New York Style Pizza Sauce

I grew up in NYC and pizza was considered a major food group!  A pizzeria was probably the first “restaurant” I was ever in. It served as a place for my first few “dates” (Yes, we considered having pizza with a boy in grammar school a “date”!) And throughout high school, it was an affordable hang out after school and on weekends.  New Yorkers love their pizza.  It is still my mother’s favorite meal (no matter how much I cook, she always requests pizza!).  And when making pizza, it all comes down to that NY Style Pizza Sauce. 

Once I left NY, I started on the pursuit of a NY pizza sauce recipe.  One thing that came up repeatedly was the type of tomatoes they all seemed to use.  There were entire articles and interviews on the importance of using Red Pack Whole Plum Tomatoes in Puree.  Everyone raved about these tomatoes and pizzeria after pizzeria swore these were the only tomatoes they used. I couldn’t find those tomatoes in the Midwest or out here in California at my grocery store.  So, I always substituted some of my other canned tomato favorites.  Cento, Hunts and San Marzano all worked, but once I bought the Red Pack (online of course), I understood the difference.  For some reason, those tomatoes bring back the NY experience.  It is hard to explain why, other than as soon as I used them, the sauce tasted just like I remembered.  It is a little sweeter, perhaps?  Hard to put my finger on it, but those tomatoes make the sauce come together. (FYI: I am NOT an affiliate of Red Pack…would like to be, but I am not.) 

Next, I had to play with spices.  After trial and error, here is my version of a New York Pizza Sauce.  It is easy to make, easily doubled or tripled, and will keep in the refrigerator for a week.  If you can’t buy the Red Pack tomatoes, try it with your favorite canned tomatoes and then when you are ready, try Red Pack.  They just have a unique, sweet taste that makes my pizza sauce sing. 

You can use this sauce on store bought pizza crust or Boboli, toasted English Muffins, pita bread, French bread, your own pizza dough, or my skinny pizza dough.  Traditionally, New York style pizza is on a thin, crispy crust, with a thin layer of this pizza sauce, and lots of shredded mozzarella cheese.  I know when I lived in New York, you could go into your local pizzeria and buy a ball of dough (talk about the perfect shortcut for a pizza party) so do consider that in your own local neighborhoods. 

I’ve also found fresh pizza dough at Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Sprouts.