Too much sugar in pasta sauce

[cindylovesitaly]

I followed a recipe for pasta sauce that I found online but I followed the advice of several reviewers who said to add 1/2 cup sugar to the sauce to cut the acidic taste. Well, as you probably know, this was way too much sugar even for a huge recipe like this.

Does anyone have suggestions for how to make this sauce edible? The over all flavor is great just too sweet. I hate to throw it out.

Thanks

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Do you have lemon juice? I can't think of anything else off hand that would not change the flavor profile, too much.

 

[GotGarlic]

Honestly, all I can think of is to add pectin and turn it into tomato jam. That's an awful lot of sugar. How much sauce does the recipe make?

 

[merstar]

The best thing to do is to make other batch or a double batch without any sugar, and add it to this one.

Lemon juice or vinegar might work, but it would probably call for an overload to balance out all that sugar.

 

[Andy M.]

Yet another reason to never use sugar in tomato sauce.

Your best bet is to try to dilute it by adding more tomato and other ingredients.

 

[GLC]

Something acidic. I wonder how many of these sugar-added tomato sauce recipes are of real early origin. Most tomatoes today have had so much acid bred out of them that the old canning wisdom for tomatoes has changed.

 

[justplainbill]

1/2 cup = 24 teaspoons. I add <2 teaspoons per two 28 ounce cans of tomatoes.

 

[Andy M.]

For an ingredient such as sugar in tomato sauce, I'd treat it like salt - add a little and taste. Repeat as necessary.

 

[justplainbill]

For an ingredient such as sugar in tomato sauce, I'd treat it like salt - add a little and taste. Repeat as necessary.

In NY some people ask 'How's your hammer hanging'; is that an expression you've heard in your neck of the woods ?

 

[Andy M.]

No. I don't know what it means or its relevance here. Please explain.

 

[Uncle Bob]

The best thing to do is to make other batch or a double batch without any sugar, and add it to this one.

Lemon juice or vinegar might work, but it would probably call for an overload to balance out all that sugar.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Standing ovation!

 

[taxlady]

Yet another reason to never use sugar in tomato sauce.

Your best bet is to try to dilute it by adding more tomato and other ingredients.

+1

 

[TATTRAT]

Yet another reason to never use sugar in tomato sauce.

Your best bet is to try to dilute it by adding more tomato and other ingredients.

I have often wondered that too. . .I just don't get it. A lot of the acid has been breed out of tomatoes. and if you have say, onion in there, sweat the onion down more, or lightly caramelize it for better depth, or sweetness. Even a little fine grated carrot, not enough to taste, but helps the edge if by chance the sauce is acidic.

 

[cindylovesitaly]

Thank you everyone. Yes, I certainly should have put a little in at a time if at all. However, I added a little over a 1/2 teaspoon salt, a little bit of lemon juice, and more of the garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning. My husband said it was good and I think it's certainly good enough to eat. Next time I'll stick to the recipe. C

 

[Andy M.]

I have often wondered that too. . .I just don't get it. A lot of the acid has been breed out of tomatoes. and if you have say, onion in there, sweat the onion down more, or lightly caramelize it for better depth, or sweetness. Even a little fine grated carrot, not enough to taste, but helps the edge if by chance the sauce is acidic.

Right! I also add tomato paste and caramelize that some. It adds more sweetness.

 

[lyndalou]

I never put sugar in my sauce. I usually add about 1/2 - 1 tsp. cinnamon depending on how much sauce I am making.

 

[NikitaLysytskiy]

If I make tomato paste myself with fresh tomatos, I never add sugar in it. One important сondition here: tomatoes must be juicy, soft and crimson.
If I use tomato paste from supermarket I always add some sugar.

 

[Bigjim68]

I agree, Andy. I don't add any sugar to tomato sauce. I have never had a problem with it being too acid.

 

[Cerise]

Thank you everyone. Yes, I certainly should have put a little in at a time if at all. However, I added a little over a 1/2 teaspoon salt, a little bit of lemon juice, and more of the garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning. My husband said it was good and I think it's certainly good enough to eat. Next time I'll stick to the recipe. C

Welcome, Cindy. Glad you were able to 'salvage' your sauce. I was going to suggest adding wine or vodka, or pancetta or bacon (to counteract the sweetness); or turn it into a Bolognese. It's hard to tell w/o seeing the recipe. Try to taste as you go, and adjust the seasonings. We learn from our cooking mistakes.

 

[kadesma]

Thank you everyone. Yes, I certainly should have put a little in at a time if at all. However, I added a little over a 1/2 teaspoon salt, a little bit of lemon juice, and more of the garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning. My husband said it was good and I think it's certainly good enough to eat. Next time I'll stick to the recipe. C

My recie comes from my m-i-l She was Italian and from Genoa we never but never put sugar in our tomato gravy !!! Instead we use wonderful herbs,and dried wild mushrooms that we reconstitute adding the beautiful brown broth it gives us to this gravy. It is yummy and we freeze it for different pasta's. Think about it It works and you can always add suger if you want to.
kadesma