Tomato sauce

Tomato sauce

15 min
Enjoy the best tomato sauce recipe you can make at home with ease and no fuss. Never has it been easier to make a rich-flavoured tomato sauce from scratch. Our take on this classic Italian sauce contains simple but well-picked ingredients that are easily blended in no time so you can add your own touch to a homemade pizza, pasta, meatballs, and much more.
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https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/recipes/tomato-sauce1/

Instructions

  • Blend all ingredients and let the sauce drip off in a sieve until it has the desired consistency.
Enjoy!
Tips

Canned tomatoes vary deeply in flavour depending on the brand or product you buy. When buying canned tomatoes, look at the label. You want as few ingredients as possible with almost no preservatives to get a fresh and rich flavour.

Tips

If you are storing it in a jar for later use, make sure you clean and sterilise the jar with boiling water. This will remove any bacteria and prevent the sauce from going bad while ensuring a slightly longer shelf life.

Tips

Depending on what you want to use the sauce for, a smoother or chunkier texture may be preferable. Start by blending the mixture for a few seconds and check to see if it has the desired consistency; otherwise, keep blending it.

Questions about tomato sauce

Making tomato sauce is easy if you follow our recipe. All you need is a few basic ingredients, and it will be ready in no time. Read below to learn more about the flavourful classic and how to make it.

What is tomato sauce?
Tomato sauce is a thick, rich, and creamy sauce full of tomato flavour, which is often used for pizza, pasta, and lasagne. It is typically made with tomato puree, canned tomatoes, garlic, and different spices and herbs that enhance the flavour of the mixture. Some even make tomato sauce with tomato paste to get a deeper tomato flavour. We make ours with concentrated tomato puree, onion, garlic, red chilli pepper, dried oregano, and equal amounts of salt and sugar.
How to make tomato sauce?
Making fresh tomato sauce is so easy and simple. First, chop onion, garlic, and red chilli pepper coarsely and combine everything in a blender along with tomato puree, canned tomatoes, sugar, salt, and dried oregano. Blend the ingredients and let the sauce drip off in a sieve until it has the desired consistency.
What to make with tomato sauce?
There are plenty of delicious dinners to be made with this delicious sauce. You can use it for pizza, pasta, meatballs, lasagne, and much more. Whether you want to impress your guests or need a quick dinner option, the classic mixture is perfect to tie off your dish.
What to do if tomato sauce is too salty?
The easiest way to fix too much salt is to add sugar to create a sweet counterpoint. Only add the sugar little by little; you can always add more, but never take it away. If you stick to the recipe and add ½ tablespoon of sugar and salt, it will have the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavours.
How to cut acidity in tomato sauce?
The best option is to add a bit more sugar to the mix until the desired flavour is reached. If it does not work, heat it in a saucepan and add a pinch of baking soda to the tart sauce to help balance the acidity. It is important to heat the sauce as the baking soda needs to be heated before eating. There may be a slight difference in taste, so you may want to test both solutions to see which one you prefer.
How to thicken a tomato sauce?
If it is too thin, just let it cool down over low heat until some of the liquid is boiled out, and it has the consistency you want. If this does not work, try adding a thickening agent, such as cornflour or potato starch and mix it with equal amounts of water and add it to the mixture. The starch will absorb the excess liquid, resulting in a thicker consistency.
How long does tomato sauce last in the fridge?
Homemade tomato sauce can last in the fridge for about 3-5 days in a sealed container. However, we suggest you inspect the refrigerated sauce before using it. If it begins to smell or change in flavour and colour, it has gone bad and needs to be discarded. Luckily, you can quickly make a fresh batch. 
Can you freeze tomato sauce?
Yes, you can freeze tomato sauce for up to six months as long as you store it properly. Pour the mixture into a freezer bag and place the bag in a sealable container before freezing. This will prevent the bag from ripping and staining your freezer.

Ingredients

Concentrated tomato purée
1 tbsp
Peeled tomatoes (approx. 400 g)
1 can
Small yellow onion in coarse pieces (approx. 50 g)
1
Small, crushed garlic clove
1
Coarsely chopped red chillies pepper
1 tbsp
Dried oregano
1 tsp
Sugar
½ tsp
Coarse salt
½ tsp
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Fresh and easy homemade tomato sauce

Making a fresh and flavourful tomato sauce from scratch is easy with our simple recipe. Forget the store-bought kind – our homemade version tastes so much better with bright, rich flavours and spicy aromas. Once you have had a taste, you will never go back to ready-made jars. The ingredients are blended to a smooth and thick texture in just a few minutes. Make a fresh batch of this tasty condiment and enjoy it with your favourite savoury dishes.

Want to see this recipe in action? Try it with our recipes for delicious vegetable lasagne, easy meatballs, or simple pizza dough so you can make a pizza with homemade tomato sauce from scratch.

Spiced and deep-flavoured with canned tomatoes

Our spicy tomato sauce is a tasty combination of canned tomatoes, tomato purée, garlic, onion, red chilli pepper, dried oregano, salt, and sugar. Each ingredient plays a vital role in the overall flavour in the recipe. Using canned tomatoes is an easy and quick option, especially if you do not have any fresh tomatoes lying around. The tomatoes offer a sweet taste with a touch of acidity that is perfectly balanced with the deep and tangy flavour of the tomato purée. A tablespoon of coarsely chopped red chilli pepper gives it a subtle spicy kick and creates a lovely contrast to the sweet and tangy flavours.

Scrumptious uses for tomato sauce

This basic tomato sauce is a great foundation for many delicious dishes. Because of the basic ingredients, creating a simple and delicious tomato flavour, you can use it for pretty much anything. Here are a few ideas that might spark your interest.

You can use the simple tomato sauce for meatballs. Form the balls and cook them until they are done. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and let it simmer for a few minutes. For a final touch, garnish with chopped parsley.

Everyone loves a good tomato sauce for pasta. It is a simple, yet delicious meal prepared in a matter of minutes. Boil the spaghetti and mix it with the sauce until everything is coated with the delicious tomato sauce. Top with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese.

You can also use the tomato sauce for lasagna, giving the dish a rich, deep flavour. Mix the sauce with vegetables or meat and layer it with lasagne sheets and white sauce. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella on top of the final layer and bake the lasagne in the oven. It is the perfect comfort food to enjoy with the family. 

A rich tomato sauce for pizza is the secret to succeeding with one of the most popular dishes in the world. Spread the red sauce on top of the pizza base and add your favourite toppings. Sprinkle with cheese and bake it in the oven until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted. Simple, easy, and wonderful.

Shake things up with herbs, spices, and vegetables

You will never tire of this as you can customise it to your liking using different vegetables, spices, and herbs. 

Swap canned tomatoes out with fresh ripe ones. If you want to use ripe tomatoes from your garden, even better. Core out the stem and slice anxinto the bottom of each tomato. Drop them into boiling water and blanch them for about 1 minute until the skin starts to wrinkle and split. Place them in ice water and remove the skin with a small knife. Finally, chop them coarsely and blend them with the other ingredients.

You can also add other vegetables like carrots or celery. Simply chop them into smaller pieces and cook them until they are soft before adding them to the blender with the rest of the ingredients. Experiment with basil, ginger, or thyme to give it a fresh kick. Cumin, with its warm, earthy aroma, also works well as a contrasting flavour to the sweetness and tanginess of the condiment.

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