Tomato sauce is a simple yet complex part of any Italian meal, whether you're making it for spaghetti, pizza, or risotto. It should have an intense red color, a consistency that isn't too thin, and a vibrant, fruity flavor with balanced acidity. And the type of tomato that you use for your sauce has a significant impact on these characteristics.
If you're choosing just one variety, using beefsteak may be a mistake — and a common one , at that. Available as both heirloom and hybrid – meaning they are naturally pollinated or developed by scientists to have certain traits, respectively — beefsteak tomatoes are large and come in about 350 varieties: Some of the most common include Cherokee purple, big beef, Brandywine, and mortgage lifter. These are best used for sandwiches and salads because of their high water content, which is also why these heirloom tomatoes shouldn't be used in pasta sauce .
Due to their high water content, it can take quite a bit of time to cook out this excess water to ensure that your tomato sauce doesn't come out too thin. By that point, though, you also cook out the fresh flavor of beefsteak tomatoes. For these reasons, using a different tomato will yield less watery and more flavorful results.
Tips for choosing the right tomatoes for the best sauce If beefsteak isn't ideal, what is the best tomato to use for your homemade pasta sauce ? Generally, a paste tomato variety is the optimal choice, because these varieties contain less water and more fle.