Basic tomato sauce
makes 2 cups
This tomato sauce is great to have in the fridge - delicious with gnocchi, on a pizza base or in a lasagne. It only requires a few ingredients that can be found in most pantries. For winter, tinned tomatoes are a great alternative to fresh ones. And you can jazz it up with a few capers and lemon zest. It's so tasty, you could almost do without the parmesan.
Ingredients
| 2 Tbsp | Olive oil |
| 1 | Onion, chopped |
| 4 cloves | Garlic, crushed |
| 1 tin | Chopped tomatoes, 420g (Main) |
| 2 tsp | Balsamic vinegar |
| 200 ml | Tomato puree |
| 1 dessert spoon | Brown sugar |
| 2 Tbsp | Fresh thyme, leaves |
| ½ cup | Basil leaves, torn, plus extra to serve |
| 1 handful | Parmesan cheese, grated |
Directions
- Heat oil in a medium size pot. Add onion and garlic. Cook for 4 or 5 minutes without browning. Add tomatoes, puree, balsamic, sugar and thyme. Bring to a simmer over a low heat. Cook for 20 minutes until sauce has thickened.
- Add basil and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with spaghetti or your choice of pasta plus plenty of grated parmesan and extra basil leaves.