Basic tomato sauce for pasta recipe

Basic Tomato Sauce for Pasta recipe

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Recipe intro

This basic tomato sauce for pasta recipe is a versatile and essential addition to any home cook's repertoire. Made with simple ingredients like tomatoes, onions, garlic, and herbs, it is a flavorful and comforting sauce that pairs perfectly with various pasta dishes. Whether you're making spaghetti, lasagna, or even pizza, this recipe will elevate your dish to the next level. Quick and easy to prepare, it is a go-to option for busy weeknight dinners or when you need a delicious meal in a pinch.

Keywords: tomato sauce, pasta recipe, versatile, flavorful, quick and easy.

Basic tomato sauce for pasta recipe details

Basic tomato sauce for pasta recipe, recipe Rating: 4.7
Number of votes:105 

Ingredients

1 kg	plum tomatoes, ripe
3 large can(s)	tomatoes, chopped, 400g
1 large	onion, finely chopped
2 clove(s)	garlic, finely chopped
¼ tsp	dried chilli flakes, optional
2 tbsp	red wine or cider vinegar, or balsamic vinegar if liked AND
2 tsp	sugar, or to taste OR
3 tbsp	tomato ketchup
1 handful	fresh basil leaves, torn into rough shreds by hand
	salt, to taste
	fresh ground pepper, to taste
	Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, to serve

Instructions

If using fresh tomatoes, boil a pan of water and score tomatoes lightly top and bottom with a sharp knife. Using a slotted spoon, dip the tomatoes into the boiling water for about 30 seconds or until the corners of the skins start to peel. Using a knife, remove the skins as far as possible; if the tomatoes are completely ripe the skins should be easily removed. Cut the peeled tomatoes into small chunks and reserve. Discard the boiled water.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently cook onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Add tomatoes and all available juice, chilli flakes (if required), sugar and vinegar (or ketchup). Bring to a simmer and cook slowly for at least 45 minutes and up to 1 hour or until the tomatoes are broken apart. Add salt and pepper to taste and add shredded basil leaves and stir in. Check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Once the sauce is finished, remove from heat. You may either blend the sauce almost smooth (pulse in a blender and exercise care as the sauce is quite hot) or leave rustic, as preferred.

Serve hot, spooned over cooked pasta of choice (allow 100-150g pasta dry weight per person for a main course or about 50-75g per person as an ante-pasto) with plenty of parmesan cheese grated or ribboned over the top.

Surplus sauce may be frozen, if desired, thawed and gently rewarmed for later use.

If you wish, you could add mushrooms, additional herbs such as oregano or rosemary, both of which are typically Mediterranean ingredients and quite acceptable to my taste. Seafood may be another option but is untried by me, although almost certainly unsafe to freeze and thaw for later use.

Preparation time:
ca. 1 hr 30 min
Grade of difficulty:
easy
Calories per portion:
n/a