Homemade Pasta Sauce

This freezing cold weather has me craving some comfort food, something that is easy to cook but hot and filling too. This pasta sauce is so quick and easy to make, in the time it takes to boil the pasta the sauce is made. Not only does it taste delicious but its actually pretty good for you too (WW will be pleased with me ... just avert your eyes when we get to the mascarpone bit!) and I like the added bonus of knowing exactly what I am eating.

Tomato and Basil Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil (I use fry lite)

1 garlic clove, crushed

400g can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp veg stock powder or 1/2 a crumbled stock cube

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp sugar

Few basil leaves

Heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic, then gently fry for 1 min. Tip in all the other ingredients, except the basil and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, for 5 mins, stirring occasionally. To finish, tear basil leaves, then stir into the sauce.

* This sauce freezes well, or you can keep a batch in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Serves 4 (makes 350ml)

Good Food Italian

This sauce is pretty good as it is but there are a few variations for when you fancy a change.

Tomato and Mascarpone (This one is our favourite!)

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

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

Amatriciana

Fry 8 rashers streaky bacon until golden, then add 2 garlic cloves, as before. Add a splash of red wine with the tomatoes if you like, use a good pinch oregano and dried chilli then, to finish, stir through 25g grated parmesan.

Puttanesca

Stir through 1-2 tbsp drained capers, 4 anchovies, drained and chopped and a handful pitted black olives, chopped. when ready to serve, stir through a handful freshly chopped flat leaf parsley.

I always make a double batch of the sauce, means that there is an almost ready made meal waiting in the fridge for those days when making a meal from scratch is just a bit too much.

Tonight's dinner was the Tomato and Mascarpone Sauce which was stirred through some pasta. I also cooked off some leftover mushrooms and pan fried some chicken breasts with salt, pepper and mixed herbs and added these to the pasta and sauce. It was then all topped off with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan.