Family Lockdown Cooking: Simple Tomato Pasta Sauce

Italian cooking proves that less is more. Using just a few ingredients you can make a simple and tasty tomato sauce. The children like this sauce on its own but if I have leftover meat I can chuck it in too. Leftover sausages or chicken are particularly good. Olive oil is not just to cook the onion it forms part of the sauce that makes the texture silky and shiny. Passata is crushed, smooth tomatoes which have 3 B-vitamins that benefit our mental health. It’s also packed with vitamin C which is a good immune booster in the winter.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 2 Adults & 2 Kids
300g of any pasta
(water and salt for the pasta)
80ml olive oil
1 onion
2 garlic cloves (or 1 tsp of garlic powder)
1 x 500g box of passata
1 tsp salt
2 tsps sugar
2 tsp dried mixed herbs

Optional Extras
cooked meats like sausage, chicken or pork
grated cheese
tinned tuna or anchovies
peppers or mushrooms

• Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full with water, add 2 tsp of salt and put on a high heat until the water boiling. Add your pasta give it all a stir then set your timer for 9 minutes (or follow the package guidelines.
• Put the olive oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Halve the onion then peel it. Get a cheese grater and grate the onion straight into the pan. This saves on chopping and makes the onion cook faster. *Kid Friendly Note: if texture is a problem for your children you can leave out the onion.
• After frying the onion for 4 minutes add the salt, sugar, mixed herbs, chopped garlic (or garlic powder) and passata then stir.
• Put a little water in the passata carton and swish it around to loosen the remaining tomato then pour it into the pan. Stir and turn the heat down to medium low then let it cook until the pasta is ready. If you’re adding any meat add it when you turn the heat down and cook for at least 4 minutes.
• When the pasta is ready (soft but still with a bit of resistance – this is called al dente) drain it and add to the pan to coat in the sauce.