Bowl of spaghetti with tomato & basil sauce

Tomato & basil sauce

By Good Food
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(112 ratings)
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Prep: 5 mins Cook: 10 mins

Easy

Makes 350ml

Save time and money with this simple and tasty sauce, great with pasta, meat or fish

Nutrition and extra info

  • Freezable
  • Easily doubled
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal52
  • fat3g
  • saturates1g
  • carbs5g
  • sugars4g
  • fibre1g
  • protein2g
  • salt0.28g
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Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
    olive oil

    Olive oil

    ol-iv oyl

    Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…

  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tsp vegetable stock powder or ½ crumbled stock cube
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tsp sugar
    Sugar

    Sugar

    shuh-ga

    Honey and syrups made from concentrated fruit juice were the earliest known sweeteners. Today,…

  • few basil leaves

Method

  1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan, add 1 crushed garlic clove, then gently fry for 1 min.

  2. Tip in 400g chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp vegetable stock powder or ½ crumbled stock cube, 1 tbsp tomato purée and 1 tsp sugar, then bring to the boil.


  3. Reduce the heat, then simmer uncovered for 5 mins, stirring occasionally.

  4. To finish, tear a few basil leaves, then stir into the sauce.

  • Recipe Tip

    Creamy mascarpone

    Stir 2 tbsp mascarpone into the sauce at the end of the cooking time. Delicious poured over fresh tortellini, topped with a few more spoonfuls of cheese, then baked until bubbling at the edges.

  • Recipe Tip

    Spicy Arrabiata

    Use 2 garlic cloves and add a good pinch each chilli flakes and dried oregano. Stir in 1 tsp balsamic vinegar to serve.

  • Recipe Tip

    Sweet spiced Moroccan

    Omit the basil and add 2 tsp honey and ½ tsp each ground cinnamon and coriander instead of the sugar. Try it with lamb meatballs and couscous, or served with chicken.

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Comments, questions and tips

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booo242's picture
booo242
30th Sep, 2019
5.05
Good recipe! Thank's!)) I found interesting recipe of the Vegan Pasta - https://oneperfectdayblog.net/pasta-sauce/ Tasty!)
fk31
11th Sep, 2019
5.05
So quick and easy to make! I doubled the recipe to serve 4 and it was the perfect amount. I added lots of vegetables such as carrots, courgettes, onions and mushrooms and it was so tasty! Also added some mixed herbs for a bit of extra flavour! 100% recommended!
Sarahdd
2nd Sep, 2019
5.05
I make this recipe all the time! Whether I want a simple sauce to go with pasta or I double it up to go with meatballs. I always add loads of veg, whatever I have in the fridge, and it’s always delicious.
07Holly07
19th Aug, 2019
5.05
would definitely recommend! so simple and to be healthier I did not add the sugar and it still tasted great. However, don't keep it boiling for too long as it may get slightly thicker. still, lovely recipe!
Susan Martin's picture
Susan Martin
24th Mar, 2019
this is a lovely sauce - can't believe I haven't used it for years - so easy and cheap too!
leenvh
21st Nov, 2018
5.05
Also very good with chicken stock!
xXfoodlover69Xx's picture
xXfoodlover69Xx
7th Nov, 2018
so delicious made with my nan and we both slurped it up nice and quick loved the food :D good job
Anita Lee's picture
Anita Lee
10th Aug, 2018
5.05
I tweaked this a little. Fried 100 grams chopped chorizo, an onion and a small red pepper with a pinch of dried chili and Italian herbs, the rest as per the recipe, it was delicious!
Jennie Lock's picture
Jennie Lock
24th Jun, 2018
5.05
Just put a pan of pasta on for lunch then looked in the cupboard and realised I’d forgotten to buy pasta sauce! Did a quick google and knocked this recipe up in the time it took the pasta to cook. Really tasty, much nicer than jars of sauce, and cost about 40p to make.
ruthpatricia
1st Jun, 2018
5.05
Great basic recipe, I added a small finely chopped onion, small piece of red chilli plus a good glug of red wine and more than a few torn basil leaves.

Pages

New male cook
12th May, 2019
Do you use the whole 400g can of chopped tomatoes including the liquid or do you just use the tomatoes ?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
13th May, 2019
Thanks for your question - you use the whole can, including the juice. Enjoy!
Pat.D
25th Jan, 2019
Can i use a chicken stock pot as I don't have a vegetable one?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
25th Jan, 2019
Thanks for your question - yes you can. Stock pots tend to be saltier so we'd recommend using no more than half.
louisedstanley
23rd Nov, 2015
Its says 52 calories per portion but is a portion the full 350ml?
soxsina
1st Sep, 2015
Can you freeze this recipe including when you use the macarpone sauce?
daddyscooking
13th Oct, 2019
Add one or two chopped fresh tomatoes, to make the sauce that bit fresher.
Maddi123
26th Sep, 2019
5.05
I don't like bits in sauce so I sived it and had it on pasta
DanielleGunn
24th Sep, 2014
5.05
I added mushrooms, dried chillies, oregano, onions, a few slices of green pepper, pepper, and a small sprinkling of cheese.
AgaLout
4th Jul, 2013
Gently fry two chopped shallots at the beginning, add half a red chilli with the garlic and stir in dried basil if you haven't got fresh. This will add a further depth and dimension to the flavour, should you want it.
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