings 2

This onion garlic tomato sauce is used in several dishes, so here's how to batch cook it.

Ingredients

 

US Customary - Metric

• 9 tomatoes medium, size of a fist
• 3 onions medium, size of a fist
• 9 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Peel and quarter onions. Peel garlic. Add to a food processor and blend on high. Set aside.
• Quarter tomatoes. Add to a blender. Blend on high. Strain tomatoes. Set aside.
• In a large stovetop pot on medium-high heat, add olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic mixture. Fry the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes or until they start to change color. 
• Add the strained tomato puree, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cover the pot, reduce to medium heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature.
• Use sauce for a recipe directly, store in the fridge, or store in a freezer-friendly quart-sized bag.

Notes

1. This recipe fills 2 quart-sized storage bags.
2. The sauce is good for 5 days if storing in the fridge or 3 months if storing in the freezer.
3. To use previously frozen Egyptian magic red sauce, thaw in a bowl of water. Heat on medium heat on the stovetop.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 quart bag | Calories: 330 kcal | Carbohydrates: 49 g | Protein: 7 g | Fat: 14 g | Saturated Fat: 2 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12 g | Trans Fat: 0 g | Cholesterol: 0 mg | Sodium: 37 mg | Fiber: 12 g | Sugar: 34 g