So when I say pepperoni sauce you either immediately think of Top Chef or you think, “Wait, what?”

A chef made this during the 2011 season of Top Chef and I was fascinated by it.  How had this never been done before? It’s brilliant, and certainly never occurred to me to make it.

I’ve made some tweaks to it for us — we like a little more sweetness in our tomato-based sauces, and I also used bacon grease instead of olive oil — sticking with the pork theme, right? But I didn’t stray too far from the original.

This sauce is fantastic on a meatball sandwich, on pasta, or anything you’d use red sauce on. I definitely want to try it with pizza soon. Love it!

Pepperoni sauce

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. or so bacon grease (or olive oil if that sounds better to you)
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 6 ounces pepperoni, cut into thin slices (I used Boar’s Head)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 large can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tbsp. sugar

Instructions

1. Heat the bacon grease in a large, heavy pot till it’s nice and hot, then cook the onions over low to medium heat till they’re very soft — a good 15 minutes or so. If you’re worried about them burning you can add a few splashes of water to the pan to help with that
2. When the onions are soft, add the garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes or so until they’re soft — keep an eye on them because they’re easier to burn
3. Add in remaining ingredients and simmer for at least 45 minutes, but longer won’t hurt anything
4. Puree with a stick blender or in an actual blender till completely smooth, and enjoy!

I need more ways to incorporate this into my life. What would you use it on?