I know that most people will already know how to make a pasta sauce, and this recipe really is basic. But I know how much pasta my flatmates went through at uni. It’s a quick dish and I decided I wanted to include this basic tomato pasta sauce recipe because it’s easily adapted depending on what you have/ like.
I’m sharing the most basic version here – but the idea is that if you have a little more wiggle room in your budget, or have some other veg that needs eating, you can bulk this sauce up with any extras you like. And this recipe is very easy to batch cook, so you can put some in the fridge or freezer and you have a very easy meal ready to go. Great for when you have exams or deadlines because you can actually eat real food and not worry about the time it takes.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information is going to be for the pasta in the most basic form, and just for the sauce as the nutrients will vary a lot depending on your pasta of choice.
Cost
The full price breakdown of all ingredients can be found here, but the cost for this recipe in total is £0.70 plus the spices. That makes the cost per serving approximately £0.45 including herbs and spices.
Spicy Basic Tomato Pasta Sauce Recipe
An easy sauce recipe to meal prep and grab when you’re in a hurry. Adaptable to personal tastes and budgets.
This recipe is dairy free, vegan, soy free and nut free. It can be gluten free depending on your pasta of choice.
Spicy Tomato Pasta Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive/ sunflower oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 400 g can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp mixed Italian herbs
- 1 tsp hot chilli powder
- 200 g dried pasta of choice
Optional Extras 1
- Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Courgette
Optional Extras 2
- Sundried tomatoes
- Olives
- Capers
Instructions
-
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and garlic and cook on a low heat until soft. Add the seasonings and any vegetables from the optional extras 1 category now. Cook for a few minutes then add the chopped tomatoes. Leave to simmer for 20 mins, then stir in any ingredients from the optional extras 2 category before serving.
-
Stir sauce through cooked and drained pasta to fully combine before serving.
Serve and enjoy!
Which optional extras would you choose to add to yours? Or do you prefer basic tomato pasta sauces?
Until next time,
Sophie
I prefer both, if I am going basic then I go super basic, but if I added in extras then I am adding in so many chunky tomatoes because I LOVE them in my pasta, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and come meatless beef crumbles if I have them.
YUM!!
Yummy! Love to have some now!
This is a great simple recipe. Perfect for students or those that are always on the go and want to batch cook. I love pasta so I’ll definitely give this a try soon.