Fresh Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce

2013-05-01

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Yield : 1 1/2 cups
Prep Time : 5m
Cook Time : 15m
Ready In : 20m

Fresh Tomato & Basil Tomato Sauce

This fresh tomato and basil pasta sauce took the Baked Meatballs in a Simple Tomato Sauce to another level! Charlie deserves a lot of the credit for this sauce encouraging me to use the big bag of roma tomatoes we had bought on the weekend. At first I wasn’t at all interested thinking of the extra mess I would make and time it would take but Charlie encouraged me to use all the lovely fresh ingredients we had at home. And to be honest it took no time at all and was almost done by the time the meatballs had finished baking in the oven. So yummy, highly recommend you try it! Next time I will be doubling the quantity to make sure I have some for the freezer.

Note: You will find the sauce is more of an orange colour and completely normals as the skins of the tomato have been removed.

Nutrition Note: Many commercial pasta sauces are loaded with sodium (salt). Taking the time to make your own with good quality ingredients and no added salt is a healthy and nutritious choice.

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Ingredients

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
500g ripe tomatoes
1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8-10 basil leaves
pepper to taste

Method

Step 1

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until onion is soft being careful not to brown the onion. -

Step 2

While the onions are cooking prepare the tomatoes. Remove the core from each tomato and using a knife make a cross on the other end. Put the tomatoes in a bowl, cover with boiling water and allow to stand for a minute. Drain the tomatoes, return to the bowl and cover with cold water. Peel away the skin and roughly chop. Set aside. -

Step 3

Uncover, add the tomatoes, garlic and basil and cook for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have collapsed, stirring often to ensure the sauce doesn't stick. Season with pepper to taste. -

Step 4

Process sauce using a bamix or food processor until smooth. Use in place of tinned crushed tomatoes, bottled pasta sauce or passata. -

Step 5

Recipe Comments

posted by Lisa Lewis on August 17, 2013

This sounds delicious! Could this sauce be frozen with pasta and possibly chicken? ??

Reply
- posted by Jess on August 18, 2013
  
  Hi Lisa, this sauce is great for freezing and you could easily include cooked chicken in the sauce for freezing. It’s helpful to freeze the sauce in small portions or ice cube trays so you only need to defrost what you plan to eat. It would be preferable from a taste and texture point of view to cook the pasta fresh but it could also be frozen with the sauce if needed. Enjoy, Jx
  
  Reply
posted by Kate on January 13, 2014

I made this recently and it’s so easy and yummier than bottled sauce! The only thing I suggest is to only use 1 garlic clove if you want a subtle garlic flavour; I used 2 and it was quite overpowering, had to make another batch with no garlic to even it out. I will try to make this more often as it freezes well and it’s very easy to get some out for my little one’s pasta.

Reply
posted by Cindy Peady on February 18, 2014

I made a sauce similar to this a few weeks ago, I also grated zucchini, celery and carrot and added also – it was amazing

Reply
posted by Natalie on May 19, 2014

I have tried so many times to make a great pasta sauce without canned tomatoes, bottled sauces or tomato paste as my bub has a bad reaction to the acidity in those. This has been the only sauce that she has liked and did not have a reaction to. I also grated zuchinni, carrot and added minced beef to make a hearty delicious sauce.

Reply
- posted by Jess on May 22, 2014
  
  Thank you Natalie, for your feedback. We’re so pleased to hear you have had success with this recipe. Your modifications and additions sound delicious – i look forward to trying them myself 🙂 Jx
  
  Reply
posted by Donna on January 17, 2015

Sauce tastes great! Is it meant to turn to an orange colour though after processing?
I used home grown tomatoes.

Reply
- posted by Jess on January 18, 2015
  
  Hi Donna, yes – it will be a light red/orange colour. We’re glad you love it! Enjoy, Jx
  
  Reply