Can anyone give me a good tomato sauce (for pasta etc) bulk cooking type recipe please.

[wanttomakeadifference]

I confess to either using a pre made sauce, or a tin of tomatoes when I need a tomato sauce for pasta etc. I'm ashamed of the former and the latter isn't very tasty.

I know I ought to make a large quantity of tomato sauce and freeze it.

Can anyone give me a recipe that works or link to one please. I have googled but don't know which ones to trust.

I do my own one which makes about 24 small portions of sauce.

1 tbsp olive oil heated in pan. Fry off 3 large onions (finely diced) and a bulb of garlic (crushed). I then add 3 large carrots (grated) and 2 finely diced chillis and heat until softened.
Then I add usually a large jar of grilled peppers (I find it cheaper than fresh) chopped up and 2-3 grated courgettes.
Finally add 5 cartons of passata (or tins of tomatoes), fresh basil (you can substitute dried) and black pepper.
Leave to cook on a low heat for about an hour. Then switch off and leave to cool for a bit before blending.

I think it's one of those things where personal preference come into play a lot, as practically every recipe works, iyswim.

Personally, I cook onion and garlic in olive oil until soft (maybe 1/2 a med onion and a clove or 2 of garlic to a tin of tomatoes). Add a tin of diced tomatoes and some salt and pepper. Some red wine if I'm in the mood, mybe some tomato paste to thicken if it looks a bit thin. Herbs as I feel like (basil, oregano, thyme all work well). Cook it all down for ages (40 mins minimum in a heavy pan?).

Then spoon into sterile jars while it's hot and use as needed. You can whizz it in the food processor for smooth sauces for pizza etc or leave it chunky for pasta.

DD eats pasta with tomato sauce regularly. It is so easy to make I just wouldn't consider buying a ready made sauce. You can easily up the quantities and freeze it in portions.

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbs tomato puree
1 tin tomatoes
seasoning
olive oil

Fry onion in olive oil for a few minutes until softened, then add the garlic and fry over a low heat for several minutes without browning too much. Frying the onions and garlic over a low heat for longer makes a huge difference to the final flavour. Add the tomato puree and fry for a couple more minutes then add the tinned tomatoes and a splash of water if necessary. Add salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar to taste and simmer with the lid on for about 20 minutes. I puree my sauce, but you don't have to.

Mine is like the armadillos but add broccoli and lentils

3 onions
big squeeze of garlic puree
1 pkt of mixed peppers (one each of red, yellow & green)
2-3 courgettes

Chop and fry the above in olive oil on a very low heat, stirring until soft

Then add
1 pkt button or chestnut mushrooms chopped
3 cartons of passata and 2 of hot veg stock made from boiled water & bouillon
Big sprinkling of dried oregano or thyme or herbes de provence
plenty of black pepper.
turmn heat up high and cook until reduced.

Then take out half the mix and puree it in blender. Add back to sauce and stir to thicken it. Or puree the whole lot if DC prefer it that way.

Sometimes I add fennel, frozen spinach, celery, butternut squash or carrots if I'm short of the other veg, but that makes the nicest base, generally.

That'll be enough sauce to make 4-6 batches for ragout, chillis, pizza bases etc.

If you store sauce in jars rather than the freezer, how do
You sterilise them (no dishwasher)? Would the oven do?
How long does it keep? Do you pour oil on top to seal?

Yes you can sterilise either in boiling water for a few minutes or in the oven. Use the jars that have a button on the lid that sucks down when they seal properly, so you're sure. Any that don't seal you can put in the fridge or freezer.

This is a great recipe, simple but very tasty)
Fry one onion and 2 cloves of garlic in a little olive oil until soft but not browned, add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil, simmer for 15 mins. Add 5 tablespoons of Mascarpone cheese and add a handful of chopped basil (I buy the asda small packet 25g). Stir until cheese has melted and sauce is thick and creamy and serve. Yummy and creamy, great with chicken too:)

We've just eaten a Jamie Oliver hidden veg recipe for tea. It was healthy, cheap and made 3 litres of sauce. Have enough in the freezer for four more meals, recipe below...

Olive oil
3 onions, chopped
2 red peppers, chopped
3 courgettes, washed and grated
2 carrots, washed and grated
1 butternut squash, peeled and grated
Pinch oregano
1 bay leaf
6 tins of tomatoes

Fry the onions and the rest of the vegetables over a low heat in a large saucepan for 10 minutes. Add the oregano, bay leaves and the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Blitz to a puree with a hand-blender or processor.

Thanks icutmyfoot will start saving jars and try it out. I'm a food hoarder and my freezer is full!

How long does it last in the jars if you don't freeze it?

My sauce is more or less the same as bunbaker's except I use sundries tomato paste instead of tomato purée, and also I add a splash of red wine vinegar. I also cook for at least 1 hour to bring flavours out more

I always start as with bolognaise,, with onions, carrots and celery softened very slowly in olive oil. Then garlic and whatever suitable vegetables that come to hand- not green peppers( the work of the devil) or anything brassica-ish, but most other stuff. Then tinned tomatoes, red wine and passata and cook slowly til it tastes nice. Whizz if you want smooth for pizza or to fool children.

It lasts for ages unfrozen as long as the jars are sterile and seal properly. As long as the button stays down they're good. Couple of months at least, but probably much longer.

I like to use the following:

1 tin of plum or chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
a pinch of black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
handful of basil (optional)

1. Heat oil and add chopped garlic, salt, pepper and garlic until aroma from garlic released (don't brown the garlic
2. Add the tomatoes and fresh basil
3. Blitz in a blender
4. Sauce ready!

I use this as a base for a soup which I found at:
www.healthyindianrecipes.co.uk/spicy-tomato-and-basil-soup/

If kids don't like basil, you can leave it out and add a pinch of mixed herbs. All the ingredients are as cheap as chips, but sometimes I buy Ragu when on offer at supermarkets when time is short :)

This is mine. I make this or slight variations a lot.

1 onion, 1 carrot , 1 stick celery. Chop up small, cook in olive oil until soft, but not brown, add some garlic, cook a bit more - but do not burn the garlic. Add chicken or vegetable stock (if cooking for vegetarians) and either tin of chopped tomatoes or a carton of passata (using passata and blending it makes a really smooth sauce). Add black pepper, bay leaf, some mixed herbs (or bouquet garni). I also put in a splash of worcester sauce and half a teaspoon of sugar.
Cook for a long time - until it reduces by about a third. Blend with a hand blender for a smooth sauce or leave as it for chunkier. (Take out the bay leaf before blending)

Also nice to add some fresh basil near the end, or coriander for a different tasting sauce, another variation would be to add some chopped red pepper with the onion/carrot stage (or the roasted ones you get in jars) and a little bit of chilli (leave out the sugar though as peppers are already sweet).

Scale up for a bigger batch. I make this and freeze it in individual portions.

Thank you for all the great recipes, I'm going to give it a go tomorrow.

I have a very enthusiastic gas hob, which is not very good at slow simmering, even with a diffuser plate. I wonder if I could cook the sauce in the slow cooker instead.

armadillo, your receipe sounds really good, can i check, do you mean a bulb of garlic or a clove ( a whole bulb sounds like a lot?)

Really easy tomato sauce:

8 x 400g tins of best plum tomatoes
4 carrots, peeled and chopped in two
4 sticks of celery, chopped in two
2 large Spanish onions, peeled and cut in two
4 large cloves garlic (or to taste), peeled

Put everything in a large saucepan, bring to the boil while stirring constantly (very important or it will burn and stick to the pan). Once the sauce is at a boil, turn down the heat and cover it and simmer for 45 minutes/one hour until the vegetables are soft.

Purée with plunge blender and, once cold, freeze in portions (boxes are best).

To serve: take out of freezer, remove from box and add to a saucepan where there are several spoonfuls of really good olive oil. Heat gently until sauce has unfrozen and then season with fresh chopped basil and sea salt.

I use this one all the time:

tomato sauce obvs ignore the bits that aren't sauce... My mum taught me about adding in the vinegar and it adds a lovely depth to the sauce imho hope you agree!

Sorry i clicked on the link but seems to be a haloumi salad, not tomato sauce?

the sauce is there in the middle:

1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Meanwhile put the tomatoes in a pan with salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, the balsamic vinegar and the garlic. Heat till boiling then reduce the heat and simmer till thickened.

hth