Today we prepare the homemade tomato sauce with mom’s recipe adapted to our needs: without added sugar and without using oil in cooking for hyperglycemia, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes.
The homemade tomato sauce without sugar is naturally sweet.
The homemade tomato sauce without oil in cooking is a digestible and light sauce.
I grew up in a family of farmers, from grandfather to dad to uncle.
As long as I can remember, we have always made homemade tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes.
My mother has never bought ready-made passata.
This is a family recipe, passed down from my paternal grandmother Francesca to my mother: my father eats only this sauce, and mom prepares it all year round, so we rarely use preserves.
Velvety and seedless or rustic, according to taste!
You will find it as an ingredient in many recipes on the blog.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Choose varieties like cherry, plum, or pixel tomatoes and add an onion for a naturally sweet sauce.
- 2.2 lbs tomatoes (cherry, plum, or pixel, also mixed)
- 1 onion (blended or grated or whole)
- as needed water
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup water
- leaves basil
- 1 tsp salt
Suggested Tools
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Chopper or Mixer
Preparation
Wash the tomatoes well, remove the stem, and cut the skin with a knife.
Blend or finely grate the onion or leave it whole if you want to remove it after cooking.
In a large pot:
– pour a base of water;
– add the scored tomatoes and the onion.Cook over medium heat, stirring and smashing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to release the juice.
Let it cook with a lid over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Turn off the heat and let it cool.Once cooled:
– blend the tomatoes with an immersion mixer;
– pass the blended tomatoes through a strainer or sieve with a spoon to remove skins and seeds.
This way, you will get a liquid and velvety tomato sauce without seeds.
If, instead, you prefer a rustic sauce with seeds, use the classic food mill.
In a saucepan:
– brown 1-2 cloves of whole and scored garlic in 1/4 cup of water;
add the strained tomato sauce.
Season with basil leaves.Let it cook with a lid over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Remove the garlic and adjust the salt.Your homemade tomato sauce without sugar and without using oil in cooking is ready!
The pasta with tomato sauce is a great classic of Italian cuisine.
Choose a whole-wheat pasta shape, and you will bring a healthy dish with a lower glycemic impact to the table.Cook the pasta, rinse it under running water, and drain it before seasoning.
Season with the tomato sauce and finish with a sprinkle of grated cheese like caciocavallo, grana, or parmesan and a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil.
The homemade tomato sauce is a natural, healthy, and versatile base ingredient.
– seasoning for first courses;
– pizza topping;
– to flavor instead of tomato paste for a more digestible and lighter result;
– to flavor legumes, soups, and stews;
– for the preparation of sauces and gravies, dressings, and ragù with vegetables, legumes, meat, and fish.The homemade tomato sauce without sugar or oil in cooking and the light homemade vegetable broth without salt are my two essential bases for a healthy and quick kitchen.
Storage, Tips, and Variations
Pour the lukewarm or cold sauce into glass jars or bottles with an airtight lid, ideal for jam or juice jars.
Store the tomato sauce:
– in the fridge for up to 3-4 days;
– in the freezer for up to 3 months.
– pour the tomato sauce into ice cube molds;
or pour it into trays, let it freeze, then cut into cubes and store in freezer bags;
to have cubes ready to use, perfect for seasoning and flavoring.
FAQ
Did you know?
Tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables!
They contain natural sugars like fructose and glucose.
The content depends on various factors including: the variety, the degree of ripeness, the growing conditions, and the availability of nutrients like potassium.How to reduce the acidity of tomato sauce without sugar
Onion
Onion naturally sweetens the tomato sauce.
You can add it blended or grated, or whole – to remove it at the end of cooking.
One onion for a pot of sauce has a low glycemic impact and naturally sweetens it, avoiding added sugars which would certainly be more problematic.
Baking Soda
At the end of cooking, add a pinch of baking soda.
The sauce will start to foam slightly: stir well and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.Why make homemade tomato sauce?
Preserved tomatoes, passata, and ready sauces often contain added sugars and other ingredients that can contribute to raising blood sugar levels; read the ingredients carefully.
The homemade tomato sauce without sugar is naturally sweet.
The homemade tomato sauce without oil in cooking is digestible and light.Can people with diabetes eat tomato sauce?
Tomato sauce is a healthy seasoning, but in some cases of hyperglycemia, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes it can contribute to an increase in blood sugar levels.
This can depend on various factors:
– type of sauce used;
– quantity consumed;
– combinations;
– individual response.
Tips
Prefer a homemade tomato sauce without sugar or oil in cooking to use in moderate quantities, always paying attention to portions and combinations.
The glycemic peak does not depend solely on the sauce, but on what we eat together with it:
– start the meal with a generous portion of raw or cooked vegetables;
– choose a whole-wheat pasta shape;
– integrate the tomato sauce with foods rich in fiber, proteins, and good fats to balance the meal;
improves glycemic response.
However, the glycemic response remains personal: some tolerate tomato sauce well, while others see an increase in blood sugar even with small quantities.
Measure post-meal blood sugar to understand how your body reacts.
