When it comes to Italian cooking, few ingredients are as humble yet essential as passata. Unlike the more familiar cans of diced or whole tomatoes, passata is a smooth, sieved tomato purée that embodies the pure, sun-ripened flavor of peak-season tomatoes. In Italy, jars of homemade passata are pantry gold, lining the shelves of home kitchens to be pulled out whenever a sauce, soup, or braise needs the unmistakable brightness of summer, even in the depths of winter.
Passata sits somewhere between tomato purée and sauce. Fresh tomatoes—traditionally plum varieties like San Marzano or Roma—are briefly cooked, milled, and sieved to remove seeds and skins (it is also common for the tomatoes to be processed raw, skipping the initial cooking process). What remains is a velvety liquid with concentrated tomato flavor, unseasoned and ready to use as the base for countless dishes. Unlike canned tomato purée, passata is rarely cooked down extensively or heavily processed. The idea is to capture the freshness of ripe tomatoes in their purest form.
In Italy, making passata is more than a cooking project—it’s a seasonal ritual. At the height of summer, families gather to turn crates of just-picked tomatoes into passata that will last through the year. The process is communal and celebratory: tomatoes are washed, blanched, milled, and then bottled or jarred, often sealed with nothing more than a touch of salt and perhaps a basil leaf. These jars are then pasteurized in boiling water to preserve them safely. Opening one in January is like unlocking a jar of sunshine.
Passata is beloved because of its texture and versatility. It delivers all the bright, sweet acidity of tomatoes without the rough edges of seeds and skins. This makes it ideal for dishes where smoothness matters: a silken marinara, a velvety tomato soup, or a quick pan sauce for gnocchi. Its purity also means you, the cook, remain in control. Unlike ready-made pasta sauces, passata is a blank canvas—you decide how much garlic, basil, or chili heat to add.
The beauty of passata is its adaptability. A few favorite uses:
- Quick Pasta Sauce: Warm garlic in olive oil, add passata, and simmer just long enough to thicken slightly. Toss with spaghetti and finish with basil.
- Pizza Base: Spread passata straight onto dough, no need to cook it first. Its freshness balances the richness of mozzarella.
- Soups and Stews: Add depth to vegetable soups, seafood stews, or even braised meats. Passata blends seamlessly without the chunkiness of canned tomatoes.
- Egg Dishes: Simmer passata with onions, peppers, and spices for a shakshuka-style base, or use it in classic Italian eggs in purgatory.
While homemade passata has unbeatable freshness, good store-bought versions can be excellent pantry staples. Look for glass bottles from Italian producers, often labeled simply “passata di pomodoro.” Ingredients should list only tomatoes—and perhaps a little salt. Avoid products with added sugar, citric acid, or preservatives, which can dull the clean flavor.
If you want to try your hand at passata, the process is straightforward:
- Choose ripe, meaty tomatoes.
- Wash and roughly chop.
- Simmer briefly to soften, then pass through a food mill or sieve to remove skins and seeds.
- Season lightly with salt.
- Use immediately, refrigerate for a few days, or preserve in sterilized jars.
Even a small batch is worth the effort. The flavor of homemade passata is unmatched.
