Best Homemade Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce Recipe

The best tomato and basil pasta sauce is a simple but fresh sauce made with tinned tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil. Full of flavour but low in calories.

Best Homemade Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce Recipe

Best ever?

I would say so. 

I started making fresh tomato and basil sauce for pasta when I was a student. 

It was an easy sauce I could make to feed myself and my friends on a budget.

Over the years the sauce has been tweaked to what I like to think is the best version of it. 

Back in my student days, I would never have added red wine to a sauce as it was too much of extravagance and I had to watch my pennies, but it does make a big difference to the favour. 

Originally I would have used dried basil, but of course adding fresh basil gives such of pop of flavour to the sauce.

Try this sauce with Vegan Chickpea 'Meatballs'

Husband in the kitchen

I have to tell you a story about this sauce. 

It's fair to say my husband isn't confident in the kitchen, but he does occasionally make this sauce, one of the few recipes he can make from scratch.

My son and I have now banned him from making us pasta.

The last time he made pasta with this sauce was a disaster.

It looked and smelled great but my first forkful, then my second confirmed something was wrong. It tasted soapy, really soapy. 

We've come to the conclusion he must have drained the pasta too quickly into a soapy sink after doing some dishes and the soapy water filled up through the pasta before it drained away.

To say we are too nervous to let him make us pasta again is an understatement. 

Basic Ingredients

This sauce is really easy to make and is full of flavour.

There are no fancy ingredients and it's cheap to make, so great if you are on a budget.

It's also so much nicer than shop-bought pasta sauce.

What do you need to make tomato and basil sauce

To make this delicious sauce you just need a few simple ingredients.

1. olive oil - or extra virgin olive oil
2. onion - white onion
3. garlic cloves - you can add extra for more flavour
4. tinned tomatoes - canned tomatoes either whole plum tomatoes you can crush yourself or chopped tomatoes
5. tomato puree - also called tomato paste
6. balsamic vinegar - for a wee boost of flavour
7. sugar - just a little
8. red wine - optional but it does bring a richness to the sauce
9. fresh basil leaves - you can use dried basil, but fresh is better
10. salt and black pepper - to season

Try it with my easy homemade vegan parmesan cheese with herb and garlic and my quick air fryer garlic bread.

A budget version of this sauce

This sauce can be made even simpler. 

You can reduce the ingredients even further and still have a delicious, fresh sauce.

1. olive oil - olive oil is expensive right now, look in discount supermarkets for rapreseed oil, it is cheaper, but good quality and you only need a little
2. onion - frozen onion can be cheaper and so convenient
3. garlic - or you can use garlic puree for quickness or frozen garlic
4. tinned tomatoes - look for the supermarket own brand tomatoes
5. dried basil 
6. salt and pepper

Use the same method and just a teaspoon of the dried basil will be enough in place of fresh basil.

Why do you add sugar to a tomato sauce?

A small amount of sugar is often added to a homemade tomato sauce.

It's not to make it sweet, just to counteract any bitterness in the tomatoes and you only need a little,

Shop-bought pasta sauce can have a shocking amount of sugar added. 

We're not doing that here, it's just a little to balance the flavour.

Much healthier for your family.

How does it taste?

This sauce is delicious. 

It's rich with the flavour of tomatoes, but has a subtle flavour of basil too.

As you can see I'm generous with the sauce to pasta ratio. 

What can I say, it tastes so good and it's a healthy sauce too.

Health Benefits of Cooked Tomatoes

Did you know tomatoes are even healthier when they are cooked? 

It's true. You can read what the late Dr Michael Mosley says about it in an article for the BBC.

Tomatoes are low in calories and high in antioxidants, dietary fibre, minerals and vitamins. 

Once they are cooked,  the lycopene (which gives tomatoes their gorgeous red colour) is increased as are the vitamins and minerals. 

Usually, when you cook fruit or vegetables some vitamins and minerals are lost, but tomatoes are an exception to this rule, the lycopene. vitamins and minerals are increased and more easily absorbed by the body. 

Cornell University explain that lycopene is linked with a lower risk of heart disease and cancer.

Low-Calorie Sauce

This sauce is also low-calorie and great for the 5:2 diet,  

• 4 portions = 129 calories per portion

• 5 portions = 103 calories per portion

• 6 portions = 86 calories per portion

If you haven't heard, the 5:2 diet or fast diet as it is also known, has been updated this year (2017).

With the new 5:2 diet there are more calories to play with

Even though this sauce is low calorie you can really add those calories on fast with the pasta.

So remember to weigh out your pasta and go easy on that sprinkle of veggie or vegan parmesan.

How long can you store homemade tomato and basil sauce?

To cool this sauce quickly, remove from the pot and spoon into an airtight container.

You can store it in the fridge for 3-4 days and re-heat when you are ready to serve.

Can tomato and basil sauce be frozen?

Tomato and basil sauce freezes really well.

Once cool, portion into an airtight, freezer- friendly airtight container or freezer bags and keep in the freezer for 3-4 months.

To defrost, pop in the fridge overnight, then heat when you're ready to serve.

Why not not make a big batch of this tomato basil sauce recipe and portion it up in the freezer for quick make-ahead meals your whole family will love?

Tips for making the best pasta

If pasta is cooked badly, then it can be awful so here are my tips for the perfect cooked pasta.

I like to use penne for this easy pasta recipe, but you can use your favourite pasta shapes.

• Use a big pan for cooking your pasta with lots of water - so your pasta has room, it will stop it sticking together.
• Salt your pasta water - to add flavour.
• Never add oil to the water - it will make your pasta oily and the sauce won't cling to the pasta.
• Make sure the water is at a rapid, fast boil before adding the pasta - and give the pasta a good stir in the water when you add it, to help prevent it sticking together.
• Cook until al dente - check a minute before the packet suggests, then keep checking until it's perfect, it should be cooked but still be slightly firm and not soft.
• Reserve some of the pasta water - in a jug or glass, adding a little to a sauce can make it silky
• Drain well - then add the sauce to the pasta and mix well.
• Serve right away - while it is hot.

Follow these tips and your pasta will be perfect every time.

pin it for later

Follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Join my Facebook group Living on the Veg? It's a very friendly community with lots of recipes and chat. I'm in there every day chatting to group members.

Remember and say hi. I'm always happy to chat and answer questions

WHAT TO SERVE TOMATO AND BASIL SAUCE WITH

Tomato and basil sauce is fabulous with pasta (I like it with penne or spaghetti) but it's also a good all-round sauce to serve with other dishes. 

Here are a few recipes tomato and basil sauce work well with:

• Easy Vegan Haggis
• Layered Veggie Burger Pies
• Puy Lentil & Mushroom Sausages
• Scottish Rumbledethump Pies
• Scottish Savoury Puffs
• Veggie Haggis & Red Lentil Nut Loaf

WANT NEW RECIPES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX ?

I have a selection of email lists, choose the ones that are right for you, click on the title to sign up and never miss a recipe or lack inspiration again.

DAILY RECIPE - One easy recipe will drop into your inbox every morning.

WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS - A selection of recipes sent out to you every weekend.

NEW RECIPE (TINNED TOMATOES) - Whenever I publish a new recipe on Tinned Tomatoes I will send it to you so you don't miss a thing!

NEW RECIPE (THE VEGAN LUNCHBOX) - Don't miss out on new lunch recipe either, sign up to this list and I will send each new lunch recipe out to you as it is published.

pasta sauce, spaghetti sauce, best tomato sauce for pasta, best pasta sauce, tomato and basil sauce, tomato and basil pasta sauce, low calorie sauce

Dinner

Italian

Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum

Best Homemade Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce Recipe

The best tomato and basil pasta sauce is a simple but fresh sauce made with tinned tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil. Full of flavour but low in calories.

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 x 400g (14 oz) tins chopped tomatoes (or plum tomatoes crushed with your wooden spoon or fingers)
• 4 tablespoons tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• a generous glug of red wine (optional)
• a generous handful of fresh basil, finely chopped or torn
• a good grinding of salt & black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and saute the onion and garlic until it is soft and translucent. Take your time with this, you don't want crunchy onion in the sauce.
2. Once the onions are soft add the tomatoes, tomato puree, wine, balsamic vinegar and sugar and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
3. Add the fresh basil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Taste to check the seasoning.
5. Serve over freshly cooked pasta.
6. Enjoy!

Notes

• Once cooled this sauce can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.
• Once cooled, this sauce can be kept in the freezer for 3-4 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before heating.
• For a nice change add chilli to this sauce to make a tasty arrabbiata sauce with a kick.
• Serve with vegan parmesan

Calories

6 portions = 86 calories per portion

5 portions = 103 calories per portion

4 portions = 129 calories per portion

Nutrition Facts

Calories

86

Fat (grams)

3 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

0 g

Carbs (grams)

11 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

8 g

Sugar (grams)

6 g

Protein (grams)

2 g

Sodium (milligrams)

45 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

https://www.tinnedtomatoes.com/2017/08/best-tomato-and-basil-pasta-sauce.html

All Rights Reserved Tinned Tomatoes