Homemade tomato sauce should be a kitchen staple – this simple recipe is so quick and delicious, you’ll never go back to jars …
I recommend making a big batch to keep in the fridge as a base for lots of other dishes, but halve the ingredients if cooking for two. @kittycoles
Serves 4
Ingredients
• Parmesan, finely grated to serve, plus the rind for flavour
• 4 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion or 2 shallots or a fennel bulb, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp of capers (optional)
• 2 x 400g tins of plum or chopped tomatoes
• Salt and pepper
• 300g – 400g any dried pasta of your choice
• 50g butter (optional)
• Handful of basil leaves
Method
1. Slice off the Parmesan rind (the end hard bit of the Parmesan)
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, whole crushed garlic cloves, capers, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft, the garlic is lightly golden, and the capers are crisp.
3. Add the tinned tomatoes to the pan, breaking them up if using whole plum tomatoes. Fill the empty tin halfway with water and pour it into the pan. Put the Parmesan rind in too. Stir well, then simmer gently for 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Reserve a mugful of pasta water before draining.
5. Once the sauce has thickened, stir in the 50g of butter and fresh basil leaves, allowing the butter to melt into the sauce. Add the cooked pasta to the pan along with a few splashes of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything together until the pasta is well coated in the sauce.
6. Serve immediately with a generous grating of Parmesan and a good crack of black pepper.