Tomato pasta sauce

Tasty and rich, this easy-to-make tomato sauce is great with pasta, and can be made in advance and reheated. It's low in salt and fat, and is suitable for vegetarians too.

Serves: 2
Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 tsp vegtable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
a pinch of mixed dried herbs
pepper to taste
210g dry wholewheat pasta

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan or frying pan. Cook the onion on a medium heat until soft.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Make sure the pan is not too hot when you add the garlic, as it burns easily and will make the sauce taste bitter.
Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and mixed herbs.
Simmer gently for 15 minutes until the sauce is thick and rich.
Add pepper to taste.
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, mix in with the sauce and serve topped with fresh herbs.

Other options

Add a tin of tuna or some sliced vegetables to the sauce at step 3. Try mushrooms, peppers or courgettes.

Pour the sauce over fish fillets and bake in the oven at 180C (gas mark 4) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Use the sauce as a pizza topping. Just sprinkle with grated reduced-fat cheese and your favourite vegetables.

Nutrition information

Nutrient	Per 100g	Per 460g serving
Energy	282kJ/67kcal	1298kJ/307kcal
Protein	2.5g	11.7g
Carbohydrate	13.3g	61.1g
(of which sugars)	2.5g	11.5g
Fat	0.8g	3.5g
(of which saturates)	0.1g	0.4g
Fibre	1.1g	5.2g
Sodium	0.03g	0.1g
Salt	0.1g	0.3g

Allergy advice

Be aware that:

this recipe contains wheat (gluten)
some pasta contains egg, so always check the label
some tomato purées contain wheat

Food safety tips

When cooking:

always wash your hands, work surfaces, utensils and chopping boards before you start preparing food
wash or peel raw vegetables before use, as this will help clean them and remove any harmful bacteria that might be on the outside

Page last reviewed: Tue Dec 2017 Next review due: Sat Dec 2020