Thrifty pasta sauce

Ingredients

Serves (1) Serves (2) Serves (4) — default Serves (6) Serves (8) Serves (10)

Units: Metric Imperial (US)

Measurements explained

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 2 sticks celery

• 2 courgettezucchiniXszucchini, summer squashX, chopped

• 1 capsicum, chopped

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 x 400g cans tomatoes

• ½ teaspoon sugar

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 1 tablespoon basil pesto or 1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn

• ¼ teaspoon dried chilli (optional)

• black olives (optional)

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Instructions

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1 Heat oil in a frying pan or saucepan. Gently fry the onions and garlic. When soft, add the vegetables cook 5-10 minutes.

2 Add tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, pesto and chilli. Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender and flavours are developed (10-20 minutes).

3 Add olives and serve over cooked pasta or with meatballs, use in a calzone or serve over ravioli.

Variations

• Add a dash of wine.
• Add a couple of chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
• Add other vegetables such as asparagus tips, spinach, roasted vegetables.
• Use blanched fresh tomatoes instead of tinned tomatoes.

HFG tip

• A homemade pasta sauce may have obvious chunks of tomato, but you can easily conceal vegetables left over from a previous meal – simply purée them before adding to the sauce.
• Think of the sauce as a base and use your imagination. This is so easy and inexpensive, you need never open a jar of sauce for pasta again.

Nutrition info (per serve)

Calories 141 cal

Kilojoules 590 kJ

Total fat 7.3 g

Saturated fat 1.4 g

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Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.

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First published: Feb 2006

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