Tomato sauce
4 portions
Ingredients
Half a medium onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons fresh or dried oregano or a handful of fresh basil (to taste)
2 teaspoons vegetable stock powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. Prepare the vegetables and place separately onto a plate:
– finely chop the onion,
– wash the celery, peel and wash the carrot.
– Chop the celery and carrot into a small dice.
– Crush the garlic.
2. Heat a little vegetable oil in your largest saucepan on a medium heat and add the onion. Stir to mix with the vegetable oil. Place a lid on and let it cook for one minute. Stir in the remaining vegetables. Replace the lid, reduce the heat to low and allow to cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
3. Open the tin of chopped tomatoes and pour into the saucepan with the vegetable stock powder and oregano. Half fill the empty tomato tin with cold water, swirl it around to collect the tomato off the sides and pour into the saucepan.
4. Turn up the heat to bring the liquid to the boil, reduce the heat again and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often so the bottom doesn’t burn.
5. Once the vegetables are soft, using a stick blender or liquidiser, blend until smooth.
6. If you require a thicker sauce, you can continue to simmer with the lid removed until it is the correct consistency.
Once you’ve reached the correct consistency, add the chopped basil if using. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.
This sauce is great to have in the freezer ready to use in so many meals. It can be a sauce for fajitas, a base for a curry, in a casserole, mixed with fried rice and vegetables and so much more.
This sauce is enough for 4 portions of pasta in tomato sauce. Use 300g dried pasta cooked.
If using for a pizza sauce, simmer the sauce until thick.
Freeze in two 500g used clean margarine tubs.
This sauce is a great way to use droopy vegetables which are past their best.
Other vegetables can be used instead of the carrot and celery such as courgette or pepper.
At the time of making, one portion of tomato sauce with cooked pasta cost 49p.