Here's the One Thing You Should Be Adding to Your Spaghetti and Meatballs (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to spaghetti to make it taste better? ›

Red pepper flakes, dehydrated or fresh garlic, dried oregano, parsley, or basil, or an Italian seasoning blend are all good options. Dried herbs and spices should be added at the beginning of the cook time so that they have time to bloom.

The reason for sprinkling a pinch of sugar into a simmering saucepan of tomatoes is simple: sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes and creates an overall more balanced sauce.

Don't skip the brown sugar.

Adding a bit of sugar to your homemade spaghetti sauce helps to cut the natural acidity of the tomatoes and helps to balance the sauce. For an extra kick, add a sprinkling of red pepper flakes to your sauce.

Michael Chiarello, chef and owner of Bottega Restaurant in Yountville, California, explains: “A pinch of sugar is a Southern Italian trick that was used when the sauce was made with end-of-season tomatoes that did not get ripe, or the tomatoes were so tart they needed to be balanced." In Chiarello's cookbook At Home ...

Adding dried herbs and spices to jarred pasta sauce can elevate the flavor of the marinara and/or completely transform it. Sure, the standard, basil, oregano, marjoram and bay leaf are fine. But add some crushed red pepper flakes or even a pinch of cayenne for a spicy, irresistible heat.

According to our Food Director Amira, not only does milk add a rich flavour to the bolognese, but it also helps cut through the acidity of the tomatoes and red wine. It also makes the mince meat nice and tender, creating that melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.

Grated Carrots

You know how your grandmother's recipe for spaghetti sauce calls for sugar? Try grated carrots instead. Their natural sugars bring just the right amount of sweetness (and a dose of vitamin A and beta carotene)—with no added sugar.

To determine how much sugar your pasta sauce needs, Taste of Home recommends starting with just ¼ teaspoon and working up from there. You'll know you've added enough sugar when the tartness has toned down and the actual tomato flavor begins to emerge.

If you're dealing with a bland spaghetti sauce, don't worry – there are plenty of ways to fix it! One easy fix is to add more seasoning, such as salt, pepper, or other spices, to give it a flavour boost. You can also try adding garlic, onion, or other aromatics to add depth and complexity to the sauce.

The reason for sprinkling a pinch of sugar into a simmering saucepan of tomatoes is simple: sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes and creates an overall more balanced sauce.

Do some people put sugar in their spaghetti? ›

It is understood that people who put sugar in their spaghetti sauce usually do it because they were taught it cuts the acid in the tomatoes. The exact acid levels in tomatoes can vary quite a bit depending on whether they are fresh or canned, the tomato variety, and the time of year.

While some Italian chefs do add a small amount of sugar to their tomato-based spaghetti sauce, others do not. The addition of sugar can help balance the acidity of the tomatoes and create a sweeter flavor. However, many Italian cooks prefer to add a pinch of salt or use sweeter tomatoes to achieve the same effect.

The minimum time you should simmer sauce is 30 minutes. This is about how long the oils take to disappear into the sauce (rather than pooling on top). But you should consider simmering for three or more hours, letting it lazily cook away, no more than a few straggling bubbles surfacing at a time.

Sweetener: Spaghetti sauce needs a bit of sugar of some sort to help balance the acidity of the tomatoes. You can sweeten the sauce with a bit of honey, or white or brown sugar.

Once the pasta is in the sauce, add pasta water. This is the most vital step in the process. Starchy pasta water doesn't just help thin the sauce to the right consistency; it also helps it cling to the pasta better and emulsify with the fat and cheese you're going to be adding.

"The coffee adds an underlying depth of flavor that helps to balance the sweetness of the tomato-based ragu," Cath Wilkins, head of consumer PR for food at Sainsbury's, told the outlet, back in 2015. Adding that doing so was "rather like adding chocolate to chili con carne."

The use of milk makes the pasta itself creamier, and reserving it keeps any starch washed off the pasta in the milk, which is then used to make the sauce. Some milk is absorbed into the pasta as it cooks, but you need to reserve enough to make your sauce.

Keep some pasta water back to add to your pasta dish

As most chefs and home cooks know, when you drain your pasta, it's a good idea to keep back a cup of the cooking water to add to the sauce. Not only will this thicken the sauce, but it will also help it to stick to the pasta.

Add Some Baking Soda

If your tomato sauce is too acidic and verging on bitter, turn to baking soda, not sugar. Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.

How to make spaghetti sauce sweeter without sugar? ›

Cooking the onions low and slow over 30 minutes, will develop the sweet flavor that we want in our sauce without adding white sugar to cut the acidity in the tomatoes. In this recipe we are using high quality San Marzano tomatoes which are naturally sweet, will enhance the natural sweet taste of this sauce.

Adding sugar originated in Southern Italy when the tomatoes were out of season or not quite ripe enough to cook all those delicious dishes. Even the taste of your favorite brand of canned tomatoes can vary. Adding sugar can get the sweetness level up and the acidic tartness down.

Turns out butter goes very well with pasta, in the form of a little added emulsification of your favorite tomato sauce.

Use all-purpose flour in a roux, and save cornstarch, rice flour, tapioca starch, or arrowroot starch for a 1:1 slurry. 7. Add more tomato paste or tomato sauce: To thicken a sauce made with fresh tomatoes, use a tablespoon or two of canned tomato paste or one fourteen-ounce can of tomato sauce.

If the sauce tastes a little flat or uninspiring, play around with spices to give it more depth. Add more salt, a few grinds of cracked black pepper, or dried herbs like rosemary, oregano, or thyme. (Fresh herbs, too – a handful of basil will give the sauce a bright, fresh flavor.)

Everything tastes better with some sautéed garlic and onions. Sauté finely chopped onions and garlic in olive oil until fragrant and golden, then add the sauce and let it simmer so the flavors can meld together.

Finally, taste the pasta before serving it. If it seems bland, chances are it just needs another hit of salt. You could also add additional punch by topping each plate with a hint of one of the ingredients in the dish—a couple of mint leaves, a sprinkling of chopped parsley, or a pinch of extra lemon zest.

It's customary to set the table with a fork, knife, and spoon, and you can use your spoon to add sauce and cheese, and then to mix the pasta. However, pasta is meant to be eaten with your fork alone – no spoons to assist.

For decades, however, rolling your pasta into a spoon, was considered the height of bon-ton: the little spaghetti pile was perfect and you were less likely to be messy or to stain your clothes with sauce. Now we know, however, that we shouldn't do it at all.

You must salt your pasta water.

"For every pound of pasta, put in no less than 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt, more if the sauce is very mild and undersalted. Add the salt when the water comes to a boil. Wait until the water returns to a full, rolling boil before putting in the pasta."

Should I use tomato paste or sauce for spaghetti? ›

Tomato sauce is often used as-is in dishes like spaghetti or lasagna. Tomato paste is used as a base or flavoring for soups and stews to add depth of flavor. It differs from tomato sauce in that it has a deeper and more intense flavor as well as a darker red color.

Calcium acetate crystals form. If the deposit is soapy feeling, it may be soap. There is a small amount of fat in the tomato seeds and this combines with an alkaline substance to form soap. In all cases, the products are safe to eat as long as they were processed correctly.

It may sound strange, but a little sugar helps bring the flavors together in a tomato sauce. It balances out the acidity and enhances the natural sweetness of the tomatoes. Depending on how acidic your sauce is to start with, a teaspoon to a tablespoon should be enough, or you may not need any at all.

Adding a cornstarch slurry is an easy way to thicken sauce quickly. Simply combine equal parts water and cornstarch (start with 1/4 cup each). Whisk until smooth, then stir into the sauce. Note: Starches may create lumps in a sauce made purely of tomatoes, so this option should be seen as a last resort.

Bring to a boil, covered, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring more frequently toward end of cooking, until sauce is thickened and reduced by half, 2 to 3 hours.

The longer cooking time gives the flavors in each component of your dish more time to mix, which is why sauces simmered for hours are always more flavorful.

Tomatoes naturally contain lots of water, so cooking any sauce for a long period of time will help eliminate some of the water content. During this time, the water will slowly but surely evaporate, leaving behind a thickened, full-bodied sauce with lots of flavor.

I only use honey in mine for two reasons. First, if you use mostly brown sugar and just a bit of honey, the delicious honey flavor doesn't come through. Second, because this version doesn't use corn starch, honey acts as a great thickener.

Does vinegar cut acidity in tomato sauce? ›

"The acid in tomatoes isn't exaggerated by adding vinegars, it's actually balanced." "Our tongue wants everything enhanced," says one cook I know. Vinegar does just that, as these recipes prove. Hot vinaigrette: Deglaze a saute pan with good-quality wine vinegar.

Brown sugars tend to clump because they contain more moisture than white sugar. This makes it helpful in recipes requiring a moist and chewy texture. Light brown sugar: This is suitable for baked goods and sauces.

Tomato sauce deepens and intensifies the longer you cook it. Tomato sauces can be cooked in 10 minutes or for 4 hours, and they can all be delicious. Cooking sauces for a long time don't inherently make them better, but it does intensify the flavor.

Instead of pouring the cooked pasta and water into a colander placed in the sink, Shannon places the colander on top of the cooked pasta and water in the pot and tips them both over together so the water drains off, leaving the cooked pasta in the pot.

Cheese is an excellent way to add flavor to your pasta without having to rely on sauce. Try mixing your angel hair pasta with goat cheese, and toss in sun-dried tomatoes to make an amazing meal with just a few ingredients. Garlic butter is a terrific way to season all types of noodles.

To determine how much sugar your pasta sauce needs, Taste of Home recommends starting with just ¼ teaspoon and working up from there. You'll know you've added enough sugar when the tartness has toned down and the actual tomato flavor begins to emerge.

Tomato paste is great to have on hand when making a tomato-based pasta sauce, since it can intensify the umami tomato flavors already present. It's a key ingredient in this simple marinara sauce, which you can make entirely from canned tomatoes. It's also crucial in this salty, robust puttanesca sauce.

Always cover your pot if you're trying to keep the heat in. That means that if you're trying to bring something to a simmer or a boil—a pot of water for cooking pasta or blanching vegetables, a batch of soup, or a sauce—put that lid on to save time and energy.

Why do you put butter in tomato sauce? ›

Why add butter? Its richness cuts through the acidity of the tomatoes resulting in a sauce so creamy and velvety, you might've assumed there was heavy cream if you didn't know better.

Don't drain all of the pasta water: Pasta water is a great addition to the sauce. Add about a ¼-1/2 cup or ladle full of water to your sauce before adding the pasta. The salty, starchy water not only adds flavor but helps glue the pasta and sauce together; it will also help thicken the sauce.