Balancing out the flavour of a pasta sauce can be tricky, but there is a simple ingredient you can add to make sure your spaghetti sauce is not too acidic or bitter
Spaghetti pasta is a great comforting dish and quick to whip up(Image: SimpleImages via Getty Images)
Spaghetti is a scrumptious meal that most folk whip up at least once weekly thanks to its simplicity, and there’s a straightforward method to enhance your tomato sauce recipe so it becomes even more flavoursome. It can be maddening to prepare dinner only for the pasta sauce to taste lacklustre or even harsh, but this frequently occurs as many individuals don’t realise they must balance out the taste.
Tomatoes are naturally sharp and they can dominate a meal if you don’t season the sauce correctly, which is why it’s crucial to be mindful of what ingredients you’re incorporating into your sauce. Ashlyn Edwards, a chef and Belle of the Kitchen, has revealed that the finest method to neutralise the sharpness and tartness of tomatoes is to incorporate a modest quantity of brown sugar into your tomato sauce.
She said: “Don’t skip the brown sugar. Adding a bit of sugar to your homemade spaghetti sauce helps to cut the natural acidity of the tomatoes and helps to balance the sauce,”
Brown sugar contains molasses which contributes depth to pasta sauce to amplify the tomatoes’ natural sweetness without overwhelming the mixture., reports the Express.
A chef has recommended adding brown sugar to your sauce(Image: Getty)How to enhance spaghetti pasta sauce
You will need:
450g of ground beef or pork sausage470ml of water or beef brothOne large onion (chopped)One green pepper (chopped)Two cloves of garlic (minced)Three cans of diced tomatoesOne tube of tomato pasteOne and a half teaspoons of dried oreganoOne teaspoon of saltHalf a teaspoon of dried basilHalf a teaspoon of dried thymeOne bay leafTwo teaspoons of brown sugar
Recipe
To start, place the meat, onions, green peppers and garlic into a saucepan. Position on the hob and cook until the meat has browned and the vegetables are soft.
Remove the fat and then mix in the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and brown sugar. Subsequently, flavour the sauce with oregano, salt, basil, thyme and a bay leaf.
Add the water or beef stock and leave the pan uncovered, allowing the sauce to bubble away for one and a half to two hours.
Make sure to allow the sauce to bubble away for one and a half to two hours(Image: Getty)
If you fancy it, you can let the sauce bubble for even longer as this will enhance the taste.
Ashlyn explained: “The more time you allow your sauce to simmer, the richer the flavour will be.
“You can also transfer the sauce to a crockpot after preparing it on the stove and allow it to cook over low heat for a few hours.
“If your sauce is too thick after cooking, add a little more water to thin it out.”
When the sauce has bubbled for sufficient time and reached the right consistency, remove the bay leaf and your delicious spaghetti sauce is ready to dish up.
(Image: SimpleImages via Getty Images)Brown sugar will mke your brown sauce richer and more flavourful(Image: Getty)Brown sugar will ‘cut the natural acidity’ of tomatoes(Image: Getty)
Spaghetti pasta sauce will be tastier and more flavourful if you add 1 extra ingredient(Image: Getty)
Dining and Cooking