Back to basics: tomato sauce

A basic tomato sauce can be used in a huge variety of meals including chilli, pasta, bolognese, ratatouille and lasagne. It can also be thinned down to make a delicious tomato soup, spread on pizza as a base and even cooked down and combined with a little sugar for a homemade tomato ketchup.

We’re sharing our basic tomato sauce recipe that makes 300-400ml of sauce that you can easily double, triple or even quadruple up on ingredients if you’re feeding larger numbers. If you’re batch cooking this sauce you’ll be glad to know that it freezes well when kept in airtight storage and is a great freezer staple if you find yourself short of time in the kitchen or like to plan ahead.

What you’ll need to make a basic tomato sauce

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 1 clove of garlic (crushed)
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• ½ can water 
• 1 tsp mixed herbs (heaped)
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Method

1. Pour the oil into a medium sized saucepan and set on a low to medium heat.
2. Once the oil is hot add the onion and stir. Replace the lid and sweat for 3-5 minutes until it has softened.
3. Add the crushed garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute.
4. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, mixed herbs and water and stir before replacing the lid and cooking on a low heat for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and cook on a low heat for a further 30 minutes or until the sauce is thick and rich in flavour.
6. Season the sauce, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
7. Blitz in a blender for a smooth sauce or leave as is for a more rustic texture.

Top tip: if you have some leftover tomatoes and are wondering how to use them, they work well in place of the cherry tomatoes in this oven rösti recipe.