Pasta with sauce is a widely enjoyed staple dish across the globe. However, many simply use a store-bought sauce to liven up their pasta. While this is easy, the best sauces are homemade and adjusted to your particular taste. So, if you are looking for a simple but delicious tomato sauce, keep reading to find out my recipe.

 

The ingredients I use for a tomato-based pasta sauce are tomato passata, tomato purée, garlic purée, salt, pepper, cheese and an assortment of herbs (I typically use a pre-arranged set of mixed herbs that can be found at most supermarkets in the UK).

 

I find it best to cook the sauce mixed in with the pasta, so the first step is to cook your pasta. I do this so that you can find the perfect pasta to sauce ratio for your taste. Once your pasta is strained, put it back into the pan you cooked it in with the hob on a low heat. Then, pour in your passata to just less than your ideal pasta to sauce ratio. Then, put in the tomato purée to match this ideal. Mix these together until they make one sauce. 

 

If you like a creamier and thicker sauce, you can grate in cheese and melt this into your sauce. A fine grater is best, as this will allow the cheese to melt faster, however not strictly necessary. If you choose to follow this step, you may have to add more passata to keep the sauce at your preferable consistency. 

 

Next, put in your salt, pepper and herbs. For this step, add as much as you enjoy. Some people love a strong salter taste, whereas others prefer a light sprinkling for a small bit of flavour. You can put in (or not put in) as much as you’d like.

 

The garlic purée is similar to this, though I highly recommend a tiny bit just for an extra flavour for your sauce. A little of this goes a long way, so I typically use a drop smaller than a pea. However, if you’re a massive garlic lover than a bit more won’t hurt. 

 

Once everything is done, pour your pasta into a bowl or onto a plate and enjoy!