29 May Homemade Pasta Sauce

Ever since I started making pasta sauce from scratch, I’ve been so angry at myself for being so dependent on store-bought bottled/carton pasta sauce. I always found some of them to be quite bland, so I would end up adding my own herbs and spices to them anyway. That’s when I decided that I should make my own pasta sauce, so there was never any disappointment. There are a lot of different ways that you can make tomato-based pasta sauces, but this is one that I tend to make more often, because it is super easy to make and still tastes really good. I love this recipe because it goes with any kind of meat – so after making it, you can add chicken, mince or even pork.

I tend to make this recipe with fresh tomatoes, but if you hate blanching and chopping them, then you use canned tomatoes. This recipe is super simple, which emphasizes the flavour of the tomatoes, but if you would prefer something a little less overwhelming, then you can add more fresh herbs or your favourite spices. Or you can add some fresh cream towards the end, for a different twist on your pasta.

I would suggest using very fresh tomatoes for your sauce. The type of tomatoes that you use also have an influence on the way that your sauce tastes. So always choose tomatoes that you usually enjoy in your salad, and then you’ll have your perfect pasta sauce.

Recipe:

Ingredients

• Fresh basil leaves
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 whole onion
• Fresh oregano
• 7 tomatoes
• Salt & Pepper (as desired)
• 1 bird’s eye chilli
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp harissa paste

Method:

1. Saute onions in olive oil until they are translucent. Once they are soft, add garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add all your tomatoes (make sure you have blanched them, and they are skinless) and let them simmer until the sauce starts to thicken.
3. Add all your herbs, spices and the fresh chilli and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.
4. Season with salt and pepper

Recipe Idea: Chorizo rigatoni with homemade pasta sauce