Cheap pasta sauce recipes / alternatives?

dioltas

Just wondering if anybody has some nice pasta sauce recipes that might work out cheaper than buying jars all the time.

I usually make a jar last for two or three batches anyway but funds are tight at the moment and wouldn't bother me spending some time cooking some.

Thanks.

glaston

Pasta Puttanesca - not to everybodys liking but I think its nice.:)
Might need to spend a bit the first time but most of the ingredients are tinned/in jars so you wont have to throw anything out.
Try dried oregano instead of parsley.

http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/5962/linguine-puttanesca

dioltas

Thanks, might give that a go, looks like it could be tasty!

Just found this recipe there too, http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/9093/cheap-and-easy-tomato-sauce-for-pasta-or-bolognese.aspx

Would it be safe to make a large batch and freeze it, then defrost in the microwave or in a pot?

Little Alex

Hi dioltas

You can get a tin of own-brand chopped tomatoes for about 50 cent. Empty a can into a pot and let it simmer for for 10 or 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft. Add some seasoning and flavouring to it, depending on which way you want to go: chopped chillies, garlic, basil, oregano, etc. You can use a hand blender to smoothen it, if you like. After doing this you could also sieve it to make a passata.

For a white sauce melt 20g of butter in a pot and add 20g of flour and bring them together until it forms a ball. Then add 300ml of milk while whisking constantly and season. Let it bubble for about 20 minutes until the flour is cooked through. You can finish this with some cream if you want. Adding an onion studded with some whole cloves (which are removed after cooking) will give you a Bechamel sauce for lasagne or you could add, say, some blue cheese or Cheddar for macaroni cheese.

By the way, I've seen an episode of Jamie at Home where Jamie Oliver shows how to make homemade tomato sauce for pasta and he wonders why people buy the stuff in jars when it's so cheap and easy to make your own... but recently I've seen Jamie Oliver brand tomato sauce in the shops. :-)

muckety

I regularly make a batch of basic tomato sauce (tinned tomato, tomato puree, onion, garlic, seasoning) to which I add stuff each time I use it. It keeps in a bowl in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Things I add are: fried bacon; slices of chorizo; black olives; torn up basil leaves (sometimes combinations of the above).

Another easy batch sauce I make is a salsa rossa - start with above and add/cook in chopped up red pepper, courgettes, aubergines or whatever is in the fridge, and liquidize (its not far off liquidized ratatouille!).

barbiegirl

When cooking for dinner that night I find fry some mushrooms in a little butter until the juices start to come out, add some low fat cream and herbs and pepper, perfect over pasta and only takes 5 minutes. I also sometimes add some chopped rashers cooking them before the mushrooms, which negates the need for the butter, and at the end, when adding the pasta I add some spinach, rocket or whatever other green I have to hand.

dioltas

muckety wrote: »

I regularly make a batch of basic tomato sauce (tinned tomato, tomato puree, onion, garlic, seasoning) to which I add stuff each time I use it.

Generally, how much tomato puree is good? Then you just prepare it like Little Alex said above?

Thanks for the advice lads, gonna compare prices tonight when I go shopping and might try a big pot later.

_blank_

Heh, once you make your own sauce, you won't ever go back to jar stuff.

Here's my recipe.

Tin of toms - own brand are good, don't spend money of named stuff
OR
4 x Beef Toms, skinned and chopped.

Finely chop an onion and a couple of garlic cloves, and sweat them off until the onion is soft, then add some stock and some red wine, cook these off so the alcohol evaporates, then add the tomatoes and some herbs, bring to the boil, then simmer to reduce to a consistency you like.

kaki

Or Carbonara - I described the Carbonara sauce we have pre-jarred here in Ireland to the mother of my boyfriend (who is Italian) who had a cow about cream in the recipe...

For an authentic (according to my future overbearing MIL) and cheap Carbonara:

1) Put the pasta on to cook
2) In a frying pan gently fry off some onion, garlic and pancetta (regular bacon will work fine too, just chop it up into boxes
3) In a bowl, beat eggs (as a guide, one per person) with lots of black pepper, a little bit of salt and grated cheese (Parmesan or Pecorino is best, but you could substitute with some other hard cheese, if you're really pushed a cheddar could be fine.
4) Drain the pasta, dump into the saucepan with the bacon, garlic and onion. Mix well.
5) On a low heat, add the liquid egg/cheese mixture to the pasta, and start to toss the pasta through it for 2-3 minutes tops - remove from the heat as soon as you start to see bits of egg solidifying.
6) Serve with grated cheese.

It isn't dry if you do it right - essentially the egg is just cooked by the heat of the pasta/pan, yet it remains liquid. It's a bit weird eating what some consider "raw" egg for the first time...maybe not the best for small kids, the elderly or pregnant people.

tricky D

Try adding a bit of wine to tomato sauces, I find it makes a helluva difference.

boodlesdoodles

A teaspoon or two of vinegar and sugar added to tomato sauces also makes all the difference. I usually add red wine vinegar or balsamic.

huskerdu

A great Nigel Slater recipe for pasta

Slice up smoked streaky bacon in a tiny bit of butter. Add chopped leeks.
Lower the heat and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add a small dash of cream and mix in cooked pasta.

dubh101

Aldi do a nice tin off chopped tomatos with added herbs for about 50c,I alway's blend mine first,alway's add a bit off sugar too, to even out the acidity in tinned tomato's. Usually fry off onions,, garlic,oregano,add red wine tinned tomatos,tomato purree,veg stock cube,splash worchestershire sauce, salt, pepper, the sugar and fresh basil too finish,for a basic tomato pasta sauce,all ingredients are cheap and most should be in everyones cubbord,never buy pasta sauce in a jar.:D

dioltas

Thanks for all the suggestions lads. Made my first attempt last night for my lunch today. Just ate it there and it was lovely!

Got a tin of chopped tomatoes for 37p.
I diced and fried half an onion until before they started to brown. Heated the chopped tomatoes and added some salt, good squirt of tomato puree and about 3 teaspoons of vinegar. Mixed it all up and simmered until it thickened a bit.

Mixed the sauce with the pasta and some chicken.

Could have done with some garlic, but forgot to get it in the shop. Should have enough left for tomorrows lunch too.

Oh ya, one more question. Is there much difference in buying tomatoes and just chopping them yourself instead of buying a tin?

matrim

kaki wrote: »

Or Carbonara - I described the Carbonara sauce we have pre-jarred here in Ireland to the mother of my boyfriend (who is Italian) who had a cow about cream in the recipe...

For an authentic (according to my future overbearing MIL) and cheap Carbonara:

1) Put the pasta on to cook
2) In a frying pan gently fry off some onion, garlic and pancetta (regular bacon will work fine too, just chop it up into boxes
3) In a bowl, beat eggs (as a guide, one per person) with lots of black pepper, a little bit of salt and grated cheese (Parmesan or Pecorino is best, but you could substitute with some other hard cheese, if you're really pushed a cheddar could be fine.
4) Drain the pasta, dump into the saucepan with the bacon, garlic and onion. Mix well.
5) On a low heat, add the liquid egg/cheese mixture to the pasta, and start to toss the pasta through it for 2-3 minutes tops - remove from the heat as soon as you start to see bits of egg solidifying.
6) Serve with grated cheese.

It isn't dry if you do it right - essentially the egg is just cooked by the heat of the pasta/pan, yet it remains liquid. It's a bit weird eating what some consider "raw" egg for the first time...maybe not the best for small kids, the elderly or pregnant people.

This is really easy and very nice, I've pretty much stopped using jars of carabonara since starting to make this.

One thing though is that you should take up the pasta just before it's ready as it will finish cooking when you are mixing it with the egg

olaola

I always have smoked rashers or chorizo in the fridge. Handy for creamy or tomatoey based sauces.

tricky D

kaki wrote: »

3) In a bowl, beat eggs (as a guide, one per person) with lots of black pepper, a little bit of salt and grated cheese (Parmesan or Pecorino is best, but you could substitute with some other hard cheese, if you're really pushed a cheddar could be fine.

Egg yolks according to the Italian chef who was on Moncrieff an hour ago. The egg white part will cook before the yolk and spoil the smoothness (something like that).

deelite

Are any of the mentioned tomato based sauces suitable for meatballs ?

olaola

deelite wrote: »

Are any of the mentioned tomato based sauces suitable for meatballs ?

Any sauce really. I'd prob go for a smooth sauce myself.

dubh101

deelite wrote: »

Are any of the mentioned tomato based sauces suitable for meatballs ?

Yes my recipe is great with meatballs,you could also add chopped smoked bacon too it,or even chillis if you like it spicy.:o

John Mason

deelite wrote: »

Are any of the mentioned tomato based sauces suitable for meatballs ?

yes, the recipe des posted is the one we use for meatballs. its a base for all tomato sauces, you can just add or take away whatever for your own taste

pork99

Authentic Italian Tomato and Basil Sauce
I found this recipe for tomato and basil sauce very easy to make and tastes great;
http://www.greatfood.ie/item_display2.asp?cde=2&id=1220

Inauthentic South Dublin "these tomatoes are on the turn" Tomato Sauce
The recipe above uses tinned tomatoes but I sometimes make a sauce with fresh tomatoes that are about to expire. I tend to make it up as I go, this week I made one as follows; gently fry some chopped garlic in olive oil, add chopped tomatoes and let them reduce for a few minutes. Add a tablespoon or two of tomato puree and a dash of salt and sugar. When it has reduced to a sauce consistency add some dried oregano and a couple of grinds of black pepper and cotinue to cook for another few minutes. Mix through pasta and serve with grated parmesan.

_blank_

dioltas wrote: »

Oh ya, one more question. Is there much difference in buying tomatoes and just chopping them yourself instead of buying a tin?

Not really.

We sometimes buy 4 large beef tomatoes and blend them up and use them instead of a tin of tomatoes.

It's more expensive though.

The best sauces though, are made from tomatoes you grow yourself.

pork99

Des wrote: »

Not really.

We sometimes buy 4 large beef tomatoes and blend them up and use them instead of a tin of tomatoes.

It's more expensive though.

The best sauces though, are made from tomatoes you grow yourself.

Someone in the know has told me tha tyou should never buy tins of chopped tomatoes because they tend to use the dodgy/damaged tomatoes for them. Always buy tinned whole tomatoes and chop them yourself.

meditraitor

pork99 wrote: »

Someone in the know has told me tha tyou should never buy tins of chopped tomatoes because they tend to use the dodgy/damaged tomatoes for them. Always buy tinned whole tomatoes and chop them yourself.

They are all the same really, dont mind your mate.

My latest favorite pasta sauce is just

Onions
Garlic
Chilli
Anchovies
Tin Tomatoes

Use one medium onion, chop finely and fry in a medium heat pan (4-5 table spoons olive oil) for a couple of minutes till soft.
Chop up about 3-4 slivers of anchovy and a half a small chilli (or a full one if you like) and add to the onion
Grate 3 garlic cloves (makes them easier to digest and less likely to repeat) and as soon as the anchovies start to break up add the garlic, no more than 1 minute after that add the tinned tomatoes, salt and pepper
Turn the heat low and leave to simmer for 5-10 minutes..... whaallla:p

Great by itself or with capocolla/salami/meatballs even veg like peppers, corgettes, mushrooms, brocolli....

Very quick and simple to make,


Oh, never be afraid to throw a half a tea spoon of sugar into a tomato based pasta sauce..... makes a big difference sometimes:pac:

tigerblob

I make a really delicious and easy white sauce that you can vary according to what you have lying about.
1) Melt about a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan.
2) Put the same amount of flour in an mix and drag it about the saucepan until the flour and butter form a solid, wet mass.
3) Fill a cup with half milk, half boiling water, plus dissolve in some buillon stock stuff.
4) Add the cupfull, whisking as you go. Theoretically you can do it with a fork but I don't have the patience.
5) Add as much grated/chopped cheese as you see fit. I add about a cupfull. Cheese of any description is good.

Now add the pasta to the sauce. You can add bits of bacon, broccoli, anything you like.

_blank_

pork99 wrote: »

Someone in the know has told me tha tyou should never buy tins of chopped tomatoes because they tend to use the dodgy/damaged tomatoes for them.

I often use bruised/soft tomatoes for cooking without a problem

faigs

I find the cheaper brands of chopped tomatoes like Aldi/Lidl are fairly bad in comparison to the real Italian ones you can get in smaller shops and delis, if the label is in Italian you're generally onto a winner. I just find the cheap ones very watery and tasteless, anyone agree?

brick tamland

faigs wrote: »

I find the cheaper brands of chopped tomatoes like Aldi/Lidl are fairly bad in comparison to the real Italian ones you can get in smaller shops and delis, if the label is in Italian you're generally onto a winner. I just find the cheap ones very watery and tasteless, anyone agree?

I dont agree with that at all. Lidl do a passata that is as good if not better than all the ones I've bought in Superquinn, and at a fraction of the price.

dubh101

brick tamland wrote: »

I dont agree with that at all. Lidl do a passata that is as good if not better than all the ones I've bought in Superquinn, and at a fraction of the price.

Have too agree,Lidl and Aldi stuff in general is good quality, also I think for pasta sauces,most of the time tinned tomato's are prefferable too the homoginous fresh tomato's we get in Ireland,Its hard too find good quality fresh tomato's like you get in med' countries,unless you grow your own,or pay alot for them.

olaola

faigs wrote: »

I find the cheaper brands of chopped tomatoes like Aldi/Lidl are fairly bad in comparison to the real Italian ones you can get in smaller shops and delis, if the label is in Italian you're generally onto a winner. I just find the cheap ones very watery and tasteless, anyone agree?

I don't agree either. I think the Lidl tomatoes are great - a bit better than the Aldi ones, but nothing a squeeze of puree won't fix.

_blank_

The Lidl toms with the flavours are very good. I use the Ariabata ones when making Chili, and the Onion and Herb ones for a meatball sauce.

The OH likes the ones with Basil added for her pasta dishes.

faigs

Des wrote: »

The Lidl toms with the flavours are very good. I use the Ariabata ones when making Chili, and the Onion and Herb ones for a meatball sauce.

The OH likes the ones with Basil added for her pasta dishes.

Hmm, maybe I should give them another chance, I just compared the plain Lidl ones to Napolina or De Cecco ones and I found a big difference in taste, texture and colour. So much that I didn't mind paying twice the price!