Homemade pasta sauces might sound like too much of a chore when a pasta dish is often a quick go to meal when time is short. While very convenient and tasty, store bought pasta sauce jars are generally high in added sugar and/or salt, making them a less healthy option for regular weeknight family dinners.
Making your own pasta sauce allows you to cram more vegetables into a fuss free family meal and is as easy as roasting a variety of vegetables with garlic and herbs and blitzing together with a dash of olive oil. Use tomatoes as a base with any seasonal vegetables to create a variety of sauces. Make homemade pasta sauces in bulk and freeze in portions for added convenience and time saving. Defrost frozen pasta sauce in the fridge the night before use to save time defrosting it before cooking.
Further additions to the recipe below include chickpeas, mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, plain yoghurt and lentils.
See the recipe below to make your own tomato based pasta sauce. You can use a variety of tomatoes and a mixture of home grown and store bought tomatoes is a great way to save money. You can personalize and vary this recipe with your favourite herbs and spices.
Homemade hummus, with added water, plain yoghurt or vegetable stock also makes a tasty homemade pasta sauce or salad dressing.
When making a white sauce for pasta dishes, use fat free milk and a low fat tub margarine, adding oat bran for fibre. The range of wholewheat pasta available has grown and is a recommended high fibre swap for plain pasta.
Roasted Tomato & Basil Sauce
By Published: May 11, 2016
- Yield: 4 Servings
- Cook: 45 mins
Use the tomato sauce for pasta, cous cous or barley dishes.
Ingredients
- 500 g tomatoes, any variety whole
- 1 large carrot washed, unpeeled
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 whole garlic with skin on
- 1 medium red onion peeled
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut the carrot and onion into quarters.
- Place all the ingredients in a roasting pan, coated with non-stick spray.
- Bake the vegetables for at 200 C for 45 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.
- Add all the vegetables except the garlic to a blender. Squeeze the cloves of garlic to release the juice into the blender. Discard the garlic 'shell'.
- Add the olive oil, basil, cumin and salt. Blend until well combined with an even texture.
This mixture can be stored in a glass jar for 2 days or frozen.
