Easy As(s) Pizza Pie

By Jason
Recipe: Tomato Sauce

My first apartment in the city was a 4-bedroom, 1-bath black hole in midtown. The only natural light came through two of the bedrooms—one of which, thankfully, was mine. The four of us spent Sundays watching movies in the dimly lit living room, nursing our hangovers, and eating until too full to move. Two couches were never enough to accommodate our sprawl so there was always an aero-bed waiting the last two roommates to wake up, assuming they left comfort of their beds.

While Sundays featured a mix of food from burritos to fried chicken, it was pizza that was—and still is—my favorite. We lived directly above a Ray’s Pizza in Hells Kitchen – the smell of hot cheese and sauce wafting in through our bedroom windows 24 hours a day. I was there, both drunk and sober, often enough to be nicknamed “the king” by the Ray’s staff. They even let me cut the line of tourists which often snaked around the counter, spilling out onto 7th Avenue.

Considering Times Square is one of the most trafficked spots in the world, the idea of being “the king” is almost too embarrassing to admit. But it leads me to my most embarrassing pizza moment. On the morning after my twenty-third birthday party, I woke up in my bed, fully dressed, but with pants around my still-laced boots. I was alone, underwear still on, with my hand in a pizza box, clutching crust.

I have since moved on from that apartment. But I still hold a special place in my heart for Ray’s white cheese slices. These days I just prefer to make my own pies.

The key to great pizza is equal parts crust, sauce, and toppings. My trick for getting the best crust is to go to my favorite local pizzeria. Rather than mixing and tossing dough in my kitchen only to come out with a mediocre crust – I place an order for a cooked crust. In Manhattan Stella’ and Gotham have both cooked plain crust for me. I simply top the crust with warm sauce, fresh mozzarella, parmesan, and sliced fresh basil and heat in the oven until the cheese has melted.

Welcome to my lazy man’s pie – fast, cheap, and delicious. My recipe for sauce is below. I make it in large batches and then divide and freeze it into smaller portions. Play with the seasoning until it’s just right for you, and you’ll always be ready for your moments of laziness. If you’re not into making your own sauce, you can always spice up your favorite jarred sauced and then simmer it until reduced and thick. Top a pizza with watery sauce and the crust will end up soggy.

Tomato Sauce


4 28oz cans crushed tomatoes (I prefer to use local canned tomatoes, but many swear by Italian varieties)
2 yellow onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
¾ - 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tbsp dried rosemary
1/2 tbsp dried thyme
1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

Chop onion, carrot, and celery to about the same size. Heat olive oil over medium in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent (about 10 minutes). Add carrots and celery – mixing well to coat with olive oil. While these are all cooking together season add all of the spices besides the bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper. I find this is a great way to bring out the flavors of the dried herbs so that they are well mixed in the finished product. Cook until the carrots and celery are tender, about 10 minutes. Bring the heat down to low and add the tomatoes and bay leaves. Taste, and season with salt and pepper. Varieties of canned tomatoes all differ in their seasoning, and the flavors will intensify while the sauce reduces, so if it tastes a little under seasoned at this point, it’s okay. Simmer and reduce sauce over low heat for two to three hours, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool before separating into airtight containers for refrigeration/freezing. I keep the sauce chunky in case I decide to use it for pasta. When used for pizza, I thaw the sauce in the refrigerator and then pulse in a food processor until smooth. This can thin the sauce a bit, so before adding it to your pizza, reduce until very thick.