10 Essential Tomato Sauces

Everyone needs a go-to tomato sauce recipe, but why have just one? From pure concentrated tomato to spiced and meaty, tomato sauce can take on myriad flavor-texture combinations uniquely suited for a variety of dishes. Regardless of what you're looking to slather in tomato sauce, we've gathered 10 recipes to cover the bases.

Puttanesca Sauce

The combination of anchovies, olives, and capers gives this Napoletana sauce a robust flavor.

All'Amatriciana Sauce

This spicy, pancetta-studded sauce is great with shellfish and bucatini, the hollow, spaghetti-like pasta.

Sunday Sauce

This ultra-meaty tomato sauce is quintessential Italian comfort food.

Vodka Sauce

Vodka and crushed red pepper add spicy flavor to this lightly creamy Italian-American sauce.

Tomato Ginger Sauce

Though you can put this simple tomato sauce together in a matter of minutes, it has surprisingly complex flavor. Try it on firm white fish like cod, grouper, or halibut.

Garlicky Tomato Sauce

Used for a dish called tagliatelle all'aglione in Tuscany, this sauce is named for the generous amount of garlic (aglio in Italian) in the sauce. It's simple but full of Mediterranean flavor.

Basic Tomato Sauce

This all-purpose tomato sauce is flavored with a little shredded carrot and fresh oregano.

Summer Tomato Sauce

This light, uncooked sauce makes use of perfectly ripe peak-season tomatoes. Be sure they're at room temperature, not cold.

 Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

"This is the simplest of all sauces to make, and none has a purer, more irresistibly sweet tomato taste," said late cookbook author Marcella Hazan.

Spicy Tomato Sauce

Paprika, cumin, and ginger lend their aromatic alchemy to a simple, no-cook tomato sauce. You can use the sauce with a wide range of ingredients, including penne with shrimp, mozzarella, sausage, or grilled vegetables.