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–+ servings
simple tomato pasta sauce cooked in a fry pan with wooden spoon

Tomato and Basil Sauce

Quick, delicious, and simple. Make it with common pantry items, or substitute with fresh tomatoes and basil to enjoy an even quicker, lighter sauce.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Pasta, Quick, Sauce, Sugo, Tomato, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 2
Calories: 205kcal

Equipment

  • Frypan

Ingredients

  • 400 g tin of whole peeled tomatoes or diced/crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 3-4 cloves garlic minced
  • handful fresh basil
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch sugar and salt

Instructions

  • Gently sweat the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a large pan, on low to medium heat, stirring constantly until the onion is soft and translucent. Be sure to not let the garlic burn.
  • Slightly crush or bruise the basil leaves and drop in to fry for a few minutes. They should go a vibrant green.
    spinach wilted in a pan with onion and garlic soffritto
  • Add the tomatoes, with the sugar and salt (sugar is less important if using fresh tomatoes), and then increase the heat to medium-high. Watch out for spitting tomatoes! If they spit, it's probably too hot anyway.
    close up of teaspoon of sugar over sugar jar
  • Cook with a medium boil for around 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste it as you go, and simply take it off when you're happy with the complexity of flavour. A longer and darker sauce is better suited to tinned tomatoes, while a quicker and lighter sauce will make the most of fresh produce.
    simple tomato pasta sauce cooked in a fry pan with wooden spoon
  • Take off the heat, and add your pasta of choice to the pan, tossing through gently.
  • Plate it up and cover with a generous mound of grated hard cheese. We love romano, grana padano, or parmesan. Looking for a pasta to pair? Try our spinach and ricotta ravioli (it's how we serve it)! Otherwise, just about any pasta will go with this versatile sauce.
    bowl of green spinach ravioli tossed through tomato pasta sauce with cheese on top

Nutrition

Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.5g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14.6g | Saturated Fat: 2.1g | Sodium: 266mg | Potassium: 658mg | Fiber: 4.6g | Sugar: 1.5g | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 3mg
Made this recipe? We'd love to see!Mention @pastaetal or tag #pastaetal!