Greek Dips and Sauces
Saltsa Domatas Recipe (Basic Greek Tomato Sauce)
Σάλτσα ντομάτας SAHL-tsah doh-MAH-tas · Saltsa domatas
Photo: Large pot of simmering tomato sauce with wooden spoon.jpg by Shixart1985, CC BY 2.0. Placeholder until original photography is shot.
In short
Saltsa domatas is the basic Greek tomato sauce, onion and garlic cooked gently in olive oil, then simmered with tomato and bay leaf until thickened. It is the foundation underneath dozens of Greek baked and braised dishes, from soutzoukakia to giouvetsi, rather than a dish in its own right.
Saltsa domatas rarely gets its own recipe because it almost always appears as a component of something else, the base underneath soutzoukakia, giouvetsi, papoutsakia and dozens of other Greek baked and braised dishes rather than something eaten on its own. Knowing it properly as its own thing is genuinely useful, since a good version elevates everything built on top of it.
The technique is simple but the details matter: onion cooked properly soft before the tomato goes in, a real simmer rather than a rushed one, and a bay leaf, which appears constantly in Greek tomato-based cooking and is worth not skipping even though it seems like a small addition.
This makes considerably more than a single dish needs, which is deliberate, since it freezes well and having a batch on hand makes half the dishes on this site faster to put together on a weeknight.
Key preparation steps
- Cook onion and garlic gently in olive oil until soft.
- Add tomato, tomato paste and bay leaf.
- Simmer until thickened to a good coating consistency.
- Season and use immediately, or cool and freeze.
The onion base
Cook finely chopped onion in olive oil over a medium-low heat until genuinely soft and translucent, about eight minutes, before the garlic goes in for a final minute. Rushing this stage with high heat browns the onion rather than softening it, giving a sharper, less rounded flavour to the finished sauce.
Building the sauce
Add tomato paste and cook briefly to deepen its flavour, then tinned or grated fresh tomato and a bay leaf, with a little sugar to balance any sharpness. Simmer gently, uncovered, for twenty to twenty-five minutes, until the sauce has thickened to a good coating consistency rather than staying thin and watery.
Using and storing it
Remove the bay leaf and season to taste. This base is deliberately plain, without the additional spices that go into specific dishes, such as the cinnamon in a moussaka sauce or the cumin in soutzoukakia, so that it can serve as a genuine starting point for whatever you build on top of it.
It freezes very well for up to three months, making a double batch a genuinely useful habit for anyone who cooks Greek food regularly.
Tips from my kitchen
Do not rush the onion
A genuine eight minutes over medium-low heat softens it properly. High heat browns rather than softens, giving a sharper flavour.
Keep the spicing plain
This is meant to be a base sauce. Add specific spices, like cinnamon or cumin, only when adapting it for a particular dish.
Make a double batch
It freezes well for up to three months and having some on hand speeds up dozens of other Greek recipes.
Saltsa Domatas Recipe (Basic Greek Tomato Sauce)
Σάλτσα ντομάτας · by Kalliopi Andreou · updated 2026-07-31
- Prep
- 10m
- Cook
- 30m
- Total
- 40m
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over a medium-low heat. Cook the onion for 8 minutes, until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until slightly darkened.
- Add the tomatoes, bay leaf and sugar. Season and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened to a good coating consistency.
- Remove the bay leaf and check the seasoning before using, or cool completely and freeze in portions.
Nutrition, per 100 ml
- Calories
- 88
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Sat fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions about Saltsa domatas
What dishes use this basic tomato sauce?
It underlies soutzoukakia, giouvetsi, papoutsakia, and many other Greek baked and braised dishes, each then adding their own specific spicing on top of this plain base.
Can you use fresh tomatoes instead of tinned?
Yes, ripe fresh tomatoes, grated on the coarse side of a box grater to remove the skin easily, work very well, especially in summer when good tomatoes are available.
How long does saltsa domatas keep?
About 4 days refrigerated, and it freezes very well for up to 3 months, making it worth making in a larger batch.
