How to make pasta sauce using passata

[Shoegal30]

Sorry if this is a silly q but I have always ordinary used readymade pasta jars for pasta sauce.

I am trying to make my own now as am mindful of the rubbish in the readymade stuff. However when I made it the other day I found the sauce very sweet and tasteless. I had put in garlic, fresh chillies and onions too but the taste was still sweet.

Any advice or recipes?

Thanks.

this covers it

I do mine with random extra veg, but the basic recipe is:

Two 800mL jars passata
About 4 med onions
2 cloves of garlic
A good squirt (1/4 tube at least) of tomato puree
2 bayleaves
A big heaped tbsp of Waitrose caramelised onion chutney
About a tbs of sugar and 1/2 tsp of salt
Chopped fresh or frozen basil

Sweat the onions in a large saucepan with some olive oil for about 10 mins. Add the garlic and other veg and cook for another 5 mins or so. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the basil), bring to the boil then simmer very slowly for at least an hour with the lid off. Taste and add more sugar / salt as needed. Stir through the basil.

Add in Quark to make it a cheesy tomato sauce at hardly an extra calories.

Passata is great but even better is mixing it in with chopped or plum tomatoes that you chop up yourself (best tip for that- open tin and while still in the tin put in long bladed scissors and snip a couple of dozen times). That way you get a bit of chunk from the tomatoes. Having said that I'd just used passata before. But only the plain one.

I usually soften chopped onions (brown and/or red). Then add other veg such as chopped peppers and always some crushed/chopped garlic (I love garlic.) Mushrooms and courgettes (if I'm using) go in later because they don't need such a long cooking time. Once veg is a bit soft I add white wine. I learnt that from Heston. Apparently it deglazes the pan. Don't need much. 100-150ml will do but really adds flavour.

Then I add the tomatoes-passata, tinned, whatever we have from the garden and tomato purée and usually dried mixed or Italian herbs.

Simmer for 20 minutes to meld the flavours. If I'm doing a bolognase the meat is pre browned and rejoins after the tomatoes.

Ideally prepare the day before you want to use it and refrigerate overnight. It's much better the next day.

If I were to add chilli I'd put it in after the onions had softened.

I like the quark idea. I'll have to try that one. Thanks.

I make it with pad data for ds as he likes it bland & with absolutely no lumps so my recipie probably isn't much good for you!

I do not like passata for pasta sauce,its like tomato paste with water, i use it only for pizza. Plum or chopped tomatoes are much better.

Softenn an onion in small amount water. Add passata, 1 tbsp worcester sauce, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp red pesto and 1/2 grated clove garlic (optional). Stir and simmer for 15minutes.

I'll second the balsamic, it makes a lovely sauce!

Wow thanks for all the recipes ladies. They sound delicious. I can't wait to give them a bash x