This will probably not be all that popular given jars of Ragu and Preggo seem pretty cheap…but I can beat them on taste with no ultra processed ingredients. This was leftover sauce but here’s how to make it
Ingredients
* 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
* half of a large sweet onion finely diced
* garlic cloves (as many as you want) minced
* 1 tsp of dried basil
* 1 tsp of dried oregano
* enough olive oil to sauté – 2 tbs
* sugar – just enough to cut acidity (optional)
* tsp of salt or to taste
* 1/2 tsp of black pepper or to taste
* EVOO to drizzle into the sauce (optional)
Instructions
* add oil to a 12” skillet and heat on medium
* sauté onions until they are translucent
* add garlic and sauté 30 seconds more or until fragrant
* add crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano and basil
* bring to boil, reduce to a simmer in the skillet partially covered (mostly covered) for 10 to 20 minutes
* taste sauce and add salt and pepper to taste
* add sugar, if desired, and taste until you get get the acidity to where you want it. Remove from heat
* drizzle with EVOO if you want. I do this to help with acidity and to add more flavor
Use for whatever – pastas, meatball subs, etc. can store in fridge for probably a week I guess (note, no preservatives!)
by Wasting_Time1234
9 Comments
Solid. I’ll try this! Thanks
I don’t know why I never thought to do this. I can sometimes get canned tomatoes from the food bank, but pasta sauce is never available. Thanks for the recipe OP!
>add sugar, if desired, and taste until you get get the acidity to where you want it.
Sugar is going to be one of the things not everyone would think to add, but considering the acidity of some tomatos it might be the “rescue ingredient” for some.
Most of the jarred stuff has sugar (or sweetners) and often quite a significant amount of it, but *using just enough* to take any bitterness or tarte flavor from the sauce is a really nice change if you’re open to trying it.
Depending what you have, peppers, zuchinni, mushrooms, chillis or whatever could go in…
My super frugal addition is to grate or blend carrots, tinned or otherwise, fresh is great tho!
Up to a quarter or third can be made of carrot pulp added to taste.
Pretty much mush them into the sauce (can be prepper then added separately and also bulks things out with a subtle healthy veggies twist.
…Did you make this entire post talking about how making your own fresh and natural spaghetti sauce is better than canned sauce… and then you decided to put processed powdered cheese on top of it instead of grating fresh cheese made with natural ingredients?
If so, I wanna meme this post by writing multiple paragraphs talking about making my own Lasagna made with fresh, all natural ingredients before I top it with some spray cheese from a can.
honestly i find that making tomato based pasta sauces at home rather than buying them jarred results in a more flavourful, healthier, and cheaper sauce than buying the jarred. if you use canned rather than fresh tomatoes (as the canned are already quite soft and will break down quicker) it doesn’t even take that much time. this recipe looks fairly similar to what I do, so i think it’s be a good one for anyone interested to try.
Ngl, would recommend adding some broth or water to this so it isn’t quite so thick. I love cooking sauces, and usually I buy chicken bouillon at Aldis so I can have broth because I don’t make chicken stock often.
Otherwise this looks almost exactly like what I do when I make homemade sauce. Its always more filling than jarred sauce, which is part of the need for budget food.
I’ve also done a similar recipe with regular canned whole tomatoes pulsed in the blender first with the garlic and fresh basil. I do prefer sauce with San Marzano tomatoes (I can generally get a 28oz can for around $4-$5/each), but I’ve had amazing results with both kinds.
Once I had fresh pasta sauce, nothing from the jar tastes good anymore.
I make my own sauce by frying cherry tomatoes
yep! i just made this tonight, coincidentally. i love adding ground beef & mushrooms to mine when i have the money to add a little extra. it’s so delicious, super simple, and leagues ahead of jarred sauces! plus, i always have more leftover. probably saves money in the long run.