This slow-simmered New York style pizza sauce was one of the first sauces I developed for Thursday Night Pizza. Because it is cooked down on the stove for 1 to 2 hours, it has a denser, smoother texture and deeper, richer flavor than my no-cook sauce, and it holds up especially well to heavier toppings like sausage, peppers, and onions.
When you're craving a pizza with rich tomato flavor at its base (like the ones you get at pizzerias in NYC), set a pot on the stove, mince up half an onion, and start cooking the sauce while the dough rises.
This is the ultimate sauce for tomato pie, Detroit-style and grandma-style sheet pan pizzas, and classic New York style pizza (obviously). And it's my go-to for Pepperoni and Sweet Pickle Pizza. (Trust me on that last one. It might sound odd, but it's one of the best pizzas I've ever made!)
New York Style (Slow-Simmered) Pizza Sauce FAQs
Do you really have to simmer the sauce for 1 to 2 hours?
The flavor gets richer the longer you let the sauce simmer. However, if you don't have the time to let it cook down for an hour, just let the sauce cook for as long as possible. The flavor won't be as robust and the texture will be thinner, but no one will complain.
Another way to save time is by making the pizza sauce in a larger pan, such as a Dutch oven. The wider the pot, the faster the sauce will reduce. In fact, I've made some really delicious New York style pizza sauce in my enameled cast-iron Dutch oven in about 30 minutes!
What are the best canned tomatoes for this sauce?
Though any canned crushed tomatoes work fine in this recipe, do yourself a favor and choose the best-tasting ones you can find. I like Jersey Fresh, Bianco DiNapoli, and Pomi Finely Chopped Tomatoes*. However, I'm sure there are plenty of other delicious canned tomatoes out there.
1(28-ounce) cancrushed tomatoespreferably Jersey Fresh (Sclafani) brand
1tablespoonbalsamic vinegar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onion until it is soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a bubble, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce, uncovered, for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours, until it has reached your desired consistency.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the sauce cool to room temperature before spreading on your pizza dough.
If you have any leftover sauce, transfer it to an airtight container. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
Time-saving tip: To save time, make the sauce in a large Dutch oven instead of a saucepan; the wider surface area will cook it down faster.
Ingredient tip: If you can't find good-tasting crushed tomatoes like Jersey Fresh (a.k.a. Sclafani/Fattoria Fresca), Pomi, or Bianco DiNapoli, use a 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes, and crush them by hand or with an immersion blender.
Looking for other sauce recipes? Here are a few of my all-time faves:
Barbecue Pizza Sauce
Arugula-Mint Pesto
Zucchini Pizza Sauce
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
NY pizzas generally have a thin layer of pizza sauce that doesn't quite hit the edge of the crust to avoid spilling over. The sauce used on New York-style pizzas is also more heavily seasoned so a little goes a long way to give the perfect crust to sauce ratio.
New York-style pizza has slices that are large and wide with a thin crust that is foldable yet crispy. It is traditionally topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, with any extra toppings placed on top of the cheese. Pizza without additional toppings is called “plain,” “regular,” or “cheese.”
One of the oldest theories about New York City pizza is that the city's tap water is responsible for its superior taste. Many Americans might not know that here in the Big Apple, we're almost as proud of our water as we are of our pizza, and that the city has been adding fluoride to the water for more than 50 years.
While Neapolitan-style pizza dictates the use of simply pureed, uncooked tomatoes, New York and other pizza styles utilize a cooked sauce of tomatoes and spices and—gasp—sugar.
The crust: New York-style pizzas typically have thin, crispy crusts—similar to Neopolitan pizzas, except a bit sturdier. On the other hand, Chicago-style pizzas have thicker crusts that extend from the bottom up the entire height of the pizza. This bowl shape is what earned this style of pizza its deep-dish monicker.
But the key difference is what happens when you fold your slice to take that first bite. New York style pizza reportedly owes its suppleness to the water in the city, holding its pliability without cracking. But New Jersey style gives you a nice crackle when you fold it, owing to the stone oven in which it's cooked.
New York–style pizza gets its distinguishing crust from the high-gluten bread flour with which it is made. Minerals present in New York City's tap water supply are also credited with giving the dough in metro area pies its characteristic texture and flavor.
Unlike a Neapolitan, which uses fresh mozzarella, New York-style pizza uses grated, dry mozzarella—the kind you can get sliced on a meatball sub or wrapped in cryovac blocks near the milk.
While both New York pizza and Brooklyn style have relatively thin crusts, pizza you'll find in Brooklyn tends to have a crispy dough throughout that cracks when you fold the slice, whereas a classic New York slice still has a crispy edge but a softer dough underneath the cheese that bends when you fold it.
To achieve that iconic texture, the pies must be baked in a blazing hot oven. New York Pizza Department's ovens reach the high temperatures required for crispiness while still allowing the crust to retain its signature chewiness.
Most NY style pizza doesn't benefit from overloading toppings. You can find all kinds of combinations and specialty pizzas, but pepperoni is still by far the most popular topping nationwide.Other popular toppings are mushrooms, onions, peppers, and sausage. Many places only sell cheese and 'roni slices.
People are sitting in a mom-and-pop pizzeria, or walking down the street eating their homemade pizza. But the difference is, between New York style pizza dough and other types of pizza, is that New York pizza is often folded up by the consumer before they eat it.
New York-style pizza is large, hand-tossed thin crust. Sold in big slices. While the crust is thick and crispy at the edge, the center of the pie is thin and foldable so that the large slice can be folded up and eaten. Traditionally toppings are just sauce and cheese.
With real italian pizza, you will find homemade sauce made from freshly peeled tomatoes and a blend of savory, complimenting herbs. You will also notice that authentic Italian pizza doesn't combine the toppings and sauce to be cooked together. They simply layer the sauce along the crust.
What is the difference between Detroit and New York Pizza? Short answer: everything! There could not be any two pizza crusts that any more different than New York Style Pizza and Detroit style pizza. Detroit is a thick, pan pizza while New York thin crust is applied directly to deck ovens.
Introduction: My name is Arline Emard IV, I am a cheerful, gorgeous, colorful, joyous, excited, super, inquisitive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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