How can I sweeten my spaghetti sauce? (5+ tips)

In this article, we will answer the following question: How can I sweeten my spaghetti sauce? We will give you 5+ tips to make your spaghetti sauce taste sweeter, but also how to reduce its acidity because of course, buy the start ingredient: the tomato.

How can I sweeten my spaghetti sauce?

There are several ways you can sweeten your spaghetti sauce:

1. Add sugar or honey.  Add 1 teaspoon of sugar, let the sauce simmer for a few minutes and taste again. Add as much sugar as you like, but remember that spaghetti sauce is not supposed to be too sweet! 

2. Add sweet vegetables to your recipe. Simmer 1 cup of grated carrots or use sweet red bell pepper. These vegetables will add a natural, milder sweetness to your sugar or honey sauce.

3. Use yellow or orange tomatoes, since they are less acidic than the red variety.  By replacing half of the tomatoes, you still get the red color but with less acid and acidity.

4. Add sweet wine, such as Lambrusco or white Zinfandel, to the sauce. These sauces will add sweetness and the alcohol will also add more flavor to the sauce.

5. Brown some sweet Italian sausage and add it to the sauce as it simmers. Sweet Italian sausage has spices like anise that will add a sweet flavor to the sauce. Use as much or as little as the sausages you prefer. One pound of sausage in 1 quart. of salsa makes a pretty meaty sauce.

6. Combine any or all of the above. Make your sauce with a mixture of tomatoes, add the wine and sweet vegetables, simmer some sausages in the mixture and throw in a little sugar to finish it off.

My spaghetti sauce is too acidic. What do I do?

There are times that even if we follow a recipe to the letter, the result may not be as expected. This usually happens with preparations in which we include wines or some fruits. This is the case, for example, with tomatoes. Has it ever happened to you that your homemade tomato sauce has been too acidic? 

In the first place, it is best to always use seasonal products, as we will ensure that they are at their optimum point of consumption. And, if we use tomatoes without being in season, it is most likely that they are more acidic and their flavor will end up being perceived in our recipes.

Before we start with our cooking tip, don’t forget to check the recipe for making homemade fried tomato sauce.

If even following all the steps correctly, your tomato sauce remains acidic, you can apply a couple of tricks:

• To avoid the acidity of the tomato sauce, we recommend that you peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds before crushing them. In another kitchen trick, we already tell you how to peel tomatoes easily. It will take you very few seconds!
• If when preparing your tomato sauce you notice that it is acidic, you can apply two tricks:
• Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and salt as the sauce thickens. In order not to overdo it and end up with a sauce that is too sweet, we recommend that you add the sugar little by little and test how it tastes.
• You can also neutralize the acidity of the tomato using a pinch of bicarbonate, which we will sprinkle over the sauce and stir well while we cook it over low heat. As with sugar, it is best to try little by little until you reach the desired flavor point.

One cool trick I use is to put a carrot in it. Tomato sauce is usually a bit acidic and you need to add something to sweeten it and contrast that acidity. The carrot is sweet and gives it that balance it needs. This is how you get a healthy tomato sauce without sugar.

Other FAQs about Sauces which you may be interested in.

Can I use crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce in chili?

How acidic is tomato sauce?

Tips to make spaghetti sauce taste better

I leave you all my tips to give it different touches:

• You can make it with or without ONION: as you will see below in the recipe, in this case, I put it on and made it a few minutes before on the micro. But if you want to do it without, skip this step, put 4 cloves of garlic instead of 2, and in exactly 20 minutes you have it ready.

• Add a little OREGANO or BASIL, they will give a great touch to your tomato sauce.

• If you want to make more QUANTITY, double the ingredients. For 1 kg (2 cans) I leave it on the micro for 35 min. ⠀

• CONSERVATION: in a tightly closed jar in the fridge.

• FREEZING: Yes, it can be frozen. When you thaw it, give it a hit with the mixer.

• DURATION: 4-5 days in the fridge well stored.

The bottom line

There are several ways you can sweeten your spaghetti sauce: you can add sugar or honey in it, you can mix some sweet vegetables or add sweet wine to your linking. No matter the method you choose, these are great ways to make the spaghetti sauce taste amazing. 

If you have some cooking tips to share with us, do not hesitate to get in contact!

References

Epicurious.com

Jamieoliver.com