Make a Red Pasta Sauce

Pasta needs a good sauce, and tomato is the most basic. Below you will find two easy recipes that can be made quickly and still impresses anyone when they find out it wasn't that red stuff in a jar. Just get started with Step 1 below!

Ingredients

Smooth Sauce

  • 2 cups of water
  • 1/2 can of tomato paste
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • Carrots
  • Onions
  • Spices as desired or suggested

Chunky Sauce

  • A large (or two small) can(s) of crushed tomatoes
  • Couple tbs Olive oil
  • At least three cloves of garlic (more to taste)
  • Herbs such as oregano, basil, and thyme (the first two are a must)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Red wine (optional)
  • Cheese to make it creamier, thicken, and enhance taste(optional)

Steps

Smooth Sauce

  1. Pour water into the saucepan. Pour 2 cups of warm water into a saucepan.
  2. Add half a can of tomato paste. Mix it well with the water.
  3. Add 1 can of diced tomatoes. Do not drain the water from the can, but include it in the sauce.
  4. Add in the carrots. Finely grate 2 medium carrots or 1 large carrot and add that to the saucepan.
  5. Add in the onions. Dice 1/3 of an onion and add it to the sauce. The type of onion is up to you but red and sweet onions work best.
    • You can alternatively use 2-3 shallots.
  6. Add in the spices. Add in 1-2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1/2 tsp of celery salt, 1 tsp of dried oregano (or fresh equivalent), 1 tbsp of dried basil (or fresh equivalent), and optionally 1 chicken bouillon cube and/or 1 bay leaf.
  7. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Mix the ingredients well and then bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
  8. Simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 15-30 minutes. The longer the simmer, the more the flavors will be drawn out. Remove from heat when done.
  9. Blend the sauce. Once the sauce is cooked, if you do not like the consistency, you can make it even smoother by using a blender or a blending wand to get it as smooth as possible.

Chunky Sauce

  1. If this is intended for pasta, start boiling the water.
  2. Crush and chop the garlic. You can do this however you like, as long as the oils can escape freely.
  3. Heat up the olive oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat.
  4. Put in the garlic, wait a while (about a minute) and add the herbs and wait a few seconds. If you're using wine, this is when you should add it.
  5. Pour the tomatoes in and stir. Turn the stove to high.
  6. Salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Once it's boiling, turn it down to a simmer. The longer it simmers, the more the flavors meld. Also, you can keep adding herbs, salt, pepper, and wine if you feel it needs it.
    • Once simmering, you can start the pasta.
  8. Finished.

Tips

  • Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce to give the pasta more flavor.
  • If resorting to the above, consider putting fresh vegetables in it.
  • Sometimes it can be hard to find crushed tomatoes, but you can always use a small can of tomato sauce and another of diced tomatoes.
  • Simmering overnight gives it a very nice taste. Just make sure not to cover it, or it can burn.

Warnings

  • Normal cooking/ knife safety applies here.
  • When tasting, be careful, it can be very hot, even after blowing on it.

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