When you want something quick and simple for dinner, this Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce stirred through some spaghetti is about as simple as it gets. No need for any extra ingredients, although a little parmesan and black pepper on top goes a long way. A herby passata pasta sauce with a splash of balsamic vinegar that freezes well too.
One of the things I have learned from my trips to Italy is that everyone outside of Italy really over complicates Italian food, and I am definitely guilty of this too.
You only have to look at how many toppings we put on our pizza, or how many different ingredients we add to our pasta dishes to see this. In Italy, their food tends to be much more simple, and I think it is tastier because of it.
We have kept this pasta sauce really simple with just a good quality passata, some fresh and dried herbs, garlic and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
There are plenty of other ingredients you could add to it, like vegetables, or meat, but if you want something quick and simple then this is a great base.
Jump to:
Why should you try it?
- Super simple sauce with very few ingredients
- Just 70 calories a portion
- Healthier than a jar of pasta sauce
- Easy to adapt and add other ingredients
- Can be frozen for a quick and easy dinner.
What you will need
- Passata - A good quality passata is definitely required for this recipe. Cheaper ones can be a bit watery and tasteless. As this is a tomato sauce, you really want to taste the tomatoes.
- Onion and garlic - The base of the sauce. Use shallots if you would like a little sweeter taste.
- Basil and oregano - For that authentic Italian flavour.
- Balsamic Vinegar - Gives a lovely sweetness to the sauce and brings all the flavours together.
Step by step
One: Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onion and garlic. Gently cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
Two: Add the passata, herbs and balsamic vinegar and season.
Three: Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
Four: Stir through cooked spaghetti and add parmesan.
Watch our web story for a quick how-to of making this Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce.
It this healthy?
This is an easy recipe, but of course it would be easier to just open a jar of store bought sauce. But, next time you are in the supermarket, take a look at the ingredients of some of those pasta sauces. Some (not all - there are some great options out there now) contain so much salt, sugar and unnecessary ingredients.
Making your own pasta sauce means you can control exactly what goes in to it and you can use just a pinch of salt to season it. The splash of balsamic gives it a little sweetness too.
What is passata?
Passata (or tomato puree as it is called in the US), is strained tomatoes (liquid tomato puree). It will come in a carton or tall glass jar and it is a store cupboard essential in our opinion, as it is the base of so many sauces that we make.
Passata is an uncooked tomato purée that has been strained of seeds and skins. If you can't find any passata, then an alternative would be to blend up a tin of tomatoes and then pass it through a sieve.
FAQs
This Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce is perfect for batch cooking. Triple the recipe and then freeze it in portions. Then all you need to do it get it out the night before to defrost and heat it through some cooked pasta (or use it as a pizza base sauce) for a quick week night meal.
Extra tips
- You can use this simply stirred through pasta, as a spaghetti bolognese sauce or as a pizza base sauce.
- It freezes really well, so feel free to triple the recipe and batch cook it.
- This is a simple sauce, but you can use it as a base and add vegetables or meat to it. Cooking times will vary though.
- This is a vegan sauce, but some parmesan or vegan alternative, is really nice sprinkled on top after cooking.
More sauce recipes
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Recipe card
Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 0.5 onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 250 g passata
- 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the onion and garlic in a little oil until softened.
- Add the passata sauce and herbs.
- Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir through cooked spaghetti and top with parmesan.
Notes
- You can use this simply stirred through pasta, as a spaghetti bolognese sauce or as a pizza base sauce.
- It freezes really well, so feel free to triple the recipe and batch cook it.
- This is a simple sauce, but you can use it as a base and add vegetables or meat to it. Cooking times will vary though.
- This is a vegan sauce, but some parmesan or vegan alternative, is really nice sprinkled on top after cooking.
Nicole @ The Granola Diaries
Love this!!! Looks so fresh and delicious!
Tonje
This tasted so good! With such simple recipes, this will definitely become a staple for us!
Elizabeth
Mmm sounds like a great midweek meal idea! Love pasta, me!
Mandi
Thanks for this simple recipe, my boys love pasta but they always complain about what's in the jars, this will make a nice change.
rachel
Sometimes having just pasta and a sauce is so comforting to sit and eat x
Tanya Brannan
I don't think you can beat a freshly made tomato sauce. I love making pasta sauces so will give it a try!
Idaintyit
looks yummy. I am always after a new pasta sauce so will give this a try
Jenny - Monkey and Mouse
It looks delicious! I love pasta and so do the kids, it's always a hit! :) x
Rebecca Smith
What a fabulously simple recipe, thanks for sharing!
Leanne
I would never have thought of using those products. Thanks for sharing!
kellie@foodtoglow
I'm a big fan of Cirio products and will go out of my way if necessary to get them when making something that requires something tomatoey - tinned, passata, paste. Congratulations on being their blogger ambassador - what a great gig!
Ickle Pickle
I love the look of this - I really want to have a go, we have a lot of pasta. I am going to pin this, thank you. Kaz x
Catstello
This looks so tasty! Thanks for sharing
Camilla
You can't beat Cirio as they make cooking a meal so effortless and delicious, my cupboards are bursting with their products:-)
Kavey
Completely agree that non-Italians often overcomplicate Italian food. Everything is either too muddled by too many ingredients or the flavours are overly concentrated. This looks like you're really paring back to the essential flavours.
Kacie
I made my own sundried tomato pasta sauce the other day and it made such a difference - so much nicer than shop-bought varieties!
Stella Kashmoney
This looks very yummy. Would love to taste this.
Camilla
We are going to Italy in the summer and I am most looking forward to the food. This has gotten me in the mood for it even more now.
We buy Cirio products too. Congrats on being an ambassador for them, I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Oliver
I am a terrible cook, but I think I could even manage this. I would have to add some chicken or something to it though.
Bec
I make my pasta sauces from scratch too and tend to use cirio too. It's much cheaper and I know exactly what's gone in it too. Love bec xx