A Classic Creole Sauce

Written by
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
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Danilo Alfaro
Updated 08/13/19
Crawfish etouffee
Use this sauce in a classic etouffee. Sf_foodphoto / Getty Images
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
31 Calories
0g Fat
7g Carbs
1g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 31
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 35mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 1g
Calcium 33mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Creole sauce is a spicy tomato sauce made with sauteed onions, green peppers, and garlic, and seasoned with cayenne pepper.

Note: This recipe calls for 1 quart of the classic tomato sauce, which is one of the five so-called mother sauces of the culinary arts. You could instead use 1 quart of basic tomato pasta sauce, which is easier to make.

Ingredients

  • 1 quart tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup onions (chopped)
  • 3/4 cup celery (chopped)
  • 1/2 cup green pepper (diced)
  • 1 clove garlic (minced)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano (dried)
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Salt (kosher to taste)
  • Black pepper (freshly ground, to taste)
  • Cayenne pepper (to taste)

Steps to Make It

  1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, sauté the onions, green pepper, celery and garlic until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

  2. Add the tomato sauce, bay leaf, oregano, and lemon zest. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.

  3. Remove bay leaf, season with the salt, pepper, and cayenne and serve right away.