Tomato sauce recipe

[Mum4Fergus]

Can anyone help me out with a frugal recipe for a tomato sauce to go with pasta/bolognese please?!

[ChickyDuck]

Splash of oil/knob of butter, one onion, one carrot, one tin of tomatoes. Chop the onion finely and grate the carrot. Fry them together in the fat on a low heat with a pinch of salt until they are soft, add tomatoes and simmer for a few mins until it is thick and none of the bits are crunchy. Season with salt and pepper. You can eat it as is but I like I whizzed smooth with a hand blender. The carrot makes it lovely and sweet!

That is the basic recipe, but there are a few nice bits and bobs I sometimes add if I have them in:
a stock cube,
half a glass of wine (red or white),
a bay leaf (whole, remove before you eat it!),
some fresh or dried herbs,
garlic/chilli,
other veg grated or chopped fine like peppers or courgette,
a sprinkle of smoked paprika.

Use as many or few of these as you like!

[mommybunny]

For the quickest pasta sauce, which can be mixed with 500g browned minced beef/pork/veal/whatever:

1. Whizz up 2 cans of plum tomatoes to a puree with a hand blender or in a food processor;
   
2. Put about 2 tablespoons olive oil into a pan over medium heat;
   
3. Grate/mince 2 garlic cloves into the hot oil; fry while you count slowly to 15;
   
4. Add your pureed tomatoes and a pinch of salt (and, if you like, some Italian seasoning herbs - rosemary, sage, oregano, basil, whatever you want) and stir it all up;
   
5. Bring to gentle boil and simmer about 15 minutes.
   

Two cans of plum tomatoes cost less than a pound. Is that cheap enough for you?

I adapted the recipe/method from a Martha Stewart website on "marinara sauce" (the American term for a generic tomato sauce used for pasta - or, as some call it, a "gravy").

[TyneTeas]

This is a quick and cheap tomato sauce

tyne-teas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/spaghetti-and-meatballs.html?m=1

[CaptainWarbeck]

Even fewer ingredients: chop an onion, let it go golden in olive oil in a pan over about five minutes. Tip in a can of tomatoes and put in a tiny pinch of sugar. Bring to a simmer and let bubble for at least half an hour, until it's gone all saucy and the tomatoes have broken down. Season. Eat.

[Sparklesilverglitter]

Onion, garlic, tin chopped tomatoes, tomartoe purée, herbs, pepper. Add a bit of oil if you have some

Simmer for 15-20 minutes and job done.

[travailtotravel]

Truly, you don't even need an onion for a decent sauce ... but i find you do need garlic, pepper and oregano. basil a plus.

[Mum4Fergus]

These are all fab...and all store cupboard ingredients! Thank you!

[SingaSong12]

Just place marking ready for next time I shop/cook

[OutOfTime]

My low effort tomato pasta meal..
Roughly chop an onion, 2 carrots (I don't bother peeling but chop these smaller than the other veg ) , 2 peppers( into quarters), a courgette 2inch chunks and a couple of peeled whole garlic cloves.
Stick on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and put in the oven for half hour ish.
Put in a pan with a thing of passata and whiz up with a hand held blender.
Then slowly cook for half hour with a sprinkle of basil/oregano and a couple of bay leaves .
Noms!

[Buttwing]

My mums Italian and this is her sauce

Brown an onion in olive oil
Add tin of tomato purée
Add two tins of tomatoes
Add a tin of water
Dessert spoon of Italian mixed herbs
Pepper and a teaspoon of salt

Simmer for two hours.

I freeze it then add things to it when I uses it chilli and prawns are good. Alternatively add mince or braising steak to the onion.

[ErrolTheDragon]

It really is that simple. Only thing I'd add is, use a large pan because you want to simmer uncovered so it reduces a bit, and it may splutter out a bit.