Ah, the tinned tomato. The culinary ‘old faithful’ of sorts, everyone has at least one ‘save for a rainy day’ can of chopped tomatoes gathering dust at the back of their kitchen cupboard. The failsafe reserve. We implore you to celebrate the humble tinned tomato, by finally breaking that seal and transforming its bright and delicious contents into a simple yet enticing tomato sauce.
Our simple tomato and basil sauce
Serves 4
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Calories per serving: 56kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 5-6 basil leaves, washed and chopped
Chef’s tip: Should you not have fresh basil to hand, substitute for a dried herb instead - while fresh basil would be ideal, most dried herbs will work here, or an Italian herb mix will do the trick too!
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the minced garlic and brown until your oil is fragrant - be careful not to burn the garlic here.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
- Cover and simmer on low to medium heat for 20 minutes until thickened. The sauce should be thick and shiny.
- Mix in the chopped basil and remove from heat.
- Serve with your choice of pasta and enjoy immediately, or cover and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. Alternatively, the sauce can be frozen for up to a month. Check out our recent guide to storing pasta sauce for further information.
Why stop there?
Though this simple tomato sauce is delicious as is, feel free to amplify the recipe with any ingredients you have to hand. We encourage you to get creative here - the tomato sauce serves as a perfect starting point for all means of culinary experiment!
Tomato sauce, puttanesca-style
Add a salty twist to your standard pomodoro by throwing in a handful of olives, anchovies and/or capers - whatever you have lying around in this vein - resulting in a mouthwatering sauce reminiscent of a puttanesca.
Tomato sauce with bacon and chilli
Seek inspiration from the meaty amatriciana, with its delicious morsels of guanciale suspended in a bright tomato sauce. While we understand this won’t be a regular fixture in British kitchens, should you have some bacon spare, this lends a similarly salty note to a simple tomato sauce. Though untraditional, using smoked meat adds further dimension to your amped up pomodoro. Toss in some dried chilli flakes, and a lashing of hard cheese (pecorino is traditional, though likewise, anything to hand will do!) and this pantry sauce is complete.
Pomodoro con tonno
Should you have a can of tuna spare, tossing this with your tomato sauce, alongside a sprinkling of chilli flakes and a few punchy olives can result in a surprisingly pleasant dish. Tuna preserved in oil works best here, though whatever you have available will do just fine.
Vegetable arrabbiata
Notice a few sorry-looking ends of vegetables remaining in your fridge? Enable them to shine in a spicy and fresh arrabbiata sauce. Courgettes, peppers and aubergines work especially well in this dish when grilled, though most vegetables will do well when smothered in a delicious sauce. Just be sure to add a healthy dose of chilli to the mix, for that signature arrabbiata punch.
Finishing your dish
Be sure to pair any number of these flavoursome sauces with a pasta of your choosing, and a generous blanket of Italian hard cheese, for a delectable dinner for yourself and your household.
