Coming from the Mediterranean, pasta with tomato sauce has always been a staple in our diet. Sauces are always homemade because they are the best. This recipe is a great way to use the fresh summer tomatoes when they are in abundance. However, we can also enjoy it using canned tomatoes. The result will be just as good.
Although this recipe might sound very simple… and it is easy to prepare… the flavours are wonderful. Do not underestimate the great flavour of the roasted garlic and the fresh basil. They are both power flavours in Mediterranean cuisine.
Without the roasted garlic, this would be a normal tomato sauce… which is also good. However, taking that extra step to roast the garlic prior to putting it into the sauce will definitely take the whole dish to another level.
The garlic will be roasting while you are cooking the onion and simmering the tomatoes. So actually you are not increasing the cooking time… you will be multitasking 😉
I guarantee you will not go back to the ‘normal’ tomato sauce and will want to eat this every time. I suggest you make a double batch and freeze the extra portion. You will find it ready for next time you want a delicious plate of pasta and don’t have time to prepare it from scratch!
Let me know what you think. Enjoy! 😀
Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce
A deep red and flavour-intense sauce that perfectly pairs with your favourite kind pasta.
Ingredients
- 6-8 garlic cloves
- Olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 400g chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- Small handful of fresh basil
- Sea salt & black pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Line a baking sheet with baking paper, place the garlic cloves, with skin on, on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Place in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes.
- In the meantime, finely chop the onion. In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the onion. Cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes until the onion is translucent and golden in colour.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes, mixing constantly.
- De-glaze the saucepan with 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, dried oregano, dried basil and sugar. Bring to a gentle boil and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Peel the roasted garlic cloves and add them to the saucepan. Let it simmer for at least another 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and blend the sauce to achieve a smooth consistency.
- Roughly chop the fresh basil leaves and add them to the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve it with your favourite pasta.
