Dolmio Sauces

FluffityBunny

Own brand tins of tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, garlic, herbs, chilli flakes/powder - that's all I use to make my own sauces. What you don't use then just freeze and defrost when needed. I hate the taste of jar sauces and knowing you can make something that is a lot cheaper and taster is even better.

Fusspot

maman wrote: »

if you have the freezer space then batch cooking several pasta bakes and freezing them in single portions is best. That way you have healthy home made ready meals.

The main problem with Dolmio and other sauces is the amount of sugar in them.

I cook from scratch but most of the ingredients don't have to be fresh. I use dried herbs and spices and Lazy Garlic. Onions and mushrooms can be bought frozen or buy fresh and freeze what you don't need or use for other meals like omelettes.

I do freeze pasta bake in single portions, only thing is I can't gauge the portions and end up not having enough in one meal to fill me up. I also batch cook lasagne but this time I have the light Dolmio sauce and I only eat the lasagne once a week so that will be the only time I eat a ready made sauce.

I too combine convenience foods with fresh. I now eat fresh fish and chicken but have frozen vegetables with it (its known that they are as good for you as fresh), I do use frozen onions and pre packed potatoes etc. I know this wouldn't be cost effective for a large family but just for myself it does work out cost effective and less hassle as I work full time.

buythedip

Yes, they are garbage. Sorry. Your issues is maybe that passata is pretty thin if you!!!8217;re chucking that straight into a lasagne. My wife prefers it on pizza, so each their own. I would make up a tomato sauce (garlic, chilli flakes, oil, tinned tomatoes, S+P, herbs if you are feeling jazzy but not traditional) beforehand, on a low heat, to concentrate the flavour down (removing the use of paste).

Aril

There is an interesting snippet in this week's Eat Well for Less programme [available on BBC I-Player] which shows a Mother and adult daughter who have never cooked [the Mother's Mother didn't teach her so she was unable to teach her daughter] how to make a tomato sauce and a white sauce. I'm not the world's greatest nor confident cook [I actually don't really enjoy it] so I would make a white sauce with cornflour in the microwave, but you might be interested to see how it's done. They were buying the Dolmio sauces and were surprised to find it was easier to make the homemade version than they thought. Although I generally cook from scratch I live in the real world and buy premade sauces from time to time. Arilx

trailingspouse

Super quick tomato sauce for pasta -



1 tin tomatoes (it matters not one jot whether they are whole or chopped)
Herbs - Schwarz sell a mix called 'Italian herbs'.

Garlic - dried or fresh.

Chopped onions.


Cook until the onions are soft.



It's quick, it's cheap, it tastes good - what's not to love?


And there's no need to use a separate pan for the pasta - cook it in the sauce, thus saving energy and producing less washing up.



If you're feeling adventurous, you can add any or all of the following ingredients to this basic sauce -

mushrooms
red and/or green peppers
red wine
chilli
pesto
cream cheese


I saw the same episode of 'Eat Well for Less' - I could understand them not knowing how to make a white sauce, as you do actually have to be shown how to do it. But I was shocked that they didn't know how to make a tomato sauce.

rach_k

Some lovely food snobbery on here!

The 'light' Dolmio tomato lasagne sauce contains:
Tomatoes (75%), Tomato Paste (15%), Cornflour, Lemon Juice, Onions, Salt, Basil (0.4%), Garlic, Herb, Parsley, Spices

and the non-light one contains:
Tomatoes (76%), Tomato Paste (15%), Modified Maize Starch, Onion, Sugar, Salt, Basil (0.4%), Garlic, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Herb, Parsley, Spices

None of those are weird and wonderful things; I think I have all of those ingredients in my kitchen and I'm not a particularly adventurous cook.

If you want to cut down on the sugar, use the light versions. They look quite salty (13-14% of your daily allowance per portion) but if it's for your main meal, I think that's fine.

I'd say no, they're not really bad for you. As part of a balanced diet, they're fine. You could save money by making your own or buying cheaper brands but if you're happy with them, I'd have no worries about sticking with what you know and like.

DCFC79

Just look at the amount of sugar etc each jar has, it alot and you shouldn't have that much in 1 jar.

You say you have tried to make your own but Dolmio tastes so much better, I suspect you just haven't used a good recipe, use 1 of the ones suggested.

bouicca21

There's nothing wrong with using a shop bought sauce unless you are as tight as I am and weep at the cost.

001uk

For my "De luxe" sauce:
Finish off the Onions & Garlic in a good glugg of red wine & reduce. Towards the end add some fresh Plum Toms (halved) [currently best are the British ones from TESCO],cut sun dried toms (best are in jars from ASDA) chopped fresh Oregano, Thyme (simple to grow even in window pots) & Basil (buy a "growing pot" and plant it). Finally, good squeeze of Tomato Ketchup.(Tomatoes benefit from a little sweetness).....you'll never buy a mass produced Tomato sauce again!

Bellisima

Passata is just pulped tomatoes. It does not contain flavourings or seasoning and needs to be made into a sauce. My Italian mum made a simple sauce by frying a chopped onion in olive oil, adding the Passata and salt and pepper and let it simmer for about an hour, but less is fine. The addition of some torn basil leaves makes it even tastier. Add minced beef to make a bolognese but the longer it is cooked the better.

I’ve tried Dolmio and found them disgusting. Over flavoured and such a weird taste. Full of horrid preservatives too.

If you are short of time (who isnt?) then make a big batch then freeze it in meal size portions. It doesn’t take long.