Basic tomato and basil sauce for pasta

Preparation: less than 30 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins to 1 hour
Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
  • ¼ - ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 large handful basil leaves, torn into small pieces
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Grated parmesan cheese, to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently cook the onion and garlic until softened. Stir in the tomatoes, chilli flakes, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook slowly for 45 minutes-1 hour. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. This can be left chunky or blended in a food processor for a smooth sauce.

  2. Serve spooned over cooked pasta with plenty of parmesan cheese.

Tips

Substitute the following as you prefer:
- 250g/9oz tub of mascarpone or cream cheese, either alone or with strips of smoked salmon
- chopped black olives and marinated artichokes
- fried bacon and mushrooms
- prawns, capers and chopped parsley
- chopped chicken, red onion and red peppers, fried in olive oil
- fried slices of chorizo sausage, chopped black olives and pieces of mozzarella cheese

All recipes : a - b - c - d - e - f - g - h - i - j - k - l - m - n - o - p - q - r - s - t - u - v - w - x - y - z - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 0 - Privacy Policy Cookie Policy