Techniques
Sauces
Skill
Beginner
1 min

Blend a tomato sauce to smooth out chunky texture

After simmering the sauce ingredients, blend the mixture to get a smooth sauce if you don’t like the texture.

Cook the aromatics and tomatoes with herbs/seasoning, then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. This turns a chunky, curd-prone mixture into a more uniform sauce.

The short version

  • Blend at the end if you want a smoother sauce texture.

What you need

  • pan
  • blenderAny countertop blender works

How to do it

  1. 1

    Simmer your sauce base (e.g., onion/garlic/tomatoes plus herbs/seasoning) in a pan.

    Watch this step
  2. 2

    Add the remaining mix-ins (as used in the sauce) and let it cook briefly so it comes together.

    The video reduces the sauce for about 5 minutes before blending.

    Watch this step
  3. 3

    Transfer to a blender and blend until completely smooth.

    Be careful blending hot liquids; don’t overfill the blender.

    Watch this step

What goes wrong

Leaving the sauce unblended when you dislike the texture

Blend the finished sauce until smooth.

Why it works

Blending breaks down tomato solids and disperses dairy components so the sauce feels smoother on the palate.

Put it to use

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