Two quick queries for the clever folk to help me with

[Deleted User]

Hi folks I think it must be the chemo I am on at the moment but my brain seems to have turned to mush.I have two quick questions that I am sure someone on here can help me with
No 1.Has anyone got a quick and simple tomato based sauce that is cheap and easy to make that I can use with pasta.I have got some strange yearnings at the moment, and pasta with tomato sauce is one of them .My DD made me some yesterday with a Mr T's pasta sauce from a jar,it was very nice, but I'm sure there must be a nice tasty home made one that I could knock up for a lot less money.

No 2. I had a very large cauliflower given to me yesterday, and I have cooked it and divided it up into four portions to freeze.Now I want to cover it with a cheese sauce before I freeze it .I have a carton of Bisto cheese granules in the cupboard that I sometime use for fish when I am on my own. Does anyone know if this ,once made up will freeze o.k. or will I have to make a home-made cheese sauce to cover the cauli with,and will it freeze o.k. once cooled. Sorry to sound a bit dim ,but I'm sure someone on here will be able to help. Because of the medications I am on and the chemo my taste buds have almost dissappeared and although I can't eat anything too spicy at the moment the pasta is what I'm almost living on . Roll on the end of April when I shall hopefully be through all of this .
I love cooking as a rule, but am finding that everything is a great effort at the moment. So I thought if I can get a couple of easy recipes to go with my pasta and it's also important to eat as much veg as I can then the cheese sauce my liven things up a bit . At the moment everything tastes of cotton wool:eek:
Cheers everyone

competitionscafe

Jamie Olivers basic tomato sauce is nice and easy, you can leave out the chilli and even the basil if you don't have it, I sometimes add a pinch of sugar to balance the vinegar and bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes.
http://recipecircus.com/recipes/carolyn/PASTA/Jamie_Oliver39s_Basic_Tomato_Sauce.html

He has another similar version with onion and balsamic vinegar but I have't tried that one.
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/2007/09/18/sweet_tomato_pasta

Basic tom sauce recipe is usually onions and garlic softened in olive oil, tinned tomatoes added, herbs if you have them and reduce it it a bit to thicken it.

ravylesley

I always fry 1 chopped onion with a chopped clove of garlic until transparent and then add a couple of tsps mixed herbs(italian).Then I add a couple of tins of tomatoes and a squeeze of tomato puree.Bring it to the boil and then whizz it till smooth with the handblender.I use this with tuna for a pasta sauce or as a sauce for the base of HM pizza.

As for the cheese sauce question sorry I havent got a clue as I've never used the product

Lesleyxx

squeaky

Simpler still...

A tin of chopped tomatoes, a fair sprinkle of mixed herbs, or herbs of your choice, and a good sprinkle of garlic granules (or as many finely chopped / crushed garlic cloves as you like.

Easy peasy and surprisingly effective.

Edit:- Oops! Forgot the sauce question. I'd be inclined to make the sauce at the time that you want to serve it up. I "think" the sauce might separate as it defrosts - maybe someone knows for sure? Alternatively you could make the sauce and freeze it separately. That way you stand a chance of whipping it back into shape if it does split.

[Deleted User]

Cheers folks I think I might just freeze the cauliflower as Squeaky suggests without the cheese sauce in case it separates with defrosting. Thanks also for the links ect for tomato based pasta sauce

Stephen_Leak

squeaky wrote: »

Simpler still...

A tin of chopped tomatoes, a fair sprinkle of mixed herbs, or herbs of your choice, and a good sprinkle of garlic granules (or as many finely chopped / crushed garlic cloves as you like.

I love simple recipes, but I'd amalgamate this recipe with the other one by adding the onion. Lightly fry off the finely chopped onion and the finely chopped/crushed garlic (if you're using this) in some olive oil. Add the chopped tomatoes. If using dried herbs and/or garlic granules/paste, add them now. Mix and simmer until reduced. If using fresh chopped herbs, add them at the end.

While the sauce is simmering, boil & drain the pasta. Pasta cools very quickly, so you need them hot at the same time.

An Italian would then "take the pasta to the sauce" and gently toss them together until the pasta is evenly coated. They would never just plonk the sauce on top of the pasta. Therefore, the sauce needs to flow, which is why I didn't add the tomato puree.

PasturesNew

I was going to suggest that you made up the cheese sauce on demand in case it went iffy. As it's one of those "spoon out what you need and add boiling water, mix, use instantly" things it's not like it's hard.

It also means your frozen cauli is available to be used differently if you need to.

rygon

i had a garlic clove (diced) chucked in with tinned toms, ad cooked spinach, with a bit of black pepper and basil over rice the other day (and would taste great with pasta..cept i didnt have any)

[Deleted User]

You have given me some great ideas here ,especially rygon's one with basil,black pepper and cooked spinach.it sounds very tasty,which is what I am looking for .Thanks again. Its awful when food tastes so bland and of nothing. I may even try it with the rice as a change from pasta

Austin_Allegro

For a very quick simple pasta sauce, I mix tomato puree with cream cheese and olive oil. I've no idea of the proportions but you can experiment.

HariboJunkie

Hi Jackie...

My basic pasta sauce recipe is gently fried onion, garlic and tinned toms. Add some courguette and red pepper and a splash of red wine. Simmer and whizz.

I did a quick search on google and found these but haven't tried them.

Basic pasta sauce

Tomato and basil sauce

Tomato and mozarrella sauce

Rich tomato sauce

Best wishes. xxx