Is as easy as A.B.C. 1.2.3..... an easy to make recipe...

This pasta sauce can be made at the time of cooking the meal or prepared and stored in the fridge or frozen to use later. You can adapt it to your own taste with variations to the basic tomato pasta sauce. You can use fresh or tinned tomatoes.

Easy recipes like this do not need set quantities of ingredients because how much you prepare will vary; depending on the number of people you are cooking for and their appetites. This is a great way of using tomatoes if you have a glut of them, as the finished sauce can be frozen; then in winter you can re-visit the wonderful summer flavour of home grown tomatoes.

Includes a list of what is needed, the method that I use to prepare it and is suitable for a novice cook, the experienced cook can skip the basic explanations.

Easy Pasta Sauce Recipe....

Less salt than ready made Pasta Sauce.....add the amount of salt you want. Some jars of ready made pasta sauce have a high salt content. If you make your own you can add as little or as much salt as you want to taste. That applies to added sugar too.

Lower salt content and lower sugar equals better health for you and your family.

With this pasta sauce recipe you only add as much salt as you want: none if you wish.

You only add a small amount of sugar if you wish.

You only need three natural ingredients tomatoes (tinned tomatoes or fresh + a squeeze or 2 of tomato paste) and garlic if you wish...

If you want to you can make this with tomato passata... or a tin of chopped or plum tomatoes.

To prepare your Pasta Sauce Ingredients you will need:

 Not surprisingly first on the list:

1. Tomatoes

N.B you can use fresh ones but cost wise it is only economical if you have grown them and have a supply that needs using up. If you are using fresh wash and dry them.

Or you can use the tinned ones you get in the supermarket I use chopped tomatoes but if you only have canned whole tomatoes it will not make much difference. A tube of tomato puree/paste is useful if you need to thicken the sauce because the ratio of tomatoes to juice varies with different brands and even when using fresh tomato a squeeze of tomato paste adds flavour and helps to thicken the sauce.

2. A small quantity of oil:

Olive Oil is good/bestfor flavour but vegetable oil or sunflower oil are fine.

3. A couple of cloves of garlic

if you like it; use more or less than this to taste and depending on the size of the batch of sauce you are preparing...and the strength of the garlic cloves flavour.

Or a chopped up onion; or both, try different versions to see which you prefer.

If you want to use garlic and only have a tube of the paste then add a squeeze of it to the sauce instead. I grow my own garlic and prefer fresh but will resort to the store cupboard if I have to.

To prepare your garlic separate a couple of cloves then peel them next either slice thinly or crush/squeeze in a garlic press.

To cook this you will need:

a. A Saucepan: that is the right size for the job. A heavy base one is good but use what is available.

b. A hob to cook it on, mine is gas but any hob should cook this is ok. Just keep the heat at the correct level so that it does not catch/ burn the sauce.

c. A wooden spoon to stir it with.

And I always wear an apron when I cook with tomatoes as it is easier than washing tomato stains out of clothes; I’m a messy cook you might not be. It helps when cooking fresh tomatoes to pierce them with a knife before you start cooking them... so they do not 'pop' when cooking..cherry tomatoes it is not worth bothering to do this.

Cooking Method for Easy to Make Pasta Sauce.

* 1* Pan on hob.

Set hob to correct temperature; not too hot you are going to add about a couple of tablespoons of oil to the pan and then add the garlic and/or the onion.

Do not allow the garlic or onion to brown or caramelise just soften it with the oil and the heat, move it gently in the pan with the wooden spoon, this will not take long.

*2* When this looks softer and more translucent carefully add your tomatoes to the saucepan. Take care how you add them you have warm oil and cold tomatoes so you cannot just toss them in recklessly. Add a squirt of tomato paste from the tube.

If the tinned tomatoes have a lot of juice, squeeze some extra tomato paste into the sauce to help thicken it. Stir frequently while cooking it, i.e. do not allow it to stick to the pan. If you wish to, add salt. If the tomatoes are not as sweet as you wish add a small amount of sugar.. less then half a teaspoon to start you can always add more.

Nearly done:

*3* Cook your pasta sauce, until it thickens, it should by then coat the back of your wooden spoon.

It will now be ready to serve with your cooked pasta... spaghetti, penne or your own favourite.

Better Pasta Hints:

Pasta with ridges such as penne allows the sauce to coat it/ stick to the surface of it better.

While your pasta is draining in a colander, put the pasta sauce into the pan you cooked the pasta in, place it on a low to medium heat on the hob. Tip the pasta in and give it a good mix around with your wooden spoon to coat the pasta with the sauce.

Serve with real Parmesan Cheese that you’ve grated and sprinkled over it.

(Vegetarians need to find a substitute or omit cheese from their meal.)

The ready grated Parmesan is often drier and lacks the taste of Parmesan you’ve grated fresh.

New cooks: Your pasta should be al dente ( which means firm to the tooth) in other words do not over cook it, pasta is not meant to be soggy or sticking together. It does matter it will taste better and work better with the sauce. Be guided by the pasta packet cooking time but use your own judgement taste it - if its not cooked cook it another min. then taste again. I think the quantity you are cooking and the water you are cooking it in gives variation to the cooking time required.

Sauce variations:

At stage *1* add diced red, yellow or orange peppers.

Add chillies or chilli powder to the basic sauce to make a spicy pasta sauce.

When your sauce is almost cooked add a handful of cherry tomatoes, as these will cook but remain whole they will add another dimension to the texture of your sauce.

I hope you enjoy cooking your pasta sauce and making your own versions of this dish.