Midweek Pasta Sauce

Kids generally love pasta.  However, the tastiest sauces that you can buy commercially aren’t cheap and the ones that are contain all sorts of rubbish.  This sauce is made for them after school of an evening and takes 10-15 minutes max, including all the prep.  In fact, get the pasta on first and you'll havce finished the sauce by the time the pasta has cooked. It’s quick, cheap and healthy… plus it tastes so much nicer than the bottled or packet sauces.  There is absolutely none left on the plate once the kids have wolfed this lot down and very rarely is there anything left over for us!

Ingredients (serves 4 children or 2-3 adults)

500g fresh tomatoes (you could use canned chopped tomatoes in an emergency but using fresh is just so much better)

1 clove garlic

A good pinch of salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Worcester sauce

50g Parmesan cheese

Several fresh basil leaves

1 tblsp Olive oil

The Prep

1.      Bung the tomatoes in the food processor and whizz for a few seconds until they are very roughly chopped.  You want to be able to see some lumps in there, so don’t make it a puree!  Cherry tomatoes are particularly good for this recipe.

2.      Peel and crush the garlic clove

3.      Grate the cheese

4.      Tear or finely chop the basil leaves, setting some aside for garnish

The Method

1.     Put the olive oil in a saucepan and add the garlic.  Heat on medium for about 30-40 seconds.

2.     Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

3.     Add most of the chopped basil, the salt, pepper and a dash of Worcester sauce (or to taste – but it is very overpowering if you use too much).

4.     Continue cooking for a further 2-3 minutes, making sure the seasoning is well stirred in.

5.     Pour over the pasta, sprinkle some of the grated Parmesan on top and add the remaining basil leaves.

Voila!  A simple, basic pasta sauce the kids will love and which can be totally prepared while the pasta is cooking.

(Tip – For something with a spicy kick, add a chopped chilli in to the mix. Don’t be afraid to experiment with seasoning either… for instance, Oregano goes extremely well with this dish too.)