Basic tomato and basil sauce for pasta

Description

This is a perfect sauce to use as a base. You can add a variety of other flavours to the finished sauce, just cooking for a few minutes to create a completely different dish.

Ingredients

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
¼-½ tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 large handful basil leaves, torn into small pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
grated parmesan cheese, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently cook the onion and garlic until softened. Stir in the tomatoes, chilli flakes, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook slowly for 45 minutes-1 hour. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. This can be left chunky or blended in a food processor for a smooth sauce.
2. Serve spooned over cooked pasta with plenty of parmesan cheese.

Alternatives:
250g/9oz tub of mascarpone or cream cheese, either alone or with strips of smoked salmon
chopped black olives and marinated artichokes
fried bacon and mushrooms
prawns, capers and chopped parsley
chopped chicken, red onion and red peppers, fried in olive oil
fried slices of chorizo sausage, chopped black olives and pieces of mozzarella cheese.