Can you really OS on pasta sauce?

TKP_3

I used to buy jars of sauce for my lasagne (yet never for spag bol ). Then last year my neighbor gre tomatoes as an experiment, and grew way too many, so he gave us LOADS :T
I cooked them down with onion and herbs and froze batches as sauce.
They taste SO good I will NEVER buy jars again

I agree with Tozic Lemon and Basil1 - I try to save money on most things (e.g. stardrops instead of expensive products etc), but I won't compromise on the quality of my food.

thriftlady_2

Toxic_Lemon wrote:

I think you have a point, but I also think OS means different things to different people. Personally I would NEVER buy any food labelled as 'value', not even for my dog. I don't believe OS means value, I think it means back to basics, and that isn't always the cheapest. The quality of my food is of the utmost importance to me, as is my health, so I have always made everything from scratch - but it's all excellent quality and the tastiest, IMO.

Others will disagree - but that's MY interpretation and my standards.

I agree and disagree

Like Basil I'm concerned with making gorgeous food too, over and above saving money. But, don't dismiss all value/economy products. There really is absolutely nothing wrong with value flour and rolled oats for example (both mainstays of my pantry). Some are bad, some are good. Mostly it's a question of simpler packaging. Value fruit juice tastes the same as the regular one, but it doesn't have a photo on the box and a funny plastic spout.

li'l_p

I don't think it's any longer timewise to make your own sauces and indeed, it's far healthier. I joined SW in August and have lost just over half a stone (not that I'm big, nor needed to shift a great deal of weight - I'm now at target) but it was more about the 'eating healthier' part. It made me realise how much rubbish we were eating and has made us go back to basics with the way we cook.

We make a very basic tomato pasta sauce using Passata (sieved tomatoes); a carton of which from Lidl is only 29p (or there about) and you can bung anything you want with it. We throw in herbs, mushrooms, onions, bacon pieces, chicken and our pasta. It takes no longer than opening your jar of ready made sauce and tipping into the pan!

OP mentioned putting tomato puree into a tomato sauce -I actually saw this yesterday on the BBC food website; the woman on the tutorial video said it gives 'depth of flavour' to your tomato sauce! :T

teedy23

Toxic_Lemon wrote:

Yep, boiling down (reducing) the tomatoes so that you intensify the tomato flavour is the key to any good tomato-based sauce. Don't just heat through. Patience will reap the rewards!

most italians would agree that food, any food ,tastes better when made with love. Unfortunatley this means time, I think the point of people using tinned toms is time saving for working people or people on their own, shame this means that sometimes we must sacrifice quality in order to eat a bit more healthily..... is that a real word? I do like pasata tho, and throw in a few dried herbs, nice enough for a weekday dinner

Fivenations

I'm second generation Italian and have not yet found a ready made sauce that matches home made, either in taste or cost. If you cannot tell the difference between homemade and value brand then you are blessed in OS terms, but if you can, this simple but classic sauce will be ready by the time the pasta is cooked. Make sure you use have everything to hand as you don’t want to burn the oregano.

INGREDIENTS
• 1 can top quality chopped tomatoes ( too many of my English friends drown their pasta in sauce. 1 can is enough for this)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• salt and pepper
• 450g (1lb) spaghetti

METHOD
Put you water on to boil for the pasta.

Heat some olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and add the finely chopped garlic clove. As it changes colour add the oregano, stir briefly and quickly add the chopped tomatoes. Season to taste and let it simmer while you boil up the water for the pasta. A little tomato puree will help perk up watery tomatoes. This does not need any Parmesan cheese.

Variation:
This sauce goes well with seafood. You can add prawns or mussels and a handful of fresh parsley. Chilli also works well.

Or add chopped olives and flaked tuna

Or fry chopped bacon with the garlic

Fivenations

Another simple sauce

Sweet Tomato sauce

My grandmother was a terrible cook but even she could cope with this recipe. It goes best with gnocchi and thick pasta shapes.

INGREDIENTS
• 1 jar sieved tomatoes
• 110g (4oz) butter - you can use less but it wont be as tasty!
• 1 medium onion, peeled but left whole
• 1 stick celery - bruised
• salt
• ¼ teaspoon or more of sugar, depending on the acidity of the tomatoes.

METHOD
Place all the ingredients into a saucepan and cook, uncovered, over a low heat for 45 minutes. Remove the vegetable before serving.

teedy23

always use sugar since seeing " The Godfather" does make a difference, and if I have the time, I do try to make from fresh, of course it,s better. But working shifts doesnt accomodate this, and thats the point of canned food. It will never be as good, but near enough

Toxic_Lemon

teedy23 wrote:

always use sugar since seeing " The Godfather" does make a difference, and if I have the time, I do try to make from fresh, of course it,s better. But working shifts doesnt accomodate this, and thats the point of canned food. It will never be as good, but near enough

You could make it in batches and freeze it!

teedy23

Toxic_Lemon wrote:

You could make it in batches and freeze it!

Do this when being really good girl, then keep forgetting to take it out of freezer before going out to work:o Buy woopsie mince and make batches of chilli and bolognese and some plainley cooked for anything else i might fancy, if only I could remember to remove from freezer:o

hardpressed

basil1 wrote:

Toxic lemon I couldnt agree with you more. Yes Im all for saving money but where food is concerned Im more into making gorgeous food cheaply. I never buy anything with value on it (cheap beans yuk) but I make lovely food with simple ingredients so Im a single parent working part time and we eat really well because I prioritise. We get an organic box and get organic butter, cheese and milk and Im canny with everything else I buy. I make my own bread, biscuits, ice cream etc. because I want good food I can afford. Pasta sauce in a jar is usually full of salt and sugar and tastes of vinegar. The most delicious pasta sauce I make is with roasted tinned tomatoes. Its v quick and easy and healthy and delicious. Probably works out about 60p or a lot less if you get BOGOF on nice tins of toms. I live on very little but food is a joy of life. I wont scrimp on it. Its just an opinion but I was so pleased to see that somebody else shared it.

Could you tell us how you make your rosted tomato sauce please, sounds lovely.