American recipe using 'a can of tomato sauce'

Canned tomato sauce in the US does not typically have 'Italian seasoning' or basil, but there is almost always some salt and/or dried spices. Even the most basic tomato sauce is going to be more than just cooked tomatoes; however, it might be a bit more runny than simply pureed tomatoes.

I can approximate the texture of canned tomato sauce by pureeing canned whole tomatoes, which are peeled and in a very runny liquid. If you are going to start with whole tomatoes, you might blanch them first and remove the skins.

Also, canned tomatoes and tomato sauce is pasteurized. Pureed fresh tomatoes would probably not be quite the same, so if your dish is not otherwise cooked, you might try cooking your puree.

I pulled out some cans of tomato sauce to answer your questions. The details are listed below, but it looks like they are generally diluted tomato paste with spices. If you can get tomato paste (canned or in a tube), that should get you the consistency that you want.

The ingredients as listed on the Hunt's brand are:

Tomato puree (water, tomato paste), water, less than 2% of: salt, citric acid, spice, tomato fiber, natural flavor

Shop Rite brand (a supermarket house brand) contains:

Tomato concentrate (water, tomato paste), onion powder, garlic powder, citric acid, natural flavorings, dehydrated bell pepper

And a can of Rokeach brand (a kosher food processor) tomato sauce with mushrooms contains:

Tomato puree (tomato paste & water), mushroom, modified potato starch, peppers, cottonseed oil, sugar, onion, apple cider viengar, garlic, celery, white pepper, bay leaves and citric acid.

I do a fair bit of cooking from American recipes, and I have always used passata or sieved tomatoes when 'tomato sauce' is called for. Never had any problems. You can get plain versions or ones flavoured with onion, garlic, basil etc.

They are available at all the major supermarkets, sometimes in the pasta aisle, but usually with the canned tomatoes and tomato puree. It comes in either a glass bottle or a small cardboard carton like orange juice.

I found out that tomato sauce used in an American recipe is passata (typically in a carton)

American here!. I know this post is 8 years old but still wanted to add my 2 cents. As the best answer noted with ingredient labels it's tomato paste and water blah, gross....

When I come across this I use either a can of chopped tomatoes with the juices separated and reduced before being added back to the cooking tomato/flavor base, Or the same amount of an already cooked basic tomato sauce (homemade preferably).

I think either way you are going to get a better flavor. Tomato sauce out of a can is always smooth so you could blend the chopped tomatoes in a food processor. I say still reduce the liquid separately or you will have far to much water.